Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) dropped out of the Democrat presidential race after pushing nine insane gun controls that could not get him past zero percent support nationally.
The controls ranged from banning whole categories of firearms to licensing and insurance requirements for Americans choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights. None of the controls translated into the level of support necessary to keep Swalwell’s campaign afloat.
Here is a list of Swalwell’s gun controls:
- Ban and Buyback AR-15s and Other Commonly-Owned Semiautomatic Rifles — This was the central component of Swalwell’s gun control push. He opened his campaign by highlighting it, only making small changes to it as his establishment media appearances continued. (i.e., Swalwell went from joking about nuking the non-compliant to giving them jail time to allowing them the option to hand their guns over to a shooting club instead of the federal government.)
- Ban Ownership of More Than 200 Rounds of Ammunition — Swalwell called for ammunition ownership limits during a June 17, 2019, speech near NRA headquarters. Eighteen people gathered to hear him talk and he spoke of barring individuals from possessing more than 200 rounds of a given caliber of ammunition.
- Require Insurance for Gun Owners — On April 9, 2019, Breitbart News reported Swalwell’s push to require gun owners to buy special insurance policies. He specifically pushed the insurance requirement for Americans who “accumulate some of the most dangerous weapons.”
- Licensing of Gun Owners — During a Florida town hall Swalwell listed numerous gun controls he would like to implement, and those included a licensing requirement for gun owners. He said, “I think most gun owners who are responsible want to see more licensing.”
- Criminalizing Private Gun Sales via Background Checks — Swalwell pushed background checks frequently while on the campaign trail. On July 6, 2019, Swalwell tweeted a CNN appearance in which pushed background checks, claiming they would make us “all safe in America.” He did not mention that America has had background checks since 1998 and that nearly every mass public attacker of the last 15 years acquired their guns via a background check.
- 48-Hour Waiting Period for Gun Purchases — Swalwell pushed the waiting period during his speech to 18 supporters near NRA headquarters.
- Bump Stock Ban — The Washington Examiner reported that Swalwell also pushed a bump stock ban while speaking to his 18 supporters near NRA headquarters. Bump stocks are already illegal, as they were banned in March 2019.
- Ban “High Capacity” Magazines — Swalwell also sought to ban magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
- Require Background Checks for Ammunition Purchases — Swalwell wanted to require ammunition purchasers to go through a background check in the same way that Americans go through a check when buying a gun at retail. California put ammunition background checks in place July 1, 2019, and Swalwell sought a similar check nationally.
Swalwell ended his presidential campaign on July 8, 2019, just over 90 days after announcing his intentions to seize the Democrat presidential nomination.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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