Stein Echoes Hillary Clinton

By: Elias J. Atienza

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein wants “automatic weapons” off the streets. In the Green Party Town Hall on Stossel, Stein was asked if she believed the 2nd Amendment guaranteed the right to own guns. While she affirmed her belief in “common sense regulations,” she ultimately agreed Americans had a right to own guns.

“We can say yes, you have a right to guns, but let’s have common-sense regulations. Let’s get automatic weapons off the street, let’s do background checks, and let’s end the immunity of gun manufacturers and for distributors!” Stein said. “Why should they be the only industry that’s not held accountable?”

Automatic weapons are rarely used in crimes or murders. According to the website Guncite, there have only been three murders with an automatic weapon since 1934. One of those murders was committed by a law enforcement officer, who was sentenced to 18 years in jail.

Even for semi-automatic rifles, they were used in only a small minority of crimes. The Huffington Post calculated that semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 are used in 2 percent of murders, including mass shootings.

Stein also echoed Clinton on gun manufacturers and how they are not held accountable to the same standards of other industries. However, the website Politifact ruled Clinton’s statement false last year.

Politifact quoted Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute:

“It’s not at all unique to the gun industry. It’s a version (of liability law) Congress developed for an industry that was under very heavy attack,” Olson said, referring to the slew of litigation against gun sellers and makers that prompted Congress to pass the law.

Stein has struggled in the polls, averaging just 2.4 percent according to RealClearPolitics. Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson is polling above her, averaging 7.4 percent.

The next presidential debate is on October 9.

Watch her answer here, beginning at 21:00: