President Trump ran and won on a strong, sensible Second Amendment policy. He knew the issue was so important, that he made it the subject of his second position paper for the 2016 campaign.* He, his aides, his supporters, and the GOP need to dust that document off and go on offense this next week. Here is how such a Trumpian approach is a winner in American politics.

The 2016 election hinged on several states in the Rust Belt. Salena Zito and Brad Todd documented the surprising voting demographics that came through for President Trump. One of these groups was labeled “girl gun power.”** These were Millennial to Gen X women who had the strongest belief of any demographic group that they had the undeniable right to decide for themselves what kind of firearm was appropriate for their home defense. The NRA very effectively focussed advertising to them, and they chose guns over genital solidarity, even after the Billy Bush tape.

President Trump absolutely must hold these voters. But what of the signs of losing the old core of suburban Republican women? There are concerns that, as Texas attracted businesses from California, it imported new voters who want economic freedom but have contempt for the Second Amendment and social conservatism. Moreover, there are fears that suburban women, even if identifying as Republican, dislike President Trump.

A Ricochet article last November, post-election, makes a compelling argument about this group of voters: “Women for Progress.” Read the whole thing to judge the strength of this claim:

Due to their simultaneous preferences for compassion and security, any attempt to appeal to the suburban woman needs to be coupled with championing an under-dog if they are reasonably secure or offering a solution if they feel insecure.

Let us take that statement as true. President Trump has a golden opportunity to win hearts and minds both in the suburbs and in the urban core. In the urban core, he has been the first modern Republican president to actively seek the votes and to actively, plainly pursue policy priorities of black Americans. Even the ICE raids on employers in Mississippi this week are aimed, in part, at wooing black voters.

These are entry-level jobs Americans poorly served by our education system need. A banner hangs on the fence outside one of the raided meat processing plants saying “Now Hiring—Apply Here.” A Census Bureau report on Mississippi demographics shows thirty-seven percent of Mississippi residents identify as “black or African-American alone.”

President Trump has almost daily recited the great good news about African-American employment rates. He just showed seriousness about internal enforcement of basic labor laws. He needs a few employers to be named and shamed as cheaters, showing he is on the side of the underdog, of African-American and legal Hispanic or Latino families cheated out of jobs and better wages.

Now, carry that desire, to do well with African-American voters by doing good for African-Americans, back into the context of crime and the Second Amendment policy paper of candidate Donald J. Trump. All following indented text quotes Donald J. Trump’s 2016 position paper, linked and reproduced in full at the bottom of this post. My suggested core of a major policy speech, that should be delivered in the next week, is in bold text with quotation marks.

Violent crime in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and many others is out of control. Drug dealers and gang members are given a slap on the wrist and turned loose on the street. This needs to stop.

Here, President Trump has a golden opportunity to gain both suburban women and African-American voters. He should lament, and express outrage, that we have become so numbed that we notice 30 gunned down in El Paso but not nearly 300 mostly African American lives lost in Chicago so far this year. Every one of the ten lives lost in Dayton is mourned, so how much more should our hearts break at ten times that number slain already in Baltimore this year? The president has only to think back to his reelection kick-off rally, and his repeated calls for urban renewal and a “New Deal for Black Americans.”

Illinois Governor Pritzker said thank God it hasn’t happened here. So, President Trump should name-check Governor Pritzker with a positive sounding reply: “I am sure Governor Pritzker agrees with me that all black lives really matter, which is why I am directing my Attorney General to aggressively pursue violent gangs and gun runners around the Chicago area. Every grandmother has the right to walk down her street with her grandchildren in peace. Every child has the right to a life and education free from gang threats.”

Make a big deal of extending cooperation to Congressman Elijah Cummings‘ district and the city of Baltimore, with over ten times the number of victims in the Dayton massacre so far this year. See this local report on Baltimore homicides in 2019. It is as shocking as the rat infestation, which is only a sign of the gross negligence of basic public services. “I am extending my hand to Congressman Cummings and the wonderful people of Baltimore, who deserve the same attention and sympathy as Dayton and El Paso. I am directing my Attorney General to aggressively pursue violent gangs and gun runners in Baltimore. We must free our people from the terrible threat of violence, and ensure basic services are fairly delivered. to show America truly values and respects the dignity and worth of every American.”

