Presidential candidates discuss their ideas on protecting children from gun violence

MANCHESTER, N.H. —
As school gets back into session across New Hampshire and the country, the possibility of a mass shooting is once again on the minds of parents, students and staff.

Many want to know what ideas politicians have to stop another massacre. During WMUR’s “Conversation with the Candidate” series, several presidential candidates shared their ideas about how to keep children safe from gun violence.

“I am not going to take people’s guns away,” said Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “I believe in gun control myself. But you know, anybody who tells you that we can end the violence to our children that’s going on now by removing people’s guns at the margin that has been left to us by this very expansive Supreme Court decision is not being truthful with you.”

He said more security may be needed at schools.

“My policy is going to be to figure out ways to protect these children,” Kennedy said. “We cannot have any more school shootings. Even if that means protecting schools the same way we protect the airlines – you don’t get shootings on airlines anymore. If we have to do that, we have to protect our children.”

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he also would not be in favor of taking anyone’s guns.

“So, it is true that I am also personally an unapologetic defender of the Second Amendment, because I do think that’s what protects all of our other freedoms,” he said. “Iran, China, other countries, they actually claim to offer the same freedoms we do in our Bill of Rights. The only thing they don’t have is a Second Amendment. So I think that’s fundamental.

“However, I don’t think we can tolerate in this country another, for example, mass school shooting. I have two kids. They’re about to be of school age. I think it’s unconscionable for us to see another school shooting in this country. The way I want to stop that is by putting three armed security guards in every school across this country.”

Candidates also acknowledged the relationship between mental health and gun violence, talking about background checks as preventative measures.

“Well, you pointed out that it could be mental health. That is a challenge,” said Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson. “And if they are adjudicated as being mentally incompetent, then they shouldn’t have access to firearms. That needs to be put in the system. And so, a lot of it is making sure our databases that do the check before a sale of a firearm have accurate information in there.”