Guns

AR-15-style rifles

83 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: It decides which rifles people can legally buy, and it weighs gun owners' rights against efforts to prevent mass shootings.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether to ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15, which supporters of a ban call assault weapons and many owners call modern sporting rifles, and which a federal law banned from 1994 to 2004, except for ones already lawfully owned.1,2

  1. Ban the sale of these rifles
  2. Keep sales legal, with added limits such as a minimum buying age of 21
  3. No bans or added limits on these rifles

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Ban the sale of these rifles (52)

  • Richard Pan CA-6
    His campaign website says he would work for a ban on assault weapons and to keep weapons of war out of communities.3
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says he would pass a federal assault weapons ban modeled on California's law.4
  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website says Congress should reinstate the federal assault weapons ban.5
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says he has long pushed for an assault weapons ban.6
  • Gil Cisneros CA-31
    His campaign website says he supports bringing back an assault weapons ban.7
  • Brad Sherman CA-32
    His campaign website says he cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban, which would make it a crime to transfer or possess semiautomatic assault weapons or large-capacity magazines.8
  • Robert Garcia CA-42
    His campaign website says he will work for a ban on AR-15 rifles, and that the national minimum age to own a firearm should be raised to 21.9
  • Derek Tran CA-45
    His campaign website says he has fought for a ban on assault weapons.10
  • Dave Min CA-47
    His campaign website says he has supported bills to renew the assault weapons ban.11
  • Marni von Wilpert CA-48
    Her campaign website says she will keep fighting for gun laws including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.12
  • Mike Levin CA-49
    His campaign website says he cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban.13
  • John Hickenlooper CO Senate
    His campaign website says he supports legislation to ban assault weapons.14
  • Melat Kiros CO-1
    Her platform supports a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.15
  • Luke Bronin CT-1
    His campaign website says he will fight for an assault weapons ban.16,17
  • Jim Himes CT-4
    His campaign website says he supports an assault weapons ban and cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022.18
  • Sarah McBride DE-AL
    Her campaign website says she cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban Act and helped ban assault weapons in Delaware.19
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform supports the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, which it says would ban the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic assault weapons, and the Raise the Age Act, which would raise the minimum age to buy semiautomatic rifles to 21.20,21
  • Darren Soto FL-9
    A 2018 Spanish-language page still on his campaign website lists banning assault weapons and bump stocks in a gun safety plan he proposed in Congress.22
  • Matthew Montavon FL-17
    His campaign website says Congress must ban civilian use of assault weapons.23
  • Lois Frankel FL-23
    Her campaign website says she will continue to work for banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.24
  • Eliott Rodriguez FL-27
    His campaign website says he supports restoring the federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.25
  • David Jolly FL Governor
    His campaign website says Florida should ban the sale of new assault weapons, while people who already own them could keep them.26,27
  • Amanda Hollowell GA-1
    Her campaign website says she supports banning assault weapons and other high-caliber weapons.28
  • Jasmine Clark GA-13
    Her campaign website’s agenda lists gun regulations and an assault weapon ban among her priorities.29
  • Jill N. Tokuda HI-2
    Her campaign website says she has advocated nationwide measures including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.30
  • Lindsay James IA-2
    Her campaign website says she supports banning assault weapons.31
  • Delia Ramirez IL-3
    Her campaign website says she supports banning assault-style weapons and lists co-sponsoring the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023 among her work in Congress.32
  • Mike Quigley IL-5
    His campaign website says he has cosponsored legislation to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.33
  • Sean Casten IL-6
    His campaign website lists cosponsoring the Assault Weapons Ban, which it describes as outlawing semi-automatic guns with military-style features.34
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he will work to restore the federal ban on military-style assault weapons and limit high-capacity magazines.35
  • Brad Schneider IL-10
    His campaign website says he believes in restricting large-capacity ammunition and reinstating the federal Assault Weapons Ban.36
  • Bill Foster IL-11
    His campaign website says he supports a ban on assault weapons designed to kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time.37
  • JB Pritzker IL Governor
    His campaign website lists banning assault weapons, ghost guns, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines among his accomplishments.38,39
  • Edward J. Markey MA Senate
    His campaign website says he would ban the sale, manufacture and transfer of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and lists him as an original cosponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025.40
  • Richard E. Neal MA-1
    His campaign website says he supports a new federal assault weapons ban, noting that he supported the 1994 ban.41
  • Lori Loureiro Trahan MA-3
    Her campaign website says she supports bringing back the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and legislation under which the federal government would buy all semi-automatic weapons from current owners during a grace period, after which owning an assault rifle without a special permit for approved dealers and collectors would be a felony.42
  • Katherine M. Clark MA-5
    Her campaign website says she voted to ban assault weapons.43
  • Dan Koh MA-6
    His campaign website says he supports an assault weapons ban.44
  • Bill Keating MA-9
    His campaign website's Accomplishments page says he believes much more must be done to deter gun violence, including bringing back the assault weapons ban.45
  • Sarah Elfreth MD-3
    Her campaign website says she has supported gun safety legislation that would ban assault weapons.46
  • Kweisi Mfume MD-7
    His campaign website says that in his first stretch in Congress, under Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton, he sponsored legislative initiatives banning assault weapons.47
  • Nancy Wallace MD-8
    Her campaign website lists banning assault weapons among federal actions to reduce violence against women.48
  • Jeremy Moss MI-11
    His campaign website says federal gun safety protections should include banning assault-style rifles.49
  • Peggy Flanagan MN Senate
    Her campaign website says she wants to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and ghost guns.50
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It also calls for banning the sale of what it calls assault weapons.51
  • Doug Chapin MN-6
    It says he supports lawful gun ownership and carrying for hunting or self-protection, and that he will fight to keep assault-style weapons off the streets.52
  • Amy Klobuchar MN Governor
    Her campaign website says she would sign the gun safety package passed by the Minnesota Senate, which would strengthen safe-storage standards, ban assault weapons and improve school security.53
  • Alma S. Adams NC-12
    Her campaign website says Congress should ban some high-powered assault weapons.54
  • Rob Menendez NJ-8
    The same page lists re-enacting and expanding the federal Assault Weapons Ban among his goals and says he cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban.55
  • LaMonica R. McIver NJ-10
    Her campaign page on safeguarding communities says she supports banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.56
  • Teresa Leger Fernandez NM-3
    Her campaign website says she supports banning what it calls military-style assault weapons.57
  • Mark R. Warner VA Senate
    His campaign website says Americans have the right to own guns but that he supports banning what it calls assault weapons.58

