Jim Gilmore presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
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 Jim Gilmore |
Governor of Virginia (1998-2002) Attorney General of Virginia (1994-1997) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- During his term as governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore signed a law that mandated a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day in Virginia public schools. The law was challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the case, Brown v. Gilmore, ultimately went to a federal appeals court. A panel from the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 opinion that upheld the law, saying that it did not violate the First Amendment by promoting religion since students were not required to pray or meditate, and they could pursue another silent activity or reflection during the assigned minute.[2][3]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- After President Barack Obama issued his executive actions to curb gun violence, Jim Gilmore said on January 5, 2016, "The president is suggesting he can rule by decree. That's not right. If the Congress doesn't act, that doesn't mean he has the right to act."[4]
- Gilmore wrote an op-ed in The Daily Caller on August 26, 2015, stating his commitment to protecting “the individual right to keep and bear arms by every American who has not forfeited that right by criminal conviction or other action.” He argued that gun violence “perpetrated by the mentally ill and dangerous … isn’t going to be solved by gun control and background checks.” Instead, Gilmore said, the "real" underlying issues need to be addressed, such as "the need for easier involuntary commitment of the dangerous mentally ill, the dangers brought about by Obama’s open borders policy and surer appropriate punishment of criminals.” [5]
- In a June 2015 interview, Gilmore expressed his opposition to gun control:
| “ | I'm against gun control. I always have been. I believe in the Second Amendment. But, it's because of the underlying point, which is the belief in individual responsibility for one's conduct. I believe Americans have the right to keep and bear arms. ... I am convinced that the founders intended to empower the individual by giving them the right to keep and bear arms. ... Millions... of Americans own firearms. They don't break the law. I am a rule of law guy. I believe that we set down standards of conduct in the country, and to try to prevent people from doing anything bad by sequestering people or taking away their vehicles, guns, or something like that, is not a belief, the American belief, in the responsibility of the individual American.[6] | ” |
He added that he supports background checks on individuals who want to own guns and thinks requiring one is an effective and "suitable" measure. He also mentioned the need to make sure the mentally ill do not have access to weapons.[7]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Jim Gilmore said in a June 2015 interview that although he was initially opposed to the Patriot Act, he did see some merit in it later on because of the need for national security:
| “ | I certainly didn't like the Patriot Act when it was first offered, because at the time of that somewhat almost overreactive type of period after 9/11, I was really very concerned that our civil freedoms might be impinged upon. And in fact, if you look back at the official reports of the Gilmore Commission, you will find that my introductory letters express that nervousness. But... over the years, I have come to believe that we are in an international crisis. And we are in a warfare situation with the terrorists. And much more seriously, we are in a very serious confrontation with other nation states -- the Chinese, the Russians and the Iranians -- and we must take it seriously. We must address it. We have to find a way to make sure we maintain our civil freedoms and privacies. But we simply cannot undo the national security establishment of this country. We have to protect Americans and American interests. And that has to be what we are about as we go forward.[6] | ” |
He went on to mention that he was still concerned about a "lack of oversight" and would want to make sure that proper oversight from Congress and the courts was implemented moving forward.[8]
Crime and justice
- During his term as governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore vetoed a bill that proposed creating a first-time offender status for underage drinkers. The proposal would have enabled judges and law officials to treat violators under 21 differently from other offenders if it was their first offense of purchase or possession. Law at the time required that the offender's driver's license be revoked. In his veto, Gilmore wrote, "Going easy on these young offenders will not help them learn from their mistakes, and will not help protect the innocent whose lives may be endangered by these persons' irresponsible actions and their flouting of Virginia's laws."[9]
- Gilmore has suggested being more lenient regarding the death penalty. While he was governor, lawmakers approved a bill that made the murder of a minor a capital offense. This essentially meant that the death penalty would apply in any case where a legal adult willfully murdered someone under the age of 18. Gilmore proposed amending the law to apply the death penalty only when the offender was 21 years or older and the victim was younger than 14 years old.[9]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Jim + Gilmore + Government
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "Jim Gilmore suspends campaign," February 12, 2016
- ↑ Washington Post, "5 faith facts about Jim Gilmore: Staunch supporter of ‘Christian values’," July 31, 2015
- ↑ CFIF.org, "Court Allows Minute of Silence to Continue in Virginia Schools," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ NECN.com, "Candidates React to Obama's Executive Order on Guns," January 6, 2016
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Jim Gilmore: Preserving Our Second Amendment Rights," August 26, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwmur9 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwmur9prt1 - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Daily Press, "Gilmore Uses Veto Pen To Solidify His Standing As A Conservative," April 22, 1998
