A draft of the Republican platform [pdf] is available. While it may seem enthusiastic on the 2nd Amendment, it’s really a rehash of their boilerplate from prior election years, with a few minor additions.
We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen’s God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration.
They may be big on budget reform, but the GOP isn’t very enthused with paragraph breaks, so I’ll insert them.
More than anything, this is an incremental step from the 2008 platform, which said roughly the same thing after the Heller decision made it safe to say. The 2004 platform settled for lauding the LEOSA and the party’s support for a “hunting tradition,” and the 2000 platform was fairly reticent on the matter altogether.
One thing becomes clear upon review: rather than breaking any ground or taking any risks on the 2nd Amendment, the GOP is content to play it safe and follow the political wind in this regard. With Romney at the helm, I’m really not expecting much at all.
Next up is an acknowledgment of the right to bear arms outside the confines of the home. This one’s a bit novel for them.
We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities.
Of course, they’re talking about legislation like HR 822. I still think we’re better served by having the courts acknowledge that right, but it’s nice to see the party showing some backbone.
We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the ill-considered Clinton gun ban.
Pardon me while I harrumph into my sleeve. HR 3355 wasn’t passed in a vacuum, and more than a few Republicans voted for its passage. In fact, their Presidential candidate has a bit of a record on that back home in Massachusetts.
We condemn the reckless actions associated with the operation known as “Fast and Furious,” conducted by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border. We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in holding the current Administration’s Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales information in the four southern border states, which was imposed without congressional authority.
…and if they’d been a bit smarter in the way they went about condemning it, they’d have brought somebody to justice. Instead, they decided to go straight after the Attorney General (and the television ratings), and we’re left with nothing.
So, yeah, they’re a bit better than the Democrats on gun issues, at least on paper. However, nobody should labor under the illusion that the Republican party supports the 2nd Amendment for anything much past political expediency.