The 15 likely Republican hopefuls for the White House in 2016 have varying positions on things like immigration reform and foreign policy but,
The Washington Post reports, they are in unanimity on at least one point: a love of guns and broad opposition to new limits of their purchase or use.
With the exception of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who the Post calls the field's "one true outlier," the 14 other presidential hopefuls have all received A-ratings from the powerful National Rifle Association, though some got A-pluses, others A-minuses.
Assault weapons are
illegal in the Garden State, which also limits the size of magazines and generally has tough gun laws.
Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are the only two in the field who don't own guns, though Bush once remarked at an NRA convention that "the sound of our guns is the sound of freedom."
Most of the field are longtime gun owners, with the exception of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who got his first gun — a .357 magnum revolver — in 2010 when he ran for the Senate. He says the gun was for protection, the Post reports. Likewise, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal purchased a snubnosed, laser-sighted Smith & Wesson .38 revolver following Hurricane Katrina. He also said it was for protection.
New York real estate mogul Donald Trump owns two pistols, while former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is "well armed." South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham owns 12 firearms, including an AR-15 assault rifle, according to the Post.
"If a party's a shopping mall, one of the anchor tenants is the Second Amendment," Graham said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the first Republican to announce his candidacy, owns a .357 magnum revolver and a Beretta Silver Pigeon II shotgun, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's collection includes a shotgun and a rifle. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina owns five guns for protection, including a Glock 17 9-mm pistol.
Michael Hammond, the legislative counsel for Gun Owners of America, told the Post that he cares more about candidates' positions on gun control than he does on their gun collection.
"I don't care. I, personally, don't care," said Hammond. "What I care about is where they stand on the Second Amendment, not how many guns they have."
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