Trump, the “best friend” of weapons, is left without a license to carry them and is banned from buying them
In May, at a National Gun Association (NRA) rally, Donald Trump claimed to be “the greatest friend gun owners ever had in the White House†. Now, he is prevented from owning a gun.
New York City authorities this week revoked the gun license of the former President of the United States, after he was found guilty of 34 crimes of falsifying accounting records to hide the sexual encounter with actress Stormy Daniels. The Manhattan court jury’s decision has a series of implications for Trump’s life, including access to firearms.
The revocation was confirmed by Trump’s own November presidential campaign, according to the CNN.
Under the “Gun Control Act†of 1968, U.S. citizens found guilty of crimes punishable by up to one year in prison are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition. Although Trump’s sentence was only known on July 11, as the crimes in question carry sentences of between one and four years in prison, the license has already been revoked.
The legal limitation will remain in place even if Trump avoids prison or is simply sentenced to a period of probation. As the case took place in a state court in New York, a hypothetical President Trump cannot pardon himself.
However, the decision may not be final. An appeal court may return the firearm license to the former President, if the appeal presented by the defense is validated. And, in addition, the US Supreme Court (composed mostly of conservative judges or those appointed by Trump) is evaluating a case that could expand the rights provided for by the 2nd Constitutional Amendment, the document that provides for national law of possession and use of firearms, and which may allow convicted citizens to have greater access to weapons.
Donald Trump after being found guilty
Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images
The right to bear arms may not be the only right that Trump will lose due to his conviction. Florida, the state where he resides, is known for being intolerant of the civic and social rights of inmates and people guilty of crimes, and may limit the former President’s right to vote.
As was judged in the state of New York, the law applied in Florida provides that the deprivation of rights depends on the law practiced in the state where the individual was tried – and in New York, the defendant loses the right to vote only if you are incarcerated.
Therefore, there is a chance that Trump will be prevented from voting for himself. The easiest way to ensure you can do this is to simply stay away from a cell.
Trump and gun owners: a relationship of mutual love
Donald Trump’s relationship with the arms industry has been one of enormous complicity for several years. In both 2016 and 2020, the Republican Party leader’s campaign received tens of millions of euros in donations from the NRA – the ultranationalist and conservative organization that represents the arms lobby in the United States, financing hundreds of Republicans at the local, state and federal.
In May of this year, at the NRA’s annual event, Trump promised again that he would defend conservatives’ gun rights if he were elected to the White House again, and appealed to gun owners themselves to vote. The NRA would end up officially supporting his candidacy.
“We need gun owners to vote. I think we are a rebellious group. So let’s be rebels and vote”, he requested.
Over the four years of his presidency, after each mass shooting (including the massive shootings at a concert in Las Vegas and at a school in Parkland), Trump removed any restrictions on the purchase of automatic and semi-automatic weapons and the access for people with criminal records or mental problems.
The year 2023 was the deadliest year ever for firearms incidents. In total, according to the website Gun Violence Archive656 mass shootings were recorded (events with at least four victims, fatal or not, and excluding the shooter), and more than 18 thousand people were killed by firearms.
In 2012, in an interview with the Washington Post, the American tycoon said that he had a concealed weapons license in the State of New York, and was the owner of two revolvers, an HK45 pistol and a Smith & Wesson revolver. 38 caliber.
It is not known whether Trump still owns these weapons, but a New York police spokesperson confirmed to the NBC News that, at the time he was charged in the case regarding the payment to Stormy Daniels, in March 2023, his gun license remained active.
Of course, having been under Secret Service protection since 2015 and having been President of the USA, the Republican candidate for November’s presidential election has not had much need to carry a pistol in his pocket.
