A rash of dire warnings has appeared in US media that a second Trump presidency could slide into dictatorship
Former President Donald Trump (PHOTO: AFP) AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Donald Trump addressed a gathering of thousands at an NRA event Friday night in Pennsylvania
  • He promised gun owners that their Second Amendment would always be safe with him as president
  • In his case against Biden, Trump said "your gun rights will be gone" if he serves as president for a second term

Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race Donald Trump vowed to roll back the gun restrictions enforced by President Joe Biden if he is re-elected to the White House.

Making his pitch to gun owners at an event organized by the National Rifle Association's Presidential Forum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Trump declared that "no one will lay a finger on your firearms" if he is back in the Oval Office.

"For four incredible years, it was my honor to be the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House by far. Now I stand before you with a very simple promise — your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your president," the former president said at the Friday night event. "When I'm back in the White House, no one will lay a finger on your firearms."

"If Joe Biden is re-elected, your gun rights will be gone, they'll be totally gone," he said in his address to the top gun group in the country.

Thousands of supporters cheered the Republican presidential candidate on as he made promises to reverse gun restrictions enacted during the Biden-era.

Trump pledged to repeal the rule that restricts the sale of gun accessories known as pistol braces as well as other Biden administration-imposed restrictions.

"When I'm re-elected, every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day," Trump said.

In the past, Trump has argued that guns were not to be blamed for mass shootings in the U.S. and has maintained that mental health problems were the cause. He has also portrayed himself as the most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president.

Biden, on the other, has pushed for increased gun safety measures during his term and has repeatedly called for a ban on assault weapons.

Trump's address to the NRA came a day after he picked up two wins in the Nevada and Virgin Island caucuses. The two Thursday victories, in addition to his wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, leaves his last major Republican rival Nikki Haley trailing further behind in the race for the GOP nomination.

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