Protesters chanted “H is for hypocrisy” during a Hillary Clinton rally in Cleveland Monday. The protesters’ calls were overpowered by a chorus of “We love Hillary,” which Clinton let run for half a minute before she calmed the chaos.
“It is good to be back in Cleveland, I can tell you that,” she said and smiled.
At the rally, which came a day after the mass shooting in Orlando, Clinton focused on the need to implement gun-control measures after Sunday’s shooting, including reinstating a ban on assault weapons.
“Weapons of war have no place on our streets,” Clinton said, referring to the AR-15 rifle used in the attack. “If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you shouldn’t be able to just go buy a gun with no questions asked, and you shouldn’t be able to exploit loopholes and evade criminal background checks by buying online or at a gun show.”
Clinton called for bipartisanship and hearkened back to President George W. Bush’s response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“To anyone who wanted to take out their anger on our Muslim neighbors and fellow citizens, he said, that would not and should not stand in America,” she said. “It is time to get back to the spirit of those days.”
Though Clinton did not mention general election opponent Donald Trump by name, she rejected threats “to ban the families and friends of Muslim Americans” as well as any politicization of the attack.
“Today is not a day for politics,” she said.
