Where Is Bernie Sanders On The Second Amendment?
Bernie Sanders is taking a position on the Second Amendment that aims to straddle both gun rights and gun control, with protections tailored to needs. Sanders says that guns in locales where hunting is a way of life, and in states where gang violence is a way of life, are two completely different cultures, and laws need to take both into consideration.
According to CNN, gun control is the single issue in which Sanders isn’t left of Hillary Clinton.
He’s supported a few issues that some Second Amendment enthusiasts won’t care for, like a ban on semi-automatic weapons and a closing of the so-called “gun show loophole” (a misnomer since the exclusion is less about being at a gun show than about person-to-person sales), as well as a regulation for background checks.
However, Bernie Sanders also took criticism from gun control advocates when he said victims of gun violence shouldn’t be able to sue the weapons or ammunition manufacturer or seller. Still, Sanders stood firm on that point, saying that if someone was beaten to death with a hammer, nobody would try to sue the hammer manufacturer.
Bernie Sanders’ current stance on guns has been a matter of some discussion, especially since it isn’t one of the issues he addresses on his “biggest issues” page on his campaign site.
A glance at his votes on gun-related issues through Vote Smart shows he has voted in favor of gun regulations a number of times: prohibiting the sale of assault weapons, expanding background checks, and others. However, Sanders has also voted on a bill protecting the right for a concealed-carry permit holder to take his weapon into national parks, and voted against requiring trigger locks on handguns, and against a bill that would have required more background checks at gun shows.
On The Issues lists a few more of Bernie Sanders’ votes in favor of gun rights: he voted in favor of allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains, and prohibiting foreign and U.N. aid that restricts U.S. gun ownership.
Despite this, the NRA reportedly gives Bernie Sanders an “F” on their gun rights scorecard — presumably the votes in favor of banning semiautomatics and limiting magazine capacities cancel out any votes in favor of other gun freedoms, in their grading scale.
As for Bernie Sanders overall position on the Second Amendment, it seems his position is best described as “all over the place.”
[Photo by:Win McNamee/Getty Images]
