Democratic presidential candidates have been vocal about but it鈥檚 been difficult to stand out in a crowded field that largely agrees on gun issues.
Nine of the candidates ( ) will talk gun policy in Las Vegas on Wednesday by gun control advocacy groups Giffords and March For Our Lives.
The event is the day after the second anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, in which 58 people were killed and hundreds injured at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in 2017.
In the wake of the massacre, Nevada passed a , including banning bump stocks, the attachment the Harvest gunman used to convert his semi-automatic rifles into virtual machine guns. The package passed also included a 鈥榬ed flag鈥� law, safe storage rules, and limits on blood alcohol content when possessing a firearm, controversial measures in a gun-friendly state.
The Federal Government also .
The candidates appearing at the forum are:
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
- New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
- South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro
- California Sen. Kamala Harris
- Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Former Texas Rep. Beto O鈥橰ourke
- (Sanders planned to attend the forum, but cancelled campaign events)
- Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Businessman Andrew Yang
All nine candidates participating have called for tighter restrictions on guns, including broad support for re-instituting the so-called assault weapons ban, which largely outlawed military-style rifles, such as the AR-15.
A few have gone farther. Notably former Texas Rep. Beto O鈥橰ourke has called for a mandatory gun buyback and Sen. Cory Booker has for guns.
Each candidate will have 30 minutes to answer questions and make their pitch during Wednesday鈥檚 forum, according to organizers.
Reflecting On The Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting
In the opening remarks for the program, Nevada Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui spoke about changes the state legislature has made since the 2017 shooting. Jauregui, , pointed to the state鈥檚 new 鈥渞ed flag鈥� law among the gun control measures passed over the last two years.
Now speaking at the Vegas gun forum is Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, a Nevada lawmaker and survivor of the Route 91 Harvest shooting that left 58 dead in Las Vegas in 2017. Talking about state gun control measures passed after shooting, including red flag law.
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
Jauregui鈥檚 remarks were followed by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, who gave an emotional speech about the shooting. Choking up, 鈥淓ven two years later, for me it鈥檚 still difficult to relive those memories.鈥�
White Nationalism
First to take the stage, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg used part of his 30 minutes to focus on what he called presented by white nationalism.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on stage calls white nationalist violence a national security threat.
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro echoed concerns about white nationalism in later in the program.
A Gun Buyback Program
Buttigieg said the challenge for Democratic candidates is distinguishing themselves, when
鈥淭oo much agreement kills the conversation,鈥� he says, before reiterating support for federal licensing for gun ownership.
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
And there is disagreement among the candidates on the nuances of some gun policies being discussed.
For his part, Buttigieg said no military-style weapons should be available for purchase, but about the buyback program others (including former Rep. Beto O鈥橰ourke) have advocated for.
Castro said during his remarks he would support a voluntary buyback program, and is
Later in the afternoon when O鈥橰ourke took the stage, he did not back down from his support for a mandatorybuyback program:
Pete Buttigieg and Beto O鈥橰ourke have been throwing a little shade at each other over the mandatory buyback idea.
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
How We Talk About Suicide
As part of their remarks, a number of candidates including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, brought the role of gun suicides into the discussion.
鈥淚t is also about suicide and the lethality of suicide in America because of the availability of guns,鈥� Warren said.
According Pew Research, of gun deaths in the U.S. every year are suicides, a fact that are unaware of. Warren was the first in the day so far to bring up suicide early in her remarks.
鈥楲iving In A War Zone鈥�
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey reflected on his experience as Mayor of Newark. 鈥淚t changed me dramatically,鈥� , 鈥渂ecause I鈥檝e seen the horrors of this.鈥�
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker on the stage. 鈥淚t like people in certain communities are living in war zones.鈥�
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
Researchers have found that different types of gun violence.
Former Vice President Joe Biden says he鈥檚 planning to commit $900 million to 鈥渢o get brown and black children out of harms way鈥� in an effort to combat gun violence in U.S. cities. Biden wants to commit funds to research 鈥渉ow to get out of these problems.鈥�
Biden also said he wants to see those who 鈥渧iolate their oath be held accountable.鈥�
Former Vice President Joe Biden calls for $900 million over 8 years for research into preventing gun violence.
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
Biden went on to point out that gun violence effects communities like his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, every day.
During his remarks later in the program, O鈥橰ourke, praised the who shot an unarmed black man in his home last fall.
Former congressman Beto O鈥橰ourke lauds Amber Guyger conviction in killing of Botham Jean. 鈥淣o one should fear law enforcement or police in this country.鈥�
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
The Influence Of The Gun Industry
At the beginning of Biden鈥檚 remarks, he was asked with President Donald Trump. Biden said that while the president was very busy, he did apparently make time for .
Warren also lamented the influence of the gun industry during her remarks earlier in the day:
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on motivation of the gun lobby: 鈥淭his is not ultimately about guns, this is about money.鈥�
鈥� Heath Druzin (@HDruzin)
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