In his 2000 book '' The America We Deserve '' , Trump wrote that he generally opposed gun control , but supported the ban on assault weapons and supported a " slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun . " In his book , Trump also criticized the gun lobby , saying : " The Republicans walk the N.R.A. line and refuse even limited restrictions . " In 2008 , Trump opposed hunting-education classes in schools and called the " thought of voluntarily putting guns in the classroom ... a really bad plan . " While campaigning for the presidency Trump reversed some of his positions on gun issues , calling for the expansion of gun rights . In 2015 He described himself as a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment and said concealed carry " is a right , not a privilege . " He proposed eliminating prohibitions on assault weapons , military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines ( which Trump described as " scary sounding phrases " used by gun control advocates " to confuse people " ) , as well as making concealed carry permits valid nationwide , rather than on the current state-to-state basis . At his campaign website he called for an overhaul of the current federal background check system , arguing that " Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system . " On the campaign trail in 2015 , Trump praised the National Rifle Association ( NRA ) , and received the group 's endorsement after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee . He asserted that the presence of more guns in schools and public places could have stopped mass shootings such as those in Paris , San Bernardino , California , and Umpqua Community College . Trump supported barring people on the government 's terrorist watch list from purchasing weapons , saying in 2015 : " If somebody is on a watch list and an enemy of state and we know it 's an enemy of state , I would keep them away , absolutely . " This is one position where Trump departs from the position of gun-rights groups and most of his Republican rivals for the presidency and supports a stance backed by Senate Democrats . Trump said that he holds a New York concealed carry permit and that " I carry on occasion , sometimes a lot . I like to be unpredictable . " A 1987 Associated Press story said that he held a handgun permit at that time
Umpqua Community College
Umpqua Community College shooting
Political positions of Donald Trump