Fact check/Did Rob Quist advocate for a national gun registry?
Fact check: Did Rob Quist advocate for a national gun registry?
Rob Quist
Rob Quist is a Democrat running for Montana’s at-large congressional seat in the May 25 special election. In a recent debate, Quist’s Republican opponent Greg Gianforte said of him: “He's advocated for a national gun registry."[1] Quist called the claim "patently false."[2]
Has Quist advocated for a national gun registry?
Quist was quoted by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle as stating, in a response to an apparent question about assault rifles: “So maybe there should be some legislation to register those types of things. You register your car to drive, why not register guns. I know that’s a touchy subject for a lot of people, but I think we definitely have the right to bear arms and as I say I’ve been on many hunts myself where I’ve brought home an elk that fed our family and that’s an important thing for Montanans.”[3]
Gianforte said during the debate that the Daily Chronicle article was the source of his claim.[4] Although the article indicated that Quist was referring to registration of assault rifles, Gianforte claimed Quist advocated for a “national gun registry.”
Background
The special election featuring Quist, Gianforte, and Mark Wicks, the Libertarian Party candidate, was called to replace Republican Ryan Zinke, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to be secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In April, Donald Trump, Jr. campaigned for Gianforte in Montana.[5] Vice President Mike Pence is slated to do so later this month. The Quist campaign has announced that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will also travel to Montana this month to campaign for Quist.[6][7]
Quist, a musician, has served on the Montana Arts Council and was selected by the Montana Department of Commerce as the state’s cultural ambassador.[8] He also founded RQGN, a small entertainment business.[9]
Gianforte ran for governor of Montana in 2016 and lost to Democrat Steve Bullock (46.4 percent to 50.3 percent). He has founded five companies, including the software company RightNow Technologies (with his wife Susan) and a computer-networking firm.[10]
Firearm registration law
The 1934 National Firearms Act required machine guns, short-barreled rifles, shot guns, and silencers not in possession of the government to be registered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury.[11] Registration required the firearm to be identified along with the identity and address of the registrant.[12][13]
A 1968 amendment requires the registration of any firearm "which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger."[14]
The National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record is the central registry of all NFA firearms in the U.S. which are not in the possession or under the control of the U.S. government.[13]
According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a group of attorneys who advocate for firearm regulations, Montana does not have state-specific laws about gun registration. Hawaii and the District of Columbia require registration of all firearms, and five states require registration of certain types in addition to federal law. Laws in eight states prohibit firearm registries beyond federal law.[15]
Quist on gun registration
An interview published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle quoted Quist as stating in reference to assault rifles:
“They’re only meant to kill people. So maybe there should be some legislation to register those types of things. You register your car to drive, why not register guns.”[3]
A profile in the March 8 Billings Gazette characterized Quist as “a gun owner who never saw the need for private ownership of assault-style weapons.” The article quoted Quist as saying: “As far as these full automatic weapons, I’m definitely old school.”[16]
The Washington Post, in an April 15 article about the Montana race, noted the Bozeman Daily Chronicle article, and in interviewing Quist asked him to comment according to the article. The Post quoted Quist as saying: “I was talking about fully automatic assault rifles. I was taught that if it takes you more than one shot to bring big game down, you shouldn’t be in the woods.”[17]
During an April 29 candidate debate, KXLH producer and anchor Tim McGonical also cited Quist’s reported statement in the Chronicle and asked him to clarify: “You said in an interview with the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that you may support a national registry for certain types of weapons,” McGonical said. “Can you explain which weapons you were referring to and why?”[2]
Quist responded, “Fully automatic assault rifles are already required to be registered. That is a given. Everybody knows that. And the fact that they’re saying I’m calling for a national gun registry is just patently false.”[2]
Conclusion
Democrat Rob Quist and Republican Greg Gianforte are competing to fill Montana’s at-large House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to be secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Gianforte claimed that Quist has “advocated for a national gun registry."[1]
Gianforte referred to a Bozeman Daily Chronicle interview with Quist as the source of his claim during the debate. Quist was quoted in that article as stating, in response to an apparent question about assault rifles: “So maybe there should be some legislation to register those types of things. You register your car to drive, why not register guns.”[3]
Although the article indicated that Quist was referring to registration of assault rifles, Gianforte claimed Quist advocated for a “national gun registry.”
The Billings Gazette characterized Quist as saying: “As far as these full automatic weapons, I’m definitely old school.”[16] And according to the Washington Post, Quist acknowledged the statement about assault rifles attributed to him by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.[17]
See also
- Fact check/Has Montana gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte supported a state sales tax?
- Fact check/Is Montana ranked 49th nationally in wages, and are millennials leaving the state seeking employment?
- Firearms preemption conflicts between state and local governments
Sources and Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KRTV, “VIDEO: Gianforte, Quist, and Wicks debate in U.S. House race,” updated May 1, 2017 (5:28 and 11:45)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 KRTV, “VIDEO: Gianforte, Quist, and Wicks debate in U.S. House race,” updated May 1, 2017 (10:10)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bozeman Daily Chronicle, “Rob Quist touring state, lobbying Dems ahead of U.S. House election,” January 22, 2017
- ↑ Amee LaTour, “Email communication with Gianforte campaign,” May 5, 2017
- ↑ Billings Gazette, “Trump Jr. trip to Montana is all about the base,” April 21, 2017
- ↑ Great Falls Tribune, “Pence to Campaign for Gianforte in Montana,” May 5, 2017
- ↑ Rob Quist 2017 campaign website, “Bernie Sanders Backs Rob Quist, Will Campaign in Montana Next Month,” accessed May 11, 2017
- ↑ Rob Quist 2017 campaign website, “Meet Rob Quist,” accessed May 7, 2017
- ↑ Miles City Star Online, “Montana musician Rob Quist seeks Zinke’s seat,” January 31, 2017
- ↑ Greg Gianforte 2017 campaign website, “About Greg,” accessed May 7, 2017
- ↑ Definitions of firearms requiring registration under the NFA can be found here: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, “Chapter 2: What are ‘Firearms’ Under the NFA?" accessed May 12, 2017
- ↑ An individual can lawfully transfer a registered firearm to another individual if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives approves the transfer, the firearm is registered to the transferee, and an applicable tax is paid.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, “Chapter 3: Registration of NFA Firearms,” accessed May 7, 2017
- ↑ Government Publishing Office, “Public Law 90-618, Sec. 5845. Definitions,” October 22, 1986
- ↑ Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “Regristration of Firearms,” accessed May 7, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Billings Gazette, "Quist already striking a chord with Democrats in race for U.S. House," March 8, 2017
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Washington Post, “This cowboy-poet is trying to steal a Republican House seat in Montana,” April 15, 2017
Launched in October 2015 and active through October 2018, Fact Check by Ballotpedia examined claims made by elected officials, political appointees, and political candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. We evaluated claims made by politicians of all backgrounds and affiliations, subjecting them to the same objective and neutral examination process. As of 2025, Ballotpedia staff periodically review these articles to revaluate and reaffirm our conclusions. Please email us with questions, comments, or concerns about these articles. To learn more about fact-checking, click here.
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