©Reuters. Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends the National Rifle Association (NRA) presidential forum at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 9, 2024. REUTERS/Leah
By Nathan Layne
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race, said on Friday that if re-elected he would reverse all gun restrictions adopted by President Joe Biden.
Speaking to thousands of supporters at an event hosted by the National Rifle Association (NRA), Trump vowed to rescind a rule limiting sales of gun accessories known as gun braces and other restrictions put in place by the Biden administration.
“Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be stopped in my first week back in office, maybe my first day,” Trump said in a speech before thousands of supporters at the Great American Outdoor show in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania.
The NRA enthusiastically supported Trump during the 2016 race and throughout his administration, cheering him on as he nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court and took a series of steps called for by the influential gun lobby. These included designating firearms stores as essential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to remain open.
Viewing conservative gun owners as critical to his reelection chances, Trump has continued to aggressively court them. He told the crowd on Friday that if he were re-elected “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” and boasted about how he resisted pressure to implement gun restrictions during his White House tenure from 2017 to 2021.
“During my four years nothing happened, and there was a lot of pressure on me when dealing with guns. We didn’t do anything, we didn’t give up,” Trump said.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)