I know Kamala Harris said she has a Glock, even if she wanted to ban them, and that Joe Biden once talked about shooting his double-barreled shotgun off his back porch at night, which itself is likely illegal. And I know that Tim Walz has a shotgun, even if he doesn’t seem to know how to load it. And, who knows, maybe even Nancy Pelosi has a gun—as her husband was attacked by a man with a hammer inside of their home, the need for security should be painfully obvious to her.
But there is a difference between those who use guns as political props and those who actually enjoy the shooting sports or who take on the responsibility of learning to shoot and carry for self-defense.
A lot of anti-Second Amendment politicians have made fools of themselves by acting as if knowledge of guns can be feigned. But then, poseurs are soon sniffed out. Barack Obama learned this when he posed with an over/under. John Kerry did when he tried to talk like a hunter as he ran for president—if you recall, he got into trouble for boasting about his Chinese-made semi-automatic rifle (incidentally, I was the the interviewer he told that to).
With all of these false claims in mind, it is good to know that the Trump administration is loaded with actual gun owners.
So, let’s consider this administration.
JD Vance grew up as a hunter. Vance talks about this in his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which recounts his familial roots in Eastern Kentucky and his hardscrabble upbringing in Middletown, Ohio. Vance went on to serve with the U.S. Marines in Iraq and to graduate from Yale Law School. As a U.S. senator, he had an unwavering record as a Second Amendment defender. During his speech at the Republican National Convention last summer, he recounted finding 19 loaded handguns in his grandmother’s house after her death, which he said reflected her determination never to leave her loved ones unprotected. The audience cheered.
Many others who, as this was going to print, had been nominated to serve at various posts in the Trump administration have also spoken about their ownership of guns.
Marco Rubio has spoken about his handguns and has long supported the Second Amendment.
Pete Hegseth is a gun owner who has been featured in this magazine and has spoken a lot about our freedom on Fox News.
Tulsi Gabbard, who is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, has described herself as a “gun owner” and has defended our right to keep and bear arms on X.
Kristi Noem is a gun owner and hunter who said in these pages: “Well, one of my dearest friends always says to me, ‘We don’t talk about security, Christie.’ So, I won’t tell you what guns that I already have. But, I am pretty well-armed in some of the semi-automatic rifles.”
Doug Burgum is a hunter and gun owner who has said, “The first gun I ever owned was my mom’s 16-gauge Ithaca shotgun. Still have it to this day.”
Elon Musk has spoken about being a gun owner. In 2023, he shared a slow-motion video of himself on X firing a Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle from the hip.
There are many other Trump nominees who have chosen to utilize this right. I note this here because when people have a practical understanding of firearms, they tend to see guns for what they are, as tools for sport and self-defense. This matters a great deal when it comes to policy.
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