WASHINGTON — With the second anniversary of the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, approaching, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are offering sharply contrasting visions of gun safety policies.

What You Need To Know

  • Appearing at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention on Saturday in Dallas, former President Donald Trump said Second Amendment rights are under attack with President Joe Biden leading the country

  • The presumptive Republican nominee for president vowed to roll back some of Biden’s policies, including the first bipartisan gun safety law in decades

  • The Biden campaign and Texas Democrats criticized Trump’s appearance at the convention, which took place a little more than a year after the mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall, and nearly two years after the Uvalde massacre

  • Efforts to curtail gun violence have been central to Biden’s presidency, including the creation of the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the push for the expansion of background checks

Appearing at the National Rifle Association’s annual gathering on Saturday in Dallas, Trump said Second Amendment rights are under attack with Biden leading the country. “Our Constitution is being run through the shredder,” Trump said.

The presumptive Republican nominee for president vowed to roll back some of Biden’s policies, including the first bipartisan gun safety law in decades. Biden helped shepherd the law after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022.

On Saturday, the NRA endorsed Trump, which was expected, and Trump’s campaign announced a new Gun Owners For Trump coalition that includes gun rights advocates and industry officials. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also spoke during the NRA convention and championed laws in Texas that promote gun rights and urged gun rights advocates to head to the polls in November.

“Trump's election depends on the extraordinary effort by the NRA. When you are organized and turn out, no organization in America can champion over you,” Abbott said.

In his wide-ranging speech, Trump turned heads by floating the idea of serving three terms as president, which is barred by the Constitution.

“I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?” Trump said.

When asked if voters should take Trump’s comments seriously, Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for Biden’s campaign said, “You should always take Donald Trump at his word. He has promised to be a dictator on day one if he is reelected.”

The Biden campaign and Texas Democrats criticized Trump’s appearance at the convention, which took place a little more than a year after the mass shooting at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall, and nearly two years after the Uvalde massacre.

Efforts to curtail gun violence have been central to Biden’s presidency. He created the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and has been pushing for the expansion of background checks and the restriction of certain semi-automatic rifles.

“He wants to take action. He wants weapons of war off of our streets,” Munoz told Spectrum News. “At this NRA convention, Donald Trump and Gov. Abbott, they stood with the gun lobby at the expense of our kids being safe in our communities and in our schools, and it is unacceptable. They will be held accountable this November.”