Clinton hits Sanders for backing ‘Charleston loophole’ on guns

by Jonathan Swan - 01/17/16 9:27 PM ET

Hillary Clinton criticized Bernie Sanders’s record on gun control Sunday, tying him to the recent massacre in Charleston and the National Rifle Association.

“He voted for what we call the ‘Charleston loophole,’ ” Clinton said at Sunday night’s debate, referring to a provision that gun control advocates say would have prevented the suspect in the massacre that killed nine people in a historic black church from obtaining a gun.

“He has voted with the NRA, with the gun lobby, numerous times,” Clinton said of Sanders, saying that he had also voted against gun violence research that could have saved lives.

Clinton said she was glad Sanders had reversed his position on the liability of gun manufacturers — done the day before the debate. In 2005, he voted for a bill that gave gun manufacturers legal immunity.

Sanders struggled to return Clinton’s attacks, pointing out that he had a D-minus record with the NRA. He said in light of this record with the NRA, her attacks were “disingenuous.”
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Tags Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton