Donald Trump told the National Rifle Association conference that he would end Joe Biden’s “war” on guns and vowed to protect ownership rights “forever” despite a recent spate of mass shootings.
The one-term president made the promise during a keynote address in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he told NRA members that he would be the maligned group’s “loyal friend and fearless champion” if he returns to the White House after the 2024 presidential election.
“We’re going to have a big, big, successful election coming up; we’re going to take back that beautiful, gorgeous White House,” Mr Trump told the conference on Friday afternoon.
“On day one of my new term I will stop Joe Biden’s war on lawful gun owners. It’s a war. What they’re doing is crazy. So many things.”
The speech came just four days after a gunman used an AR-15 rifle to murder five people and wound eight in a mass shooting at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, but that did not appear to shake Mr Trump’s support for the NRA.
And it took place just weeks after a gunman murdered three nine-year-old students at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, as well as three adults.
But despite the killings, Mr Trump still took the chance to brag to the crowd that he was the most pro-Second Amendment president in US history.
“As a candidate in 2016, I promised you that I would save your Second Amendment from absolute obliteration – that’s where it was going – and as your president that’s exactly what I did,” he claimed.
“We saved our Second Amendment and we’re going to save it for a long time to come. It’s under siege, but we’re gonna save it for a long time to come – forever as far as I’m concerned, forever.
“So I was proud to be the most pro-gun pro-Second Amendment president you’ve ever had in the White House. I think that’s been acknowledged. And, with your support in 2024, I will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again as the 47th president of the United States.”
And he added: “No one will lay a finger on your firearms – just as took place for four years when I was your president. I will uphold those glorious words: Shall not be infringed. You know those words.”
Mr Trump’s attack on Mr Biden comes after the president in March announced a sweeping executive order to “accelerate” the White House’s efforts on gun reform.
The president has called for a ban on the sale of assault rifles, which have become the weapon of choice in mass shootings in the US.
Last year, the president signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the “most significant gun safety law in almost 30 years,” according to Mr Biden.
And his March order directed US Attorney General Merrick Garland to address a background check loophole by clarifying the definition of “engaged in the business” of selling firearms.
It also directed members of the Biden cabinet and federal agencies to raise awareness of so-called “red flag” laws and measures that mandate safe storage.
