Every Republican running for president brags of being pro-2nd Amendment while out on the campaign trail. But how many candidates actually practice what they preach?
Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has seven guns, spokesman Matt Beynon told The Daily Caller. His favorite, the aide said, is a Kimber 1911 pistol.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul also owns guns, but his campaign wouldn’t get into specifics.
“He does, but a good 2nd Amendment person doesn’t tip off home invaders what guns are in the house and how many he has,” said Gary Howard, a spokesman for Paul.
A .22 rifle is former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s favorite, spokesman Tim Miller said.
“He has a .22 rifle, 12 gauge shotgun and .38 pistol,” Miller told TheDC.
A spokeswoman for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann wouldn’t go into details about any guns Bachmann may keep.
“For obvious security reasons, she doesn’t disclose what type of guns she owns,” said Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for the presidential campaign.
But she said Bachmann likes semi-automatic rifles. “Michele’s favorite gun is the AR-15,” she told TheDC.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry made news last year after using a .380 Ruger to shoot a coyote that threatened his dog while on a jog. Perry, whose campaign did not return a request for comment, said then he routinely carries a gun with him while running in case he runs into snakes.
A spokesman for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney didn’t respond to an inquiry for this story, but a 2007 Associated Press article said Romney didn’t own any guns then.
While running for president in 2007, Romney got caught in a brouhaha after claiming that he was a lifelong hunter. His campaign later said he had only hunted twice, as a teenager and then later in life with donors. Seeking to clarify, Romney went on to say that he was a longtime hunter of “small varmints.”
It’s not clear if former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich owns any guns. His campaign didn’t respond to TheDC’s request for this story.
The National Rifle Association isn’t discussing yet which GOP candidates they see as strongest on guns.
“Not at this point in time,” NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told TheDC.