Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at the final Presidential debate. (Getty)
The Second Amendment played a major role in the final Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. While both candidates stated support for the right to bear arms, they differed significantly on the DC v. Heller decision, which for the first time established an individual rather than collective right to own a firearm. Clinton specifically referenced the “toddler murder rate,” a concept referring to instances where minors gained access to their parents’ firearms and injured themselves or others by mishandling them.
According to the Children’s Defense Fund, a child advocacy organization, a child or teen died every three hours and 28 minutes in the United States. The pro-gun-control Brady Campaign went a step further, noting in a video that toddlers accidentally killed more Americans than terrorists on a per-year basis:
The Brady Campaign noted to The Guardian that anywhere between 80 and 114 children or teens killed or injured themselves with a mishandled firearm.
The issue is particularly relevant in the 2016 election, with the incoming President set to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices. The DC v. Heller decision, in addition to the Citizens United v. FEC decision on campaign finance referenced earlier in the debate, were 5-4 decisions.