Federal issue

Gun policy

Federal gun policy rests on the Second Amendment and statutes including the Gun Control Act and Brady Act. Debate focuses on background checks, assault-weapon and magazine bans, red-flag laws, concealed-carry reciprocity, and ATF authority after the Supreme Court's Bruen ruling.

Candidate positions on Gun policy: see where every 2026 federal candidate stands, grouped by stance and sourced from federal roll-call voting records.

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About this issue

Federal gun policy in the United States rests on the Second Amendment, the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, and a state-level patchwork of permitting and carry laws. Active congressional debate focuses on universal background checks, assault-weapon and high-capacity-magazine restrictions, red-flag (extreme risk protection order) laws, concealed-carry reciprocity, ghost-gun regulation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' enforcement authority. Supporters of additional restrictions argue these measures reduce gun homicides, suicides, and mass shootings; opponents argue they infringe a constitutional right and target lawful owners without measurably reducing crime. The Supreme Court's 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decision tightened the constitutional review standard, requiring laws to align with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 was the first major federal gun-safety law in decades. (See: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Firearms Laws: Overview"; Bruen, 597 U.S. ___ (2022).)

Supporting (185)

Opposing (188)

Mixed (8)

No public position (76)

Positions derived from 457 candidates' Voting record (federal roll-call data, cycle 2026). Source: GovTrack. Read our methodology for how we collect and verify this data.