By Liz Chen
If 9th Congressional District Republican Candidate Dan Bishop and Democratic Candidate Dan McCready can agree on one thing, it’s this: Banning guns is not the solution to gun violence.
In an interview with WFAE 90.7, Bishop, the self-declared “Conservative, Pro Life, Pro Gun, Pro Wall” candidate, called the 2nd Amendment a “basic inalienable right.”
His position is not surprising; he is endorsed by, among others, the National Rifle Association.
When asked about his solution to ending gun violence in Charlotte, Bishop maintained that seizing guns won’t fix the issue, because he does not believe guns are an issue.
“I think the problem is that we have a reduced sense of community, a number of social ills that lead to people being disconnected, mental health issues that are not adequately addressed – and those things tend to multiply and don’t receive the appropriate attention,” Bishop told WFAE.
So how does Bishop plan to address mental health issues to further reduce gun violence?
The short answer is, he doesn’t.
Fifteen states have adopted Extreme Risk Laws (commonly referred to as “red flag laws”) — gun violence prevention laws that give the state power to temporarily remove the possession of firearms from an individual who may be a danger to others or themselves — as an answer to gun-related violence.
Bishop disagrees.
“I think many folks fear that red flag laws can be used or exploited by the same folks who are interested in confiscating weapons generally as a pretext to seize weapons,” said Bishop in the interview with WFAE. “So, not sure that’s the answer.”
As a solution, Bishop proposes cultural change through faith and religion.
“People participating in and joining a religion of their choice has been, over the course of our nation’s history, one of the sources of what keeps us together,” Bishop said in the WFAE interview. “It creates cohesion and develops a sense of community.”
For McCready’s part, rather than the abolition of the 2nd Amendment, he sees background checks as a solution to gun violence.
This contradicts Bishop’s Ad “Crazies,” that groups McCready with Democratic Socialists, who Bishop claims are “gun grabbers.” Read more about McCready’s thoughts on socialism here.
So, why does McCready think background checks will reduce gun violence? His spokesperson, Dory MacMillan, cited a 2017 Annals of Internal Medicine national survey that found many people have obtained guns without background checks.
The survey found that 22% of gun owners obtained their most recent firearm (within the previous two years) without a background check – even though at that point in time, 20 states had additional background-check legislation for acquiring guns. The study concluded that millions of U.S. adults obtained and continue to obtain guns without background checks.
In an interview with WFAE, McCready pointed out that, while North Carolina requires all pistol sales be subject to background checks, the law does not require background checks for assault weapons or rifles.
Additionally, under the federal law, private sellers are not required to background-check their customers. Though North Carolina law requires all persons to have a permit and background check to purchase a handgun, a state permit is not required to purchase a shotgun or rifle.
“Someone who wants to do harm with a weapon, someone who may be mentally ill, a domestic abuser, someone who does terrible things, can just roll up into a gun show and buy all the firearms that they want,” McCready told WFAE. “I really believe that this issue of background checks is one where Republicans and Democrats should be able to come together because the vast majority of Americans agree with it.”
