Bernie Get Your Guns

In this presidential race, it’s hard to believe the most liberal candidate is an old white male senator. Sanders has not held back his fiery support of women’s right, his flagrant avocation for the Black Lives Matter movement, and his long-time support of civil rights.

There seems to be one topic that Sanders and his competitors, Hillary Clinton, and Martin O’Malley just don’t see eye to eye on. The sensitive topic of gun control has been brought to attention in many debates and Sanders is under fire for his unusually weak gun regulation.

After Clinton support in Iowa dropped by one-third, she has been fervently attacking Sanders on his past, regarding gun regulation, “When it really mattered, Sen. Sanders voted with the gun lobby, and I voted against the gun lobby”. Clinton does have a point, Sanders voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, enacted in 2005. The PLCAA protects firearm manufacturers from liability when crimes are committed with their weapons. This was described as, “…the most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in twenty years into law.”

So is our beloved socialist actually pro-gun? Sanders defended his vote, stating that certain parts of the bill were wrong, “I will vote to revise that bill… there are parts of it that made sense to me.”

Sanders initial agreement to the bill might have cost him President Obama’s support. Obama recently wrote an article for the New York Times saying he couldn’t endorse a democratic candidate who was pro-gun, “I will not campaign for, vote for, or support and candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common-sense gun reform.”

Obama’s chief of staff recognizes Sanders accrediting him with “some movement” on gun control recently. Sanders, be warned, Obama is watching closely.