Health Care (2020 Presidential Election)

Health care.  Is it a basic human right or a for profit industry?  What is ObamaCare?  What is Medicaid?  How have things changed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic?

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) more commonly called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare was the most significant overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the introduction of Medicaid & Medicare in 1965.  It was signed into law by Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.  It was a major part of Obama’s candidacy platform for presidency.  It was intended to increase the quality and affordability of health care insurance and to lower the uninsured number.

Here were some of the more significant changes introduced by the law:

Protections for policyholders:

• Insurers could no longer deny coverage to patients due to pre-existing conditions.
• Insurers could no longer impose lifetime dollar amounts on essential benefits, such as hospital stays.
• Insurers could no longer drop policyholders when they get sick.
• It established minimum standards for health care policies.
• Plans had to cover preventative care and medical screenings and couldn’t charge co-pays or deductibles for these services.

Expanded protections:

• It expanded Medicaid eligibility.
• It allowed children to stay on their parents insurance until their 26th birthday.

Streamlined Services:

• Introduced health insurance exchanges as an on-line avenue where individuals and small businesses could compare plans before purchasing during open enrollment.
• Reformed and streamlined the payments system through Medicare.

Penalties for Non-Compliance:

• It mandated insurance coverage unless an individual experienced financial hardship or was a member of a protected religious sect.  Subsidies were available to help low income individuals.
• It enacted tax penalties for businesses (with 50 or more employees) who didn’t offer coverage for full-time employees but received tax deductions for such a purpose.
• Penalized hospitals with a higher than expected readmission rate due to the costs they incur to Medicare by decreasing their Medicare reimbursement rate.

Why people love it.
Most Americans benefit from the Affordable Care Act.  The inability of an insurance company to refuse people with pre-existing conditions has been life changing for many.  A member of my own family paid $800 a month due to a pre-existing heart condition because no insurance company would take him except the state.  The Affordable Care Act changed that.  For those that were sick, Obamacare is a really big deal. For over 100 million people with a pre-existing condition, not enrolled in public programs like Medicaid or Medicare, they no longer had to face higher premiums or significant out of pocket expenses.  Insurance companies used to be able to deny coverage or charge more, now they couldn’t.  Insurance companies used to be able to put lifetime limits on coverage.  Now they couldn’t.

The end to lifetime limits was another big deal.  I’ve been moved by numerous stories over the years about people, especially children, who have had to endure horrific illness from cancer to brain tumors and the end to lifetime limits has saved their families from financial ruin.

The requirement of preventive care and minimum requirements drove costs down by preventing people from getting sick down the road when the expense rises.

The uninsured rate went down considerably due to the affordability and accessibility.  20 million more people gained health care coverage because of the Affordable Care Act.  Medicaid and CHIP coverage also expanded.  Businesses had to offer coverage for their employees.  Basically, people got taken care of in ways they didn’t before.  More people had health care than ever before.

But, why the mandate?
Granted, all of this additional coverage cost insurance companies a lot more money.  The sicker a patient is, the more money this is going to cost insurance companies.  This is why insurance companies traditionally denied those with pre-existing conditions or dropped them when they became sick.  Enter the mandate.  If insurance companies have to cover more, they need more policy holders which is part of why all people, even the traditionally healthy, had to purchase insurance.  Otherwise, people would just wait until they got sick to purchase insurance which would truly “break the bank.”   The mandate was originally introduced in 1989 by the Heritage Foundation and was championed by conservative economists and Republican senators.

Why people hate it.
For some, it didn’t go far enough to prevent the rise in health care costs which surpassed income growth for years.  While ObamaCare had slowed the rise in healthcare costs and premiums weren’t rising at the rate anticipated, they continued to rise and they were expensive!  It turns out that quality plans that meet minimum requirements cost more than plans that could drop you when you got sick or kick you out of the hospital.

To pay for the program, it raised taxes on high earners (the 2% making more than $250,000/year) and the healthcare industry.  People don’t like the mandate because they don’t like being told what to do, especially the young and healthy who could go without and now had to pay for insurance.  

Some called it a job killer because companies would force their employees to part-time to avoid paying health care costs.

Smaller government advocates said it was an overreach of the government into people’s lives.

The biggest myths about ObamaCare:

Myth:  ObamaCare was causing premiums to increase.
Fact:  Health insurance premiums had been increasing at outrageous rates for years, long before
ObamaCare.  ObamaCare did a lot to curb premiums, like using the Health Insurance Marketplace to shop around for insurance.  As mentioned earlier, insurance companies raised their rates as a result of offering quality plans that meet minimum requirements.  