Now push even harder, pointing out that “Otis McDonald was a retired African-American man in Chicago, whose name is now forever linked with our God-given right to self-defense. He sued to force Chicago to recognize his right to purchase and own a handgun for self-defense.”

Here’s another important way to fight crime – empower law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves. Law enforcement is great, they do a tremendous job, but they can’t be everywhere all of the time. Our personal protection is ultimately up to us. That’s why I’m a gun owner, that’s why I have a concealed carry permit, and that’s why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well. It’s just common sense. To make America great again, we’re going to go after criminals and put the law back on the side of the law-abiding.

Flesh it out something like this:

“I always praise our wonderful police and law enforcement men and women. And if you ask a non-political police officer, you will hear that you are your own first responder, that the fastest police response arrives later than the slowest bullet from a bad guy’s gun. The police are wonderful and courageous, but they cannot be everywhere all the time. That is why it is up to all of us, if we are responsible, competent adults, to defend our own families if we can. American government, at every level, needs to help citizens, not hinder them, if citizens choose to take on the responsibility of self-defense and home-defense.”

“That is why I am calling for severe restrictions on so-called gun-free zones, and strong support for nation-wide concealed carry card recognition. We know from the El Paso monster’s own words that these cowards, even if mentally unbalanced, have enough sense to avoid places where they expect to be stopped dead, literally, on the spot.”

NATIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY. The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.

President Trump has already been talking about mental health, so he just needs to steer it beyond a basis for taking away guns and back to early detection and treatment as both public safety and the compassionate thing to do, caring for those who cannot care for themselves due to terrible mental disorders, ultimate underdogs.

All of the tragic mass murders that occurred in the past several years have something in common – there were red flags that were ignored. We can’t allow that to continue. We need to expand treatment programs, because most people with mental health problems aren’t violent, they just need help. But for those who are violent, a danger to themselves or others, we need to get them off the street before they can terrorize our communities. This is just common sense.

With these initiatives all signaling compassion, security, and support for underdogs, it is time to push back on the left and the Vichy Republicans who want to “do something” so long as it is not the difficult right thing to do. Remember girl gun power?

“A woman needs a lighter firearm that fits her frame, like the AR-15, and many semi-automatic pistols that are easier to handle. No one has any right to tell them how many bullets they need. No politician has a right to put women and their families’ lives at risk with magazine capacity restrictions. Women veterans have carried and fired a rifle with 30 round magazines, and a pistol with 15 round magazines. That is the bottom line, the standard, the lowest limit on any limitation.”

GUN AND MAGAZINE BANS. Gun and magazine bans are a total failure. That’s been proven every time it’s been tried. Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like “assault weapons”, “military-style weapons” and “high capacity magazines” to confuse people. What they’re really talking about are popular semiautomatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans. Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.

“Finally, I strongly support fully funding and fully using the real background check system already in place. The Democrats are back to their usual gun-grabbing tricks of stealth gun-registration in the false name of closing loopholes. Everyone knows, because Democrats keep letting it slip, that getting lists of your guns is only to set up their gun confiscation, their grab of your God-given rights. Here is what I said four years ago:

There has been a national background check system in place since 1998. Every time a person buys a gun from a federally licensed gun dealer – which is the overwhelming majority of all gun purchases – they go through a federal background check. Study after study has shown that very few criminals are stupid enough to try and pass a background check – they get their guns from friends/family members or by stealing them. So the overwhelming majority of people who go through background checks are law-abiding gun owners. When the system was created, gun owners were promised that it would be instant, accurate and fair. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case today. Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system – and it should go without saying that a system’s only going to be as effective as the records that are put into it. What we need to do is fix the system we have and make it work as intended. What we don’t need to do is expand a broken system.

“How terrible to have my words proven so true. The Sutherland Springs church shooter was improperly cleared to buy the gun he used to murder 28 church-goers in Texas. The Air Force miserably failed to do their duty to put this piece of garbage in the system after his terrible conduct in uniform. It wasn’t Texas that failed, it was our military that failed Texas. I ordered an immediate fix, making military bureaucrats really do their jobs, putting all the information into the national background check system. This was the real loophole that really got people killed. I fully support funding and checking to get every proper mental health or criminal record into the national background check system. That will really save lives, and even stop potential shooters from going down that terrible path.” 

