Public Safety and Justice

What is the issue?

Public safety policy covers how communities prevent and respond to crime, how police, courts, and prisons operate, and how firearms are regulated. Crime rates are published by federal agencies, but different data sources can tell different stories, and local trends often differ from national ones. Debates include how to fund and oversee police, how long sentences should be, how to reduce repeat offending, and how to balance gun rights and gun regulation under the Second Amendment. Newer concerns include online fraud and cyberattacks. Because most policing and criminal prosecution is handled locally and by states, many decisions that affect public safety are made far from Washington.

Topics: Violent crime and policing · Criminal justice and sentencing · Gun laws and the Second Amendment · Border-related crime and trafficking · Cybercrime and public safety technology

What decisions are being debated?

How should communities reduce violent crime?

Increase police staffing and enforcement, which can deter crime but costs more and raises oversight questions.
Invest in prevention, mental-health, and community programs, which may take longer to show results.
Combine approaches and measure results locally.

How should sentencing and corrections work?

Longer or mandatory sentences to deter and incapacitate.
Reduced sentences and rehabilitation to lower repeat offending and costs.
Targeted changes for particular offenses.

What should gun laws look like?

Stricter rules such as background checks or limits on certain weapons, within limits set by court decisions.
Fewer restrictions, emphasizing the right to bear arms.
Focus on enforcing existing laws.

What can government do?

Congress and federal agencies: Congress writes federal criminal and firearms law, and agencies such as the FBI, ATF, and DOJ enforce it. Federal courts interpret the Second Amendment.
States: State legislatures write most criminal law, sentencing rules, and state gun laws. Governors appoint officials and can grant clemency, and state courts handle most criminal cases.
Counties and cities: Cities and counties run police departments, jails, and local prosecutors' offices, many of which are elected.
Shared or limited authority: Courts set the outer limits on gun regulation. Policing and prosecution are mostly local.

Relevant elections:

U.S. Senate and House races: Congress writes federal criminal and firearms law.
State election pages: States write most criminal and gun law.

What evidence should voters consider?

Crime Data Explorer (external site, opens in new tab) (Federal Bureau of Investigation; Official data)
Official reported-crime statistics from law enforcement agencies.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (external site, opens in new tab) (U.S. Department of Justice; Official data)
Official data on crime victimization, courts, and corrections.
District of Columbia v. Heller (opinion) (external site, opens in new tab) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School; Court decision)
2008 decision on an individual right to keep firearms.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (opinion) (external site, opens in new tab) (Supreme Court of the United States; Court decision)
2022 decision setting the current test for gun regulations.

Where do candidates stand?

Candidate comparisons for this issue are not available yet. They appear only for races where each position is backed by a source we have verified. A missing position is not support, opposition, or neutrality. Candidate filings for every race are listed on the federal races pages.

Learn more

Internet Crime Complaint Center (external site, opens in new tab) (FBI; Official data)

Sources last checked 2026-10-17. Status: explainer written from the cited sources; not independently expert-reviewed. This page explains the issue and does not recommend a candidate.