Myth:  ObamaCare killed jobs and increased the deficit.
Facts:  The Affordable Care Act actually paid for itself through tax increases on insurance companies and high earners and spending reduction.  It led to a deficit reduction.  As cited in my post on the economy, the deficit had shrunk every year Obama had been in office.  There is no evidence from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that that the law had an impact on part-time workers seeking full-time work. 

ObamaCare Today

Source:
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2020/01/03/553270.htm

Trump and the GOP majority sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act as soon as they took office in January of 2017.  And, it looked like they were going to be successful until John McCain famously and shockingly voted against the repeal in July of 2017 sinking hopes for a repeal.  In December of 2017, Trump signed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act which eliminated the federal tax penalty for violating the individual mandate starting in 2019.  The number of uninsured Americans has increased by 1.4 million.

On Thursday, June 25th, 2020, the Trump administration filed a late-night court filing to the Supreme Court, urging them to overturn the Affordable Care Act.  The whole thing: coverage for pre-existing conditions, the prohibition on lifetime limits, the requirement of preventative care, allowing children to stay on their parent’s health insurance until 26, everything.  This was the same day that the government had reported that 500,000 who had lost their health coverage due to job loss during the coronavirus had secured it through the Affordable Care Act.  20 million people could lose their health care coverage if the law is overturned.  There is currently no replacement plan and a significant replacement has not been proposed in the last 10 years since the bill became law.

Medicaid:
What is Medicaid?  Medicaid is the government insurance program for people whose incomes are insufficient to pay for health insurance.  ObamaCare expanded Medicaid coverage to families whose incomes were up to 133% of the federal poverty level.  This would have covered about 15 million more families.  But, 14 states actually rejected that expansion denying access to 4.9 million adults.  Over half of the nation’s uninsured population lived in the states that did not adopt Medicaid expansion.

Why did they reject it?  The federal government subsidized 100% of of the expansion through 2016, but that subsidy tapered to 90% by 2020.  The states that rejected it say that their 10% of their responsibility does not work within their budgets. Studies have shown that rejecting the expansion actually cost states more due to increased spending on uncompensated emergency care that would have otherwise been covered by Medicaid.

Medicaid is the only option for many low-income Americans.  And, the truth is many people don’t want to use tax dollars to pay for those who can’t afford insurance.  But, the flip side of that is that taxpayers are responsible for tens of millions of dollars in unpaid medical bills for those who can’t afford insurance and turn to emergency rooms for care when they are out of options.

Here are the candidate positions. Click on their name to be taken to their campaign positions related to healthcare on their website.

Joe Biden:  Unlike some of the more liberal candidates in the original Democratic pool for president, Biden does not support getting rid of private insurance in favor of starting from scratch with a Medicare for all type plan.  Instead he has a plan to build on the current Affordable Care Act.  He will

• create a public option like Medicare for those who are unsatisfied with their current insurance.
• increase the value of tax credits in order to lower premiums and extend coverage to more working Americans.  He will remove caps in order to make sure that no family has to pay more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance.
• offer a premium free option for the 4.9 million individuals uninsured in states that didn’t expand Medicaid.
• automatically enroll those making below 138% of the poverty line when they interact with certain institutions such as public schools and SNAP.
• bar health care providers from charging patients out-of-network rates (that usually show up as surprise bills) when a patient doesn’t have control over which provider a patient sees, such as during a hospitalization.
• repeal the exception that allows drug companies to avoid negotiating with Medicare.
• impose a tax penalty on drug manufacturers that increase costs over the general inflation rate.
• allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from other countries as long as the U.S. has certified them as safe.
• terminate pharmaceutical corporations’ tax breaks for advertisement spending.
• improve the supply of quality generics.
• reinstate the Obama era policy rolled back by Trump that protected LGBTQ patients from discrimination in healthcare.
• double investment in community health centers.
• expand access to mental health care.
• pay for his plan by getting rid of the capital gains tax loopholes for the super wealthy.

Donald Trump:  Again, Trump’s website focuses on his record, not his plans for the future.  So, here is what his administration has done.

