Hours after Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton released a plan to restrict gun use and sales in the United States, challenger Bernie Sanders unveiled his own plan.
“Like the rest of the nation, I am appalled by gun violence in our country and the mass shootings in our churches and colleges,” Sanders said in a statement. “While there is no simple fix, that does not mean we should do nothing. The status quo clearly is not working and people on both sides of this issue cannot simply continue shouting at each other. Nobody wants more mass killings, and serious people are going to have to engage in serious discussion.”
The senator added, “In my view, there are very concrete steps we can take to lessen the number of tragedies and to make those that happen less lethal, including ideas supported by a majority of gun owners.”
The Democratic socialist’s plan includes strengthening the background check system, closing the gun show loophole, making straw purchases a federal crime, banning semi-automatic assault weapons and fixing the mental health system. If Sanders’ plan sounds familiar, that’s because it is nearly identical to the plan laid out by Clinton on Monday morning, except it doesn’t rely on executive power.
While running to the left of Clinton in the Democratic primaries, as a senator from rural and gun-friendly Vermont, Sanders has occasionally broken with liberals on gun control. It is an issue that Clinton and longer-shot Democrats like Martin O’Malley are likely to use against him during the campaign.
