Clinton has been hammering Sanders over his record on gun violence the entire week leading up to tonight’s debate on NBC in Charleston, South Carolina, calling him a “pretty reliable vote for the gun lobby.”
At issue was Sanders’s 2005 vote in favor of gun manufacturers’ immunity from lawsuits. All week, Sanders would not answer what he now thought of his controversial vote—until this weekend, when he came out in support of a new bill reversing his old vote.
On the debate stage, Sanders was uncomfortable calling this a reversal. He insisted he wanted to “relook” at the vote.
“I think Secretary Clinton knows what she says is very disingenuous,” Sanders said.“As a senator from a rural state that has virtually no gun control, I am in an excellent position to bring people together.”
Clinton responded with a litany of opposition research, citing past gun votes that put Sanders in line with the NRA’s position. She sees no such nuance in his votes on gun violence. “I am pleased to see Sanders reverse his position.”