Gun control, marijuana divide candidates at Democratic Debate
Marijuana legalization and gun control were key topics of discussion in the Democratic presidential debate Tuesday evening.
Hillary Clinton contrasted her record with Bernie Sanders’ more conservative positions on gun restrictions, saying Sanders voted five times against the Brady Bill.
“Since it was passed, more than 2 million prohibited purchases have been prevented,” Clinton said. “He also did vote as he said for this immunity provision. I voted against it.”
Sanders responded, saying he believes that Americans want to enforce background checks and close loopholes for gun purchases.
“As a senator from a rural state, what I can tell Secretary Clinton (is) that all of the shouting in the world is not going to do what I would hope all of us want,” Sanders said. “And that is keep guns out of the hands of the people who should not have those guns, and end this horrible violence that we are seeing.”
Political expert Josh Dunn told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that Democratic presidential candidates need to side with the party’s views on gun control, but need to be careful not to take it too far in order to appeal to more voters in the general election.
“It’s something Democratic candidates have to be careful about, particularly those who have the expectation of winning the nomination,” Dunn said.
The parents of an Aurora theater shooting victim, Jessica Ghawi, attended the debate in Las Vegas. Candidate Martin O’Malley acknowledged Lonnie and Sandy Phillips’ presence, and commented on their failed attempt at suing an online ammunition dealer.
“A man had sold 4,000 rounds of military ammunition to this person that killed their daughter, riddled her body with five bullets, and he didn’t even ask where it was going. And not only did their case get thrown out of court, they were slapped with $200,000 in court fees because of the way that the NRA gets its way in our Congress, and we take a back seat,” O’Malley said. “It’s time to stand up and pass comprehensive gun safety legislation as a nation.”
On the topic of marijuana, Sanders and Clinton were divided on the idea of legalization. Sanders said he would vote to legalize recreational marijuana, while Clinton said she was not ready to take a stance on it. Clinton voiced support of medical marijuana and both candidates said they agreed its use should be decriminalized.
Dunn said the topic of marijuana legalization is important to Colorado voters, even if they’re against it.
“Even for people who aren’t in favor of marijuana legalization, there are going to be many voters who oppose the idea of the federal government coming in and telling us what our laws should be,” Dunn said. “Because Colorado is a swing state, a very important swing state, you’re going to see the candidates, I think with both parties, try to curry favor with Coloradans by and large and say even if they don’t support legalizing marijuana, they support the authority of Colorado to make that decision for itself.”
The next Republican presidential debate is in Boulder on Oct. 28.