• Provided more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2017 to be used to improve access to healthcare for 2.5 million in rural communities.
• Expanded access to Associated Health Plans (AHPs) so that small businesses could pool risk across states.
• Repealed the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act.
• Signed a 6 year extension for CHIP to fund healthcare for 9 million.
• Approved the largest number of generic drugs in history through the FDA causing year-end drug prices to fall for the first time in 50 years in December of 2018.
• His Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services instated a new policy meant to support states in requiring work as a condition for Medicaid eligibility.
• Created a Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to investigating concerns by health care workers who feel they are being forced to violate their consciences by providing services such as abortion, sterilization, and assisted suicide.
• Rolled out MyHealthEData to increase access to health data by patients.
• Passed Right-to-Try to give critically ill patients access to experimental treatments that have not been approved by the FDA.
• Signed bill to extend Veterans Choice Health Care.
• Launched initiative to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.
• Pushed Congress to end surprise medical billing.
• Finalized rule to expand Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs).
• Launched a program to provide the HIV drug PrEP to uninsured patients for free.
• Signed legislation raising the age to purchase tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.
• Announced plan to lower drug prices.
• Rolled back patient protections for LGBTQ people on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
• Asked that the Supreme Court overturn ObamaCare.

GUNS (2020 Presidential Election)

Source:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/gun-violence-is-public-health-issue#1

It’s one of the most contentious debates of our time: gun violence prevention vs. second amendment rights.  Can we have both?  Can we support the second amendment while keeping guns away from criminals and other dangerous people? Republicans say that Democrats want to abolish the second amendment and take all your guns away.  Democrats say that Republicans are bought and paid for by the NRA and have no concern for the general welfare.  Ultimately, it comes down to what may be America’s greatest debate: individual rights vs. collective well-being.  But, what are the actual facts related to gun violence and what are the actual legislative possibilities? 

First of all, in the United States you have a right to own a gun as outlined by the second amendment of the United States constitution ("A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.")  Where does this amendment come from? Well, the British tried to confiscate the colonists’ firearms at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.  And, no one wants to be unarmed when their tyrannical federal government goes to war with them.  So, founder, and eventual fourth president, James Madison, proposed the amendment to provide more power to state militias which eventually became the National Guard.  But, that doesn’t mean that the government can’t regulate or place some limits on the manufacture, ownership, and sale of firearms for the safety of its people.  The Supreme Court has ruled as such.  “Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.  For example, concealed weapons prohibitions … possessions of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing condition and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.”

So, there.  Everyone knows that the second amendment protects the right to bear arms.  The debate over whether that is a right as a collective such as the National Guard or the right of an individual may go on without end.  But, how does the United States compare with the rest of the world in terms of gun violence?  

The American Medical Association has declared gun violence in the U.S. a public health crisis.  It calls the uncontrolled ownership and use of firearms “a serious threat to public health” because “the weapons are one of the main causes of intentional and unintentional injuries and deaths.” 

There are enough guns for every man, woman, and child in the United States.  Actually, there are more than enough.  For every 100 people, there are 120.5 firearms in civilian possession.  For the sake of comparison, the next closest amount of firearms per 100 people comes from the territory, The Falkland Islands.  This is an archipelago of about 3,000 people and it is estimated that there are about 2,000 firearms in possession by civilians.  For every 100 people, they have 62.5 firearms.   Following The Falkland Islands is Yemen (52.8 per 100), New Caledonia (42.5 per 100), Montenegro (39.1 per 100), Serbia (39.1 per 100), and Canada (34.7 per 100).

Here are some more facts specific to the United States.  On an average day, over 100 Americans are killed by guns (when I wrote this blog in 2016, it was 91).  Nearly ⅔ of these firearm deaths are suicides.  Access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide.  Only 4% of suicide attempts not involving a firearm are successful, versus 90% of gun suicide attempts.  White men represent 74% of gun suicide victims in America.

One-third of firearm deaths are homicides.  America’s gun murder rate is 25 times the average of other developed countries.  Access to a gun doubles the risk of homicide.  Black Americans are 10 times more likely than white Americans to die by gun homicide.

Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens.  I’m going to say that again.  Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens.  More than 1,700 children and teens die by gun homicide every year.   86% of children killed in shootings with four or more victims were killed as a result of domestic or family violence.

Women in the U.S. are 21 times more likely to be killed by a gun in the U.S. than in other high-income countries.  In an average month, 53 women are shot to death by an intimate partner (in 2016, it was 51).  Access to a gun in domestic violence makes it 5 times more likely that a woman will be killed.