“It is time for real action, not another 30 years of political game playing. I stand with the American people and the Constitution against gun-grabbing extremists who once again seek to use tragedy to steal your freedom, your power. I invite all Americans to join me to make America safe again for all Americans.”

* Donald J. Trump’s position paper “Second Amendment Rights” [PDF]:

Donald J. Trump on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.

The Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that belongs to all law-abiding Americans. The Constitution doesn’t create that right – it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self-defense, plain and simple.

It’s been said that the Second Amendment is America’s first freedom. That’s because the Right to Keep and Bear Arms protects all our other rights. We are the only country in the world that has a Second Amendment. Protecting that freedom is imperative. Here’s how we will do that:

Enforce The Laws On The Books

We need to get serious about prosecuting violent criminals. The Obama administration’s record on that is abysmal. Violent crime in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and many others is out of control. Drug dealers and gang members are given a slap on the wrist and turned loose on the street. This needs to stop.

Several years ago there was a tremendous program in Richmond, Virginia called Project Exile. It said that if a violent felon uses a gun to commit a crime, you will be prosecuted in federal court and go to prison for five years – no parole or early release. Obama’s former Attorney General, Eric Holder, called that a “cookie cutter” program. That’s ridiculous. I call that program a success. Murders committed with guns in Richmond decreased by over 60% when Project Exile was in place – in the first two years of the program alone, 350 armed felons were taken off the street.

Why does that matter to law-abiding gun owners? Because they’re the ones who antigun politicians and the media blame when criminals misuse guns. We need to bring back and expand programs like Project Exile and get gang members and drug dealers off the street. When we do, crime will go down and our cities and communities will be safer places to live.

Here’s another important way to fight crime – empower law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves. Law enforcement is great, they do a tremendous job, but they can’t be everywhere all of the time. Our personal protection is ultimately up to us. That’s why I’m a gun owner, that’s why I have a concealed carry permit, and that’s why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well. It’s just common sense. To make America great again, we’re going to go after criminals and put the law back on the side of the law-abiding.

Fix Our Broken Mental Health System

Let’s be clear about this. Our mental health system is broken. It needs to be fixed. Too many politicians have ignored this problem for too long.

All of the tragic mass murders that occurred in the past several years have something in common – there were red flags that were ignored. We can’t allow that to continue. We need to expand treatment programs, because most people with mental health problems aren’t violent, they just need help. But for those who are violent, a danger to themselves or others, we need to get them off the street before they can terrorize our communities. This is just common sense.

And why does this matter to law-abiding gun owners? Once again, because they get blamed by anti-gun politicians, gun control groups and the media for the acts of deranged madmen. When one of these tragedies occurs, we can count on two things: one, that opponents of gun rights will immediately exploit it to push their political agenda; and two, that none of their so-called “solutions” would have prevented the tragedy in the first place. They’ve even admitted it.

We need real solutions to address real problems. Not grandstanding or political agendas.

Defend The Rights of Law-Abiding Gun Owners

GUN AND MAGAZINE BANS. Gun and magazine bans are a total failure. That’s been proven every time it’s been tried. Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like “assault weapons”, “military-style weapons” and “high capacity magazines” to confuse people. What they’re really talking about are popular semiautomatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans. Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.

BACKGROUND CHECKS. There has been a national background check system in place since 1998. Every time a person buys a gun from a federally licensed gun dealer – which is the overwhelming majority of all gun purchases – they go through a federal background check. Study after study has shown that very few criminals are stupid enough to try and pass a background check – they get their guns from friends/family members or by stealing them. So the overwhelming majority of people who go through background checks are law-abiding gun owners. When the system was created, gun owners were promised that it would be instant, accurate and fair. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case today. Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system – and it should go without saying that a system’s only going to be as effective as the records that are put into it. What we need to do is fix the system we have and make it work as intended. What we don’t need to do is expand a broken system.

NATIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY. The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.

MILITARY BASES AND RECRUITING CENTERS. Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous. We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves.

** Salena Zito and Brad Todd, The Great Revolt