Bernie Sanders Doubles Down On Gun Control

But did he always feel this way?

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doubled down on his support for tighter gun control legislation on Thursday in the wake of the mass shooting at an Oregon community college.

“The president is right. Condolences are not enough,” Sanders said in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Thursday. “We’ve got to do something … We need sensible gun control legislation.”

Sanders, a Democratic presidential hopeful, went on to specify that he supports banning assault weapons and closing the loophole that exempts private, unlicensed gun sales from background checks -- often known as the “gun show loophole." The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence estimates that 40 percent of guns sold in the United States are purchased via private, unlicensed sales.

Sanders added that he believes we also need to “significantly improve” the U.S. mental health system.

Democrats have accused Sanders of being insufficiently committed to gun control. Sanders voted against the Brady Bill, which established mandatory background checks in 1993, and voted for a law protecting gun manufacturers from lawsuits from victims of violence.

Sanders voted for the Manchin-Toomey amendment in 2013, however, which would have expanded background checks, as well as for separate amendments that would have banned assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Sanders has staunchly defended his record. He maintains that his objections to the Brady Bill, for example, were due to the inclusion of a mandatory waiting period for gun purchases, rather than the background checks themselves, and boasts of his D-minus ranking from the National Rifle Association.

As a senator from a rural state with lax gun laws, Sanders has argued that he is uniquely positioned to bridge the divide between gun control advocates and their opponents -- a sentiment he reiterated on MSNBC on Thursday.

“What we need, Chris, as a nation, is to get beyond the shouting,” Sanders said. “Some people want to ban every gun in America and some people believe in nothing at all. I think the vast majority of the American people, as the president indicated, including gun owners -- and I know that's true here in Vermont -- want sensible gun control legislation and they also believe that we should have more access to mental health facilities and counselors than we presently do.”

But Sanders demurred when asked whether he had become more supportive of gun control over the years, contending that his support for universal background checks has been consistent.

He also declined to endorse more aggressive gun control measures like those adopted by Australia and the United Kingdom, which President Barack Obama mentioned in his remarks on Thursday.

“I don't know that anybody knows what the magic solution is,” Sanders said.

“You can sit there and say, ‘I think we should do this and do that.’ But you got a whole lot of states in this country where people want virtually no gun control at all,” he added. “And if we are going to have some success, we are going to have to start talking to each other.”

Assurances notwithstanding, Sanders’ rivals in the Democratic field see gun policy as an area where they may have an advantage over the Vermont senator with progressive rank-and-file Democratic primary voters. A super PAC supporting former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s presidential bid released a video in June citing Sanders’ past votes, concluding, “Bernie Sanders is no progressive when it comes to guns.”

Hillary Clinton, the putative Democratic front-runner, and groups affiliated with her, have thus far refrained from attacking Sanders on the issue.

Clinton spoke out forcefully in favor of gun control legislation after Thursday’s massacre, attacking what she called the National Rifle Association’s “single-minded, absolutist” view that the constitution precludes any gun safety regulation at all.

"I'm going to try to do everything I can as president to raise up an equally large and vocal group that is going to prove to be a counterbalance [against the NRA],” Clinton said in an interview Thursday night with Janet Wu of the Boston ABC affiliate WCVB. "And we're going to tell legislators, do not be afraid. Stand up to these people, because a majority of the population and a majority of gun owners agree that there should be universal background checks. And the NRA has stood in the way."

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that the Manchin-Toomey amendment would have expanded background checks and banned assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. While the amendment would have expanded background checks, it would not have banned assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Also on HuffPost:

Sanders Isn't Playing The Media's 'Sport'

"What I said is that corporate media talks about all kinds of issues except the most important issues. OK? And time after time I'm being asked to criticize Hillary Clinton. That's the sport that you guys like. The reason this campaign is doing well? Because we're talking about the issues that impact the American people. I've known Hillary Clinton for 25 years. I like her. I respect her. I disagree with her on a number of issues. No great secret," Sanders told reporters at a campaign stop in Dubuque, Iowa.

He Thinks The Media's Priorities Are Pretty Much All Wrong

"But this is what I worry about. In terms of campaign coverage ... there is more coverage about the political gossip of a campaign, about raising money, about polling, about somebody saying something dumb, or some kid [who] works for a campaign sends out something stupid on Facebook, right? We can expect that to be a major story," Sanders said in an interview on CNN.

"But what your job is, what the media's job is, is to say, look, these are the major issues facing the country. We're a democracy. People have different points of view. Let's argue it."

He's Not Going To Attack Clinton

"But this campaign I am running -- let me reiterate -- is not against Hillary Clinton or anybody else. It is for an American people who are sick and tired of seeing the middle class disappear and huge numbers of people living in poverty. And as a candidate, what I am going to do, Andrea, is focus on the real issues facing the American people: why we are the only major country on earth not providing family and medical leave, the only major country not guaranteeing health care to all people, the need to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next several years."

So They Should Stop Trying To Instigate Attacks

"Are you and the media prepared to allow us to engage in that serious debate, or do I have to make media attention by simply making reckless attacks on Hillary Clinton or anybody else? I don't believe in that," Sanders said on CNN's "State of the Union."

And Focus Less On Rubio Hitting A Kid With A Football
Win McNamee via Getty Images

"One thing that has disturbed me is how the media treats campaigns," Sanders told a crowd in Salem, New Hampshire, recalling how Sen. Marco Rubio accidentally hit a child in the face with a football and "that will get more coverage than Marco Rubio's position on Social Security."

He's Really NOT Going To Talk About Clinton, So Stop Asking

When asked about Hillary Clinton's commitment to fighting income inequality, Sanders refused to comment on her stance.

"Wolf, you're going to have to ask Hillary," Sanders told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I don't work for her, I don't know."

And He's Not Going To Attack Biden, Either
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

"Politics is not a soap opera. We should not be going around making terrible attacks on each other. Let's debate the issues. If Joe [Biden] comes in, that's what I will do," Sanders told reporters outside a campaign stop at a school in Conway, New Hampshire. "What impact it will have on the race I honestly don't know. I mean, I wish I could tell you, but I don't. Will it help or hurt me? Will it help or hurt Hillary Clinton? I just don't know."

Sanders Says The Media Should Stop Distracting Us
And Shouldn't Worry About Clinton's Hair -- Or His
Congressional Quarterly via Getty Images

"When the media worries about what Hillary's hair looks like or what my hair looks like, that's a real problem," Sanders said in an interview with the New York Times Magazine. "We have millions of people who are struggling to keep their heads above water, who want to know what candidates can do to improve their lives, and the media will very often spend more time worrying about hair than the fact that we're the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee health care to all people."

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