Candidates also differ on guns: Harris for tougher laws, Trump against restrictions

AUTHOR: M.J.
Wednesday's shooting at a Georgia high school was a stark reminder that guns kill more Americans per capita than in any other large, high-income country, health experts say. Vice President Kamala Harris wants stricter gun regulations. Her opponent, former President Donald Trump, promises to roll back gun restrictions.
Four people were killed and nine were wounded in the shooting at Appalachian High School in Winder, Georgia. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke about the incident while campaigning in New Hampshire.
"We need to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all, you know, it doesn't have to be like this," Harris said.
The topic of gun violence in the United States was prominent at this year's Democratic National Convention.
Harris explained her priorities at the beginning of the campaign.
"When we win in November, we will finally pass universal background checks for gun buyers, prevention laws and a ban on automatic weapons."
Harris says he's asking for reasonable security measures and that he's "not trying to take everyone's guns away."
The president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Chris Brown, believes Harris will do just that.
“Candidate Harris has been very clear that gun violence is the number one killer of American children, a problem that needs to be addressed on many levels. We need better policy," says Brown.
Former President Donald Trump reacted to the shooting in Georgia by posting on his platform Truth social. He expressed support for the victims and called the killer a "sick and deranged monster."
Conservatives often champion gun rights, but this year's Republican National Convention did not make the issue a priority.
The Republican convention was held in July, just two days after Trump, their presidential nominee, was assassinated. That experience did not change his view of America's approach to weapons.
"If you take away the guns, you can't do that. Because people need guns for protection," he said.
Trump supported gun owners while he was president and promised to roll back restrictions put in place by the Biden administration.
Gun-rights groups say if gun owners go to the polls in November, they could tip the scales in their favor in swing states.
"Let's take back the White House so that we have an executive branch that doesn't infringe on gun rights, and in congressional districts, by strengthening gun rights in the House of Representatives and taking control of the Senate," explains Allen Gottlieb, of the Second Amendment Foundation.
Gottlieb, however, points out that gun rights have historically not come before the economy or immigration on voters' priority lists.