DES MOINES, Iowa — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders refused to call his 2005 vote to give immunity to gun manufacturers a mistake.
Sanders, who was kicking off the Brown and Black Forum Monday night, defended his vote to protect the gun industry from lawsuits to Fusion’s Jorge Ramos, saying it was “complicated,” adding that voters and caucus-goers should give a “new look” at the bill.
“No,” Sanders said when asked if the vote was a mistake. “Like many pieces of legislation, like many of the 10,000 votes that I’ve cast, bills are complicated.”
The Vermont senator, who’s been taking a lot of criticism from Clinton for the vote, argued small gun shops that should not be held liable if something unintended were to happen following sale.
“You are a small gun shop owner in the state of Vermont, you sell her a gun legally, she goes through the instant background check. Then she goes out later and shoots somebody. Should you be sued? No, I don’t think so,” Sanders said.
“On the other hand, if you are a gun manufacturer who is selling guns into an area, and you are selling a whole lot of guns, and you have reason to believe that a lot of those guns are not meant for people in that area, but are being distributed to criminal elements,” Sanders said. “Should you be prosecuted? Damn right.”
“So what I think is that we need to take a new look at that legislation, and get rid of the provision,” Sanders added.
Ramos pressed Sanders again on whether he made a mistake with the vote, which the socialist again backed up.
“It’s not a mistake,” Sanders said defending the vote. “Like many issues of legislation it’s complicated.”
Sanders also told the Univision host that he does not own a gun.
Earlier in the day, Clinton continued to hit Sanders over the vote during an event in Waterloo, Iowa.