Keep sales legal, with added limits such as a minimum buying age of 21 (1)

  • James Talarico TX Senate
    His campaign website says he would raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles with certain military-style features.59

No bans or added limits on these rifles (5)

  • Scott Eckhard Jewett FL Governor
    His campaign website says he opposes new restrictions on weapons and ammunition.60
  • Matt Loesby ID Senate
    His campaign website says he opposes all efforts to restrict owning or making any weapon.61
  • Pro-Life ID Governor
    His campaign website says he supports repealing existing gun laws and relying on juries to decide cases of individual misuse of firearms.62
  • Tyler Bass MN-3
    His campaign website says he will never vote for a ban on the AR-15, for limits on magazine size or for new hurdles for law-abiding gun owners.63
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website opposes a federal assault weapons ban and says existing laws should be enforced instead of adding new mandates.64

Statements that don't match one option (25)

  • Treg Taylor AK Governor
    His campaign website says he has opposed bans on AR-15s and high-capacity magazines.65
  • Gary Palmer AL-6
    His campaign website says he rejects efforts to limit the types of firearms Americans may legally own.66
  • Jeff Wadlin AR Senate
    His campaign website says semi-automatic firearms should remain legal and rejects bans based on a gun's features.67
  • Robb Ryerse AR-3
    His campaign website says weapons designed for mass harm should not be so easy to get, and that safe storage should be the standard.68
  • John Garamendi CA-8
    His official House biography says he introduced the state legislation that became California's assault weapons ban and that he remains an advocate for gun control.69
  • Salud Carbajal CA-24
    His campaign website says he supports reinstating national restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.70
  • Bob Chew CO Senate
    His campaign website says he will defend the right to own firearms, but that assault weapons are not needed for self-defense or hunting and Congress should revisit the restrictions it had on them in the 1990s and early 2000s.71
  • Manny Rutinel CO-8
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments his cosponsorship of a Colorado law restricting semiautomatic weapons and rapid-fire devices.72
  • Rosa L. DeLauro CT-3
    Her campaign website calls for keeping what it calls weapons of war off the streets.73
  • Kimberly Overman FL-12
    Her campaign platform lists restrictions on military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines among her gun safety priorities.74
  • Todd Achilles ID Senate
    His campaign website says he would vote against new federal bans on firearms or magazines and against a federal registry of gun owners.75
  • Mike Simpson ID-2
    His campaign website's Guns page (dated October 2019) says he will not support bans on the ownership of firearms or legislation that rations or taxes firearms or ammunition.76
  • Blake Miguez LA-6
    His campaign website lists no ban on what it calls assault weapons among his positions on the Second Amendment.77
  • Stephen Wagley LA-6
    His campaign website says he will work to stop any attempt in Washington to bring back the assault weapons ban.78
  • April McClain Delaney MD-6
    Her campaign website says she supports limitations on assault weapons.79
  • Moshe Y. Landman MD-6
    His campaign website calls for repealing the Second Amendment and removing all guns from society, and says even police should use only non-lethal weapons.80
  • Wesley Bell MO-1
    His campaign website lists keeping what it calls weapons of war off the streets among the gun reforms he is fighting for.81
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website opposes bans on the semi-automatic firearms Montanans lawfully own, and says she is still listening on questions such as magazine limits before taking a position.82
  • Macey Budke NE-3
    Her campaign website says she does not support broad federal bans based on cosmetic or ergonomic features of firearms when such bans do little to address the causes of violence or improve enforcement.83
  • Mark Cohen NE-3
    His campaign website says he opposes periodic mental health checks for owners of AR-15-style rifles, and that he supports responsible gun rights.84
  • Maggie Goodlander NH-2
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments a court filing in Viramontes v. Cook County, Illinois, saying decisions about regulating assault weapons should remain with democratically accountable lawmakers.85
  • Ryan Michael Kelly NJ-3
    His campaign website says he does not back reinstating the federal assault weapons ban or any wide-ranging ban on firearms that are commonly owned.86
  • Rebecca Bennett NJ-7
    Her public safety priorities page lists removing weapons of war from the streets, saying civilians without training should not find them easier to obtain than service members do.87
  • Annie Andrews SC Senate
    Her campaign website says she supports banning what it calls weapons of war from the streets.88
  • Darline Graham SC Senate
    Her campaign website says she opposes bans on the firearms that law-abiding South Carolinians own.89