DALLAS– Former President Donald Trump urged gun owners to vote in the 2024 election as he addressed thousands of members of the National Rifle Association, which officially endorsed him just before Trump took the stage at their annual meeting in Texas on Saturday.
“We have to get gun owners to vote,” Trump said. “I think you’re a rebellious bunch. But let’s be rebellious and vote this time.”
Trump said in his November speech that the Second Amendment is “very hot,” claiming that if Democratic President Joe Biden “gets four more years, they’re going to come for your guns, 100% sure.” Crooked Joe has a 40-year record of attempts to snatch firearms from the hands of law-abiding citizens.”
The Biden administration has taken a number of steps to combat gun violence, including a new rule that aims to close a loophole that allows tens of thousands of guns to be sold annually by unlicensed dealers who do not conduct background checks.
Trump has vowed to continue defending the Second Amendment, which he says is “under attack,” calling himself “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House” as the United States faces record numbers of deaths from massive conflicts. shootings Last year ended with 42 mass murders and 217 deaths, making it one of the deadliest years on record.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has been criticized by Biden, particularly for comments Trump made this year after a school shooting in Iowa. Trump called the incident “very terrible” before later saying that “we have to get over it.” We have to move forward.”
Trump also took aim at independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his speech, calling him “radical left” and “a disaster,” and noting that Kennedy had once called the NRA a “terrorist group.”
‘Don’t think about it. Don’t waste your vote,” he said. “He calls you a terrorist group, and I call you the backbone of America.” (Kennedy later said in a Fox News interview that he could not remember his 2018 tweet. “I don’t consider them a terrorist group and I support the Second Amendment,” he said.)
Trump noted that he will speak at the Libertarian Party convention next week and said he will urge members to vote for him.
“We have to join them,” he said. “We have to reach that 3%, because we cannot take a risk that Joe Biden wins.”
Earlier Saturday, Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee announced the formation of a new “Gun Owners for Trump” coalition, which also includes gun rights activists and people who work in the firearms industry.
Biden has made curbing gun violence a key part of his administration and re-election campaign, creating the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden has also urged Congress to ban so-called assault weapons — something Democrats shied away from even a few years ago.
“Tonight, Donald Trump confirmed that he will do exactly what the NRA tells him to do – even if that means more deaths, more shootings and more suffering,” said Biden spokesperson Ammar Moussa.
When Trump was president, there were times when he promised to strengthen gun laws. After a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and injured 17 others, Trump told survivors and family members he would be “very strong on background checks.” He claimed he would oppose the NRA, but later backed down, saying there was “not much political support.”
On Saturday, Trump also raised the criminal cases against him as his hush money trial enters its final stages next week, accusing Democrats of being behind the cases because he is Biden’s opponent.
“Never forget that our enemies want to take my freedom, because I will never allow them to take your freedom,” he said.
Trump criticized Biden’s border policies and reiterated his pledge that he would order the largest domestic deportation operation. He spoke about abortion and warned Republicans not to be so extreme on abortion to remain eligible.
“In my opinion, Republicans have not talked about it intelligently. They didn’t talk about it knowledgeably,” he said. “Remember: speak from your heart. But you also have to be re-elected.”
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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report. Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.