Kentucky Senate Election: Where the Candidates Stand on Guns

The 2016 election is only a few days away and while everyone knows the presidential candidates’ stances on guns, for many the state elections, which can cause affect laws in each individual state just as much, if not more than the presidency. We here at USA Firearm Training believe that a well-informed populace is a strong one, so we are going to be sharing with you the Senate race in Kentucky and the stances of the candidates on guns, to give each of you a better idea where they stand.

THE RACE

Kentucky’s 2016 Senate race pits incumbent Republican Senator Rand Paul against Democratic challenger Jim Gray.

Rand Paul is the incumbent Republican Senator from Kentucky. He has been in office since being elected in 2010. While Jim Gray is the incumbent Mayor of Lexington. A position that he has held since 2010.

Currently, Paul holds a 7 point lead over Gray in an average of the polls.

Now let’s take a look at the candidates’ stances on gun control based off of their own voting history as well as quotes directly from the candidates.

RAND PAUL

Oppose laws which would limit the right to gun ownership. Paul is quoted as saying “I vow to uphold our entire Bill of Rights, but specifically our right to bear arms. I will not support any proposed gun control law which would limit the right to gun ownership by those who are responsible, law-abiding citizens.

Paul also holds a belief that the second amendment is only as good as the fourth amendment. Another quote from Rand. “How many supposed pro-gun politicians voted for the Patriot Act which gives the government the right to search your home without a warrant, when you’re not home, leave listening devices, and use any and all information to create a prosecution on any charge regardless of their original reason for the search? Gun rights advocates need to know that the 2nd amendment is only as good as the fourth amendment. If we are not free from unreasonable and warrantless searches, no one’s guns are safe.”

Paul scores an A+ with the NRA. This means that he is a legislator with not only an excellent voting record on all critical NRA issues but who has also made a vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment.

JIM GRAY

Gray states that he wishes to ban gun purchases by people on FBI terrorist watch list

Waving a newspaper story about the shooting rampage in Orlando that killed 49 people, Jim Gray criticized Sen. Rand Paul for opposing a bill that would ban gun purchases by people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list. “How many headlines like this do we need to see before Congress does something?” asked Gray. “Senator Paul voted to let potential terrorists buy guns. He chose to protect the rights of radical Islam over the safety of innocent Americans. What was Rand Paul thinking? Where is his common sense? Where’s the backbone?”

Gray also believes it to be okay to delay gun sales for 72 hours, but no secret lists.

Jim Gray criticized Sen. Rand Paul for opposing a bill that would ban gun purchases by people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list. In December, the day after an extremist couple shot and killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Paul voted against a Democrat-backed bill that would have blocked the sale of guns through licensed firearms dealers to roughly 10,000 Americans whose names are reported to be on the secret watch list, indicating that federal law-enforcement officials suspect them of possible terrorist activity. The legislation failed by a 54-to-45 vote.

Responding to Gray’s criticism, Paul said he voted for an alternative bill last December, one backed by Republicans, to let federal law-enforcement officials delay gun sales to suspected terrorists for up to 72 hours. “The legislation I supported prevented the Obama administration from drawing up a secret list of Americans who, through no judicial process, are stripped of their rights,” Paul said.

Jim Gray has not yet received a grade from the NRA as he has yet to hold national office.