With the 2020 Democratic presidential debates in full swing and the National Rifle Association weakened by financial scandals, gun violence prevention experts want moderators of upcoming debates to ask candidates fact-based questions about firearm policy rather than focus on “irrelevant” and “sensationalist” ones.
In the past, gun safety platforms have failed to break through during both primary and general presidential debates. None of the 2008 presidential debates includedquestions on gun policy, even though the Virginia Tech shooting — one of the deadliest rampages in U.S. history — had recently happened in April 2007. In 2012, only one of the three presidential debates included gun safety questions. Of the 12 main Republican primary presidential debates in 2016, only four includedquestions about gun violence, and then-candidate Donald Trump spent just under three minutes answering questions about guns.
