As predicted, the three Democratic candidates for president went at each other over guns in their debate on Sunday night.
Hillary Clinton clearly saw Bernie Sanders’ position on firearms, coming as the senator does from a rural hunting state like Vermont, as vulnerable in the wake of the recent stream of mass shootings, not least the murder of nine black congregants of the Emanuel AME church just a block from the debate venue.
Acting on that instinct, Clinton emphasized Sanders’ vote for the so-called Charleston loophole, the NRA-backed law that allows gun sales to go ahead if a federal background check is not completed within three days. The loophole was exploited by the gunman who struck at the Mother Emanuel church.
Minutes after the exchange on stage, the Clinton campaign staff circulated an email to reporters that sought to stick the knife in deeper.
“The NRA helped Sanders first get elected to Congress, spending thousands to take down his opponent in 1990,” the email said.
A second mail ran through Sanders’ voting record, which included five votes in Congress against the Brady Bill to introduce comprehensive background checks on gun sales.
Sanders accused the former secretary of state of being “very disingenuous”, pointing to his D- rating on his voting record from the NRA. He attempted to defend his vote in 2005 in favor of legislation granting gun manufacturers legal immunity from being sued by gun victims by saying he wanted to protect the “small mom and pop gunshop” from litigation.
That may not satisfy those Democratic voters who are passionate about the need for tighter gun laws to staunch the daily toll of 90 people lost to gun violence and gun suicides. But nor did Clinton succeed in delivering a withering blow to her challenger.
Meanwhile, as in much of the debate, poor old Martin O’Malley stared on silently as the other two went at it. The best he could do was to agree with each of them.
“They’ve both been inconsistent when it comes to this issue,” he said.
