Promote safe communities and prevent mass shootings
Freedom is not found at the barrel of a gun. In schools, malls, and places of worship, Americans live under the shadow of mass shootings. Children practice lockdown drills, families mourn, and yet lawmakers do nothing. Other nations do not tolerate such senseless slaughter. Why should we?
Assault weapons are not tools of self-defense or hunting equipment—they are instruments of war. Designed to kill quickly and efficiently, they belong on battlefields, not in our neighborhoods.
While the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, every right has its limits. The First Amendment does not grant Americans the right to spread sentiments that cause violent, illegal harm, or misinformation that ruins reputations, as incitement of imminent lawless action, libel, and slander are each against the law. The Second Amendment must be similarly constrained to prohibit weapons of mass murder from infiltrating our communities and being unleashed against innocent Americans.
The right to live must outweigh the right to kill. Project 2029 unapologetically supports:
Reviving the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. This law prohibited the manufacture, transfer, and possession of certain semi-automatic firearms and magazines that were defined as "assault weapons,” including weapons that could accept detachable magazines and had one or more military-style features such as pistol grips, folding or telescoping stocks, flash suppressors, bayonet mounts, and grenade launcher attachments. It also prohibited magazines that could hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The law included a list of specific firearms that were considered assault weapons, such as certain models of the AR-15, Uzi, and Tec-9, among others. It primarily targeted guns that were popular in military and law enforcement use, but were available to civilians. The ban expired in 2004 due to the sunset provision, and must be revived to restrict the availability of these tools of mass murder.
Rescinding Executive Order 14206, which directs a sweeping review of federal actions related to firearms regulation with the explicit goal of identifying and eliminating gun safety measures without balancing this with public safety concerns. This order risks undermining commonsense gun safety measures.
Promoting commonsense gun safety measures, including background checks, red flag laws, and efforts to curb illegal gun trafficking.
Directing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), to prioritize inspections and compliance reviews of federally licensed dealers and importers associated with elevated risks of firearm diversion, loss, or trafficking, ensuring consistent enforcement of existing statutory requirements.
Directing the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with ATF, to review and update import licensing criteria under the “sporting purposes” standard of the Gun Control Act, with a focus on preventing the importation of firearms, ammunition, and large-capacity magazines that pose heightened risks to public safety while lacking a clear sporting application.
Directing the Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, to establish procurement standards requiring federal firearms and ammunition contractors to demonstrate robust compliance with federal safety and accountability regulations, thus reinforcing best practices across the supply chain.
Instructing the Department of Justice to update its administration of federal public safety grant programs, including COPS grants and Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, by incorporating bonus scoring criteria for states that adopt assault weapons bans, high-capacity magazine restrictions, and statutory measures to reduce trafficking and misuse of high-risk firearms.
