--- title: Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders Hit on Gun Control description: Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley went after Bernie Sanders on his gun control record at the Democratic debate Tuesday night canonical: https://time.com/4071365/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-14T01:56:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T00:37:06.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democrats Pile on Bernie Sanders Over Gun Control at Debate og:description: "This has gone on for too long" og:url: https://time.com/4071365/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt705a1c481200e220/6988682f196cf4ccc4038827/5ae982aa90944ddf84f94bac924bb769-0.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4864 og:image:height: 2736 og:image:alt: DEM 2016 Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democrats Pile on Bernie Sanders Over Gun Control at Debate twitter:description: "This has gone on for too long" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt705a1c481200e220/6988682f196cf4ccc4038827/5ae982aa90944ddf84f94bac924bb769-0.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democrats Pile on Bernie Sanders Over Gun Control at Debate > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a0ca6195-795d-437d-8951-623d1532824d&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/) and [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:37 AM UTCPublished: Oct 14, 2015 1:56 AM UTC  Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, listens as Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, speaks during the CNN Democratic presidential debate, on Oct. 13, 2015, in Las Vegas. Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, listens as Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, speaks during the CNN Democratic presidential debate, on Oct. 13, 2015, in Las Vegas. John Locher—AP by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/) and [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:37 AM UTCPublished: Oct 14, 2015 1:56 AM UTC Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley went after Bernie Sanders on his gun control record at [the Democratic debate Tuesday night](http://time.com/4071814/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-cnn-first/?xid=homepage), slamming him for voting against legislation in Congress that instituted background checks for gun purchases. “Look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day to gun violence. This has gone on for too long,” Clinton said. “All the shouting in the world is not going to do what all of us want and that is keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have those guns,” Sanders responded. After former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley also took a swipe at Sanders on the issue, Sanders said, “We can raise our voices, but I come from a rural state, and the views on gun control in rural states are different than in urban states, whether we like it or not. Our job is to bring people together around strong, commonsense gun legislation. I think there is a vast majority in this country who want to do the right thing, and I intend to lead the country in bringing our people together.” Strengthening gun laws became a central issue in the Democratic Party after the Newtown shooting in 2012, which left 20 schoolchildren dead, and it has been an even more animating presence in the primary fight since the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon this month. But while Clinton, Sanders and Martin O’Malley have all called for expanded background checks, [Sanders is the most vulnerable Democratic candidate on this issue](http://time.com/4071085/democratic-debate-issues/). Sanders represents Vermont, a hunting state, voted against the Brady Bill gun-control law in 1993 and supported a 2005 law that gives gun manufacturers legal immunity if their weapons are used to commit crimes. This has given Clinton an opportunity to clearly stake out a position to the left of Sanders, which she capitalized on by unveiling a [new gun control plan](http://time.com/4060744/hillary-clinton-oregon-shooting-gun/) after the Oregon shooting. O’Malley also has a record of being strict on guns. He touted that record Tuesday by saying that while he’s glad candidates are talking about guns now, he’s “already done” a lot of what’s being discussed. He supports federal gun licensing and fingerprinting laws, as well as making illegal gun trafficking a federal crime. As Maryland governor, he helped enact some of the toughest gun laws in the country in the wake of Newtown. He joined in the piling on Sanders, noting two members of the audience whose daughter died at the massacre at an Aurora movie theater. “You want to talk about a rigged game, Senator?,” O’Malley said to Sanders. “The game was rigged.” Sanders defended his stance on guns saying that as the representative of a rural state he has to be mindful of his constituents wishes, but O’Malley retorted that it’s “not about rural and urban” traditions. “We were able to pass this and still respect the hunting tradition,” O’Malley said. Lincoln Chafee, then a Republican Senator from Rhode Island, voted against the controversial 2005 measure that Sanders backed. Meanwhile, Jim Webb is arguably even more vulnerable on guns than Sanders, but his low poll numbers mean he’s much less of an important target for Clinton and O’Malley. Webb, a former Senator from Virginia, has had his own gun permit and once got in trouble when an aide brought one of his loaded pistols into the Capitol. **Read Next:** [_Democrats Push for Gun Control Ahead of 2016_](http://time.com/4061812/oregon-shooting-gun-control-democrats-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/) ### See Bernie Sanders' Career in Photographs  Bernie Sanders (R), member of the steering committee, stands next to George Beadle, University of Chicago president, who is speaking at a Committee On Racial Equality meeting on housing sit-ins. 1962. Special Collections Research Center/University of Chicago Library  A photo taken on July 22, 2015 of Bernie Sanders and his son is seen in an old clip from an alternative newspaper called the Vermont Freeman in Burlington, VT. The Washington Post/Getty Images  Bernie Sanders in his office after winning his first election as the mayor of Burlington, Vt. on Sept. 15, 1981. Donna Light—AP  Bernie Sanders, right, greeted voters at a Burlington polling place on March 1, 1983 in Burlington, Vt. Donna Light—AP  Bernie Sanders and his campaign celebrating after his mayoral re-election circa 1983 in Burlington, Vt. Courtesy of Bernie Sanders Campaign  Bernie Sanders recording his singing in a studio Nov. 20, 1987 in Burlington, Vt. Toby Talbot—AP  Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane O'Meara in Washington circa 1991. Courtesy of Bernie Sanders Campaign  Bernie Sanders, James Jeffords and Patrick Leahy toast to the passing of the Northeast Dairy Compact on June 14, 2006 in Montpelier, Vt. Toby Talbot—AP  Bernie Sanders