We saw some significant developments in the 2024 presidential election this week.
Trump was targetted by another assassin, who, thankfully, didn’t get as far as the first. Harris did a longer interview on gun policy, where she doubled down on what she’s been saying. Then we got some polling that showed a bit of movement on guns but also confirmed voters aren’t that interested in the topic.
Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman wrote about that trend in an analysis piece. I built off of that to explain why the race appears to have fallen into a place it’s likely to stay until election day.
We also take a look at a new “red flag” proposal in the Senate that’s unique. Maine’s two senators are involved and it doesn’t create a new national system, which may give it some legs.
Plus, Semafor’s Dave Weigel joins the podcast to dissect the debate. We’ve also got big stories in the links at the end of the email, including some newly unearthed gun comments from Harris. And The Dispatch is offering free trials to all Reload subscribers.
Poll: Harris Leads Trump on Handling of ‘Gun Violence,’ Which Ranks Low Among Voter Priorities
By Stephen Gutowski
Americans trust Kamala Harris to handle gun violence better than Donald Trump but still don’t prioritize guns very highly in a new batch of post-debate polling.
An ABC News and Ipsos poll released this week shows Harris leading Trump by five points on the question of who’d handle gun violence better. 66 percent of respondents said the issue was more important to their vote, with 26 saying it was one of their single most important issues. That put guns above issues like abortion and the war in Gaza, but only seventh on the overall list of Americans’ concerns.
The latest Fox News poll tells a similar story but with a closer divide. It found voters favored Trump on the issue of guns by a single point, though that was down two points from when the outlet asked in August. Fox also found voters gave the topic little consideration compared to other issues. Only three percent of voters said guns were their top issue, tied for last with foreign policy and crime.
Analysis: The 2024 Fight Over Guns Has Stagnated [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
The presidential campaign’s debate over gun policy and the emphasis (or lack thereof) on it is unlikely to change from this point through November.
Over the past month, we’ve seen a high-profile mass shooting and a second assassination attempt against Donald Trump. We’ve also seen Kamala Harris give an extended interview on gun policy. Yet, there hasn’t been any movement on guns from either candidate, and Americans haven’t moved the issue up their priority list.
The race has stagnated and, barring an extreme event, will probably stay right where it is on guns.
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Kamala Harris Doubles Down on Gun Restrictions, Backs Community Violence Intervention Programs
By Stephen Gutowski
The Democratic presidential nominee detailed some of her gun policy vision in a wide-ranging Tuesday interview, emphasizing her support for an “assault weapons” ban and talking about a new policy for the first time since taking over the top of the ticket.
Kamala Harris explained what kind of gun restrictions she’d pursue if elected president during a lengthy sitdown with the National Association of Black Journalists. She brought up her support for a ban on the sale of popular firearms, such as the AR-15 rifle, and universal background checks. But she also talked for the first time in a high-profile interview about funding for less controversial policies like community violence interruption programs.
Senators Collins, King Introduce Bill Requiring Military to Use State ‘Red Flag’ Laws
By Jake Fogleman
The military could soon be responsible for initiating so-called red flag orders under a new bill introduced by a bipartisan pair of Senators.
Susan Collins (R., Maine) introduced the “Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act” on Monday. Co-sponsored by Angus King (I., Maine), the bill would require military branches to utilize state extreme risk protection order laws where applicable when a service member is deemed by a commanding officer of posing a serious threat to themself or others. It would also require them to provide any relevant information or documentation to law enforcement and judicial personnel to support the execution of an extreme risk protection order proceeding.
“This bill would facilitate effective communication and coordination between state agencies and military service branches,” Collins said in a statement, “thereby helping to keep our communities safe and ensuring that service members in crisis get the assistance they need, without infringing upon the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
Click here to continue reading.
Podcast: Semafor’s Dave Weigel on the Debate and Harris’s Handgun
By Stephen Gutowski
This week, we’re reacting to the debate. That’s why I’ve got one of the top political reporters in the country on the show.
Dave Weigel is a writer for Semafor, who runs their Americana newsletter. He has been covering national politics across major outlets for decades now. He is one of the best-sourced reporters out there.
You can listen to the show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. Video of the episode is available on our YouTube channel.
Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I discuss my time in Texas covering the NRA’s latest board meeting, where the group came to an agreement on a reform plan but failed to overhaul its legal strategy after a marathon executive session. We also discuss new corruption allegations against the group in a recently filed lawsuit from a former employee, as well as the group’s first big election ad buy of the cycle. Finally, we cover new evidence of a modest bump in support for stricter gun laws in the aftermath of the Georgia shooting.
Analysis: Are Voters De-Prioritizing Guns? [Member Exclusive]
By Jake Fogleman
Gun policy has played a fairly limited role in the 2024 election compared to years past. Voters may have largely tuned out.
A new poll from The Economist/YouGov last week identified a modest uptick in support for certain gun-control measures in the aftermath of the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia. Despite a horrific mass shooting clearly being fresh on the minds of respondents to the survey (90 percent said they were familiar with the incident), they nonetheless listed guns as a bottom-tier issue. Only four percent said it was their most important issue, placing it squarely in the bottom third of the options listed.
That finding continues a recent trend. A Fox News poll last month showed that the issue is far from top-of-mind for most voters. Just three percent of respondents said guns would be the most important issue in deciding their vote for President, the least cited issue polled. An NBC News poll released earlier this month of Gen Z voters, who have sometimes prioritized gun laws more than other generations, also found that gun policy ranks dead last among issues that matter most to their vote.
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Outside The Reload
The National Crime Victimization Survey 2023 Is Out | Jeff-alytics | By Jeff Asher
Gun control groups announce new partnership with state lawmakers | Huffington Post | By Roque Planas
How Boston became the safest big city in America | The Economist
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