Why is gun violence such a bigger issue in the U.S.? Is it gun prevalence?  Is it mental illness?  Is it violent video games?  Is it gun culture?  We don’t know.  We don’t know because, in 1996, the NRA lobbied Congress to prevent any research on gun violence that could be interpreted as endorsing gun control.  A ban that even the author, Rep. Jay Dickey, R-Ark. regrets.  What we do know is that many other countries have mental illness and violent video games, but the prevalence of mass shootings and other gun deaths are a unique issue to the United States among developed nations.  It reminds me of this Onion article from June 2019: ‘No Way to Prevent This’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.

So, is there a way to prevent this, or is it just the cost of freedom?  Here are some past and current legislative options that address gun violence.

Gun Manufacturer and Dealer Liability

In 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act which protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes are committed with their products.  Prior to its passage, victims had successfully sued manufacturers and dealers for negligence.  After the 2012 shootings at the Aurora movie theater and Sandy Hook Elementary, there was a renewed effort to repeal the act.

Assault Weapons Ban

On January 17, 1989, a 24 year old man with a long criminal history walked onto the Cleveland Elementary School playground in Stockton, California, and began firing with a semi-automatic AK-47.  He killed 5 children and wounded 30 others.  California then became the first state to pass an assault weapons ban.  In addition to assault weapons, it also banned magazines that could hold over 10 rounds of ammunition.  Guns and magazines that were legally owned prior to the passing of the law were grandfathered in as long as they were registered with the California Department of Justice.  New Jersey and Connecticut both passed statewide bans before the federal ban in 1994.  

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban was passed in 1994.  At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice said, “"In general, assault weapons are semi automatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.”  The term is not to be confused with assault rifle, such as an M16, which has the capability to fire in semi-automatic, burst, or fully automatic mode.  The assault weapons ban expired in 2004.  Therefore, assault weapons, such as the Colt AR-15, are legal in the United States.  Assault rifles capable of fully automatic firing have been illegal since 1934.

Assault weapons, and often the AR-15, are the weapon of choice for many high-profile mass shootings including the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, the Aurora Movie Theater Shooting, and the Columbine School Shooting.  When assault weapons are used in mass shootings, 155% more people are shot and 49% more people die versus mass shootings that don’t include assault weapons.  Restricting access to assault weapons has significant effects on mass shooting fatalities.  During the federal ban, there was a marked decrease in the use of assault weapons and large capacity magazines in crime.

However, assault weapons do not significantly affect murder rates at the state level as handguns are responsible for far more deaths.  Assault weapons bans DO affect school shootings.  Quinnipiac researcher, Mark Gius says, "Assault weapons bans reduced the number of school shooting victims by 54.4 percent.  All other gun-control laws—concealed-carry laws, private-sale background checks, and federal dealer background checks—had no statistically significant effect on school shootings."

In the absence of a federal assault weapons ban, there are seven states that have assault weapons bans.  The three listed above plus Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York which adopted statewide bans after the federal ban expired.  These bans have been repeatedly challenged and repeatedly upheld by the courts as constitutional.  The Supreme Court has rejected challenges to the bans.

A writer for the Pacific Standard summed up assault weapons bans concisely, “So if our goal as a society is to reduce the overall murder rate, an assault weapons ban would be highly ineffective. But if we want increased protection from people who aim to create mass casualties in schools—or concert venues like the one in Las Vegas—it could be of enormous help.”

Universal Background Checks and Closing Loopholes

In 1995, Congress passed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, often referred to as the Brady Bill, which mandated federal background checks on the purchase of firearms which has blocked more than 3 million handgun sales since its inception, or 1.5% of all applications.  The bill was named for James Brady who was shot and wounded during an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan.  Despite its success, there are numerous loopholes for purchasing a firearm without a background check.

Over 90% of Americans support universal background checks for all gun sales, however the so-called “gun-show loophole” allows unlicensed sellers to sell without performing any background checks.  This applies to sellers at gun shows and all private sales of guns.  A 2017 study found that 22% of Americans purchased their firearms without a background check.

In 2012, a gunman killed three people, including his wife, and injured 4 others at a spa in Wisconsin after buying a gun through a private seller on-line.  He was prohibited from buying guns due to an active domestic violence restraining order, but was able to do so anyway because the seller was not required to run a background check.

A survey of state prison inmates who were convicted of gun offenses found that only 13% of them obtained the gun from a store or pawn shop where background checks were required.  96% of them were already prohibited from possessing a firearm at the time of their crime and did so through an unlicensed private seller.

Twenty-two states and Washington, D.C. have extended the background check requirement beyond federal law to include at least some private sales.  Of those twenty-two, thirteen states and D.C. require universal background checks for transfers and sales of all firearms whether purchased from a licensed or unlicensed dealer.  From 2009 to 2012, states that required background checks on all handgun sales had 35% fewer gun deaths per capita than states without the requirement.  Additionally, states that require background checks on all handgun sales experience 52% fewer mass shooting incidents.  They experience 48% less gun trafficking, 38% fewer deaths of women shot by intimate partners, and 17% fewer firearms involved in aggravated assaults.

Additionally, states with universal background checks have 53% fewer firearm suicides and 31% fewer suicides overall.

Red Flag Laws

In 1999, Connecticut became the first state to enact a “Red Flag” law, also known as an Extreme Risk law, which allows police to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals determined to be a threat to themselves or their community.  Indiana followed suit in 2005.  A study published in the journal Psychiatric Services found a decline in gun suicides in these states.

In total, at least 19 states and the District of Columbia have red flag laws or some version of them, including Florida which adopted the law following the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting.  Most of these laws require some sort of judicial oversight and due process, however critics say firearms shouldn’t be taken away unless there is an actual conviction.

Here is where the presidential candidates stand on issues related to guns.  If this is an issue addressed on their website, I have linked the page to their name.

Joe Biden:

Biden’s Record:

• In 1986, Senator Biden, as ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, supported  The Firearms Owners Protection Act which overturned six Supreme Court rulings and overturned 75% of the regulations of the Gun Control Act of 1968.  It passed Congress overwhelmingly with a 79-15 vote in the Senate.  The NRA has called this bill “the law that saved gun rights” in America.  It contributed to what is known as the “gun show loophole” and allowed sales by mail, and eventually, the internet.
• In 1991, Senator Biden sponsored the Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act.  This bill ultimately passed in the Senate but died in the House.  The language from this bill went on to be included in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act in 1993 which established the background check system that has blocked more than 3 million handgun sales to those with a criminal background.
• In 1994, Senator Biden helped author the Federal Assault Weapons Ban which ultimately banned assault weapons and high capacity magazines for 10 years before it expired in 2004.
• In 2005, Senator Biden voted against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act which protects gun manufacturers from being held civilly liable for their products.  The bill went on to become law.
• In 2012, Vice President Biden led the presidential task force on gun safety in the wake of the Newtown shootings.  Some of the legislative recommendations that came from the task force were:
• requiring criminal background checks on all gun sales including private sales
• banning “military-style” assault weapons
• limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds
• strengthening penalties for gun trafficking
• The task force also led to 23 executive actions on gun control intended to strengthen existing laws, augment mental health resources, and promote CDC research on gun crime.  One of these actions led to narrowing the gun show loophole that his 1986 vote helped to create.
• In 2016, the Obama-Biden administration finalized a rule that made sure that the Social Security Administration (SSA) sent information to the federal background check system records of people that have been deemed by the SSA as unable to manage their affairs for mental reasons, thereby prohibiting them from owning and purchasing firearms.  The Trump administration reversed this rule.

Biden’s Policy Proposals:

• Hold gun manufacturers accountable by prioritizing the repeal of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
• Enact legislation to ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and use executive authority to ban the import of assault weapons.
• Pursue legislation to regulate the use of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act.
• Institute a program to buy back assault weapons and high capacity magazines meaning individuals currently possessing these items can either sell them or register them.
• Enact universal background check legislation which will require background checks for all sales and exchanges except for gifts between close family members.  This will close the gun show and online loophole created in the 1986 legislation.
• Reinstate the 2016 Obama-Biden rule that kept guns out of the hands of those deemed  by the Social Security Administration as unable to handle their affairs for mental reasons.
• Enact legislation prohibiting individuals who have been convicted of hate crimes from owning or purchasing firearms.
• Enact legislation to close the Charleston loophole which allows people to purchase firearms if their background check isn’t completed within 3 business days.  He supports changing this window to 10 business days and will direct the FBI within the first 100 days to report to him cases of which background checks aren’t completed within 10 business days and ways the federal government can eliminate this occurrence.
• Restore records deleted by the Trump administration from the federal background check system of almost 500,000 fugitives that are prohibited from purchasing firearms.  He will also enact legislation to prohibit people facing arrest warrants from purchasing firearms.
• Enact legislation to prohibit online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits, and gun parts.
• Creating an effective system whereby those newly found to be barred from possession of firearms, after committing a violent crime for example, relinquish their firearms.
• Incentivise red flag laws by giving states funding to implement them.
• Incentivise states to set up gun licensing programs by giving states and local governments grants to require individuals to obtain a license prior to obtaining a gun.
• Ensure adequate funding to the background check system.
• Prohibit individuals convicted of assault, battery, or stalking or under a temporary restraining order from purchasing or possessing firearms.
• Issue a call to action to put America on a path towards 100% of guns sold being smart guns which allow only an authorized user to fire a gun through a fingerprint match.
• Holding adults accountable for giving minors access to firearms, either directly or negligently.
• Pass legislation requiring firearm owners to properly store firearms in their homes.
• Make purchasing guns for those who can't pass a background check a federal crime.
• Require owners to report if their firearm is lost or stolen.
• Passing legislation that requires those buying gun kits or 3D printing codes to pass a background check.
• Direct his attorney general to deliver recommendations within the first 100 days on how to restructure the ATF and necessary Justice Department agencies to most effectively support our gun laws.
• Create a $900 million dollar eight year initiative that is estimated to save over 12,000 lives to fund evidence-based interventions in the 20 cities with the highest number of homicides and the 20 cities of the highest number of homicides per capita.
• Call on Congress to appropriate $50 million to accelerate research into reducing gun violence by the CDC and NIH.
• Barring states from using federal dollars to train teachers on how to discharge firearms.

Donald Trump:  

Trump’s Record:

• In May of 2013, Trump said via tweet, “Big Second Amendment believer but background checks to weed out the sicko's are fine.”
• In September of 2015, Candidate Trump stated on his campaign website, “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.”
• In November of 2015, Trump wrote in his book “Great Again: How to fix our crippled America”, “Unfortunately, as expected, bringing more government regulation into the situation has accomplished very little. The main ‘benefit’ has been to make it difficult for a law-abiding American to buy a gun. As study after study has proven, few criminals are stupid enough to try to pass a background check or have their names in any kind of system.”
• In February of 2016, Candidate Trump stated in a campaign video posted to Facebook, “I won’t let them take away our guns!”
• In February of 2017, President Trump signed a bill into law that rolled back the 2016 Obama-Biden administration rule that prohibited people identified by the SSA to be unable to manage their affairs due to mental reasons from buying firearms.
• In February of 2018, President Trump ordered the Justice Department to issue a ban on bump stocks, which are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons such as the one used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.
• In February 2018, during a listening session with teachers, students, and parents following the Parkland Shooting, President Trump stated, “We’re going to be very strong on background checks. We’re going to be doing very strong background checks.”  He also considered arming teachers saying, “An attack has lasted, on average, about three minutes. It takes 5 to 8 minutes for responders, for police to come in. If you had a teacher who is adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly.”
• In February of 2018, during a televised meeting with lawmakers, President Trump said to them, “You’re scared of the NRA.”  He then called for a “powerful” bill on background checks to address mental illness.  He also seemed willing to take a look at the assault weapons ban bill.  Concerning red flag laws, he said, “I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida. He had a lot of firearms. They saw everything. To go to court would have taken a long time. So you could do exactly what you’re saying, but take the guns first, go through due process second. “  He also  proposed raising the age requirement for buying assault weapons from 18 to 21.  
• In March of 2018, President Trump said he would leave it to states to set an age minimum for buying assault weapons via tweet, “On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly).”  He also called for states to adopt red flag laws.
• In December of 2018, the Trump administration issued an official rule banning bump stocks.  Additionally, his federal commission on school safety released a report providing guidelines to schools wishing to equip “highly trained school personnel” with firearms in order to protect students in the event of a shooting.
• In February of 2019, President Trump threatened a presidential veto of a bill that eventually passed the House that would require universal background checks for most gun purchases or transfers.
• After 2 mass shootings in August of 2019 (El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH), Trump said he wanted tighter background checks on gun buyers and planned to release a proposal.  When the impeachment inquiry was announced in September 2019, aides said that Trump was not planning on making any announcements on gun legislation in the near future because impeachment got in the way.

Trump’s Policy Proposals: This is not a current issue on President Trump’s website.  In my notes from his website in 2016 (which is no longer accessible) I wrote, “Trump thinks the mental health system is to blame for mass murders.  He believes in expanding treatment programs.  He is opposed to assault weapons bans and believes the background check system is sufficient the way it is.  He sees gun control as an infringement on the rights guaranteed to citizens by the second amendment.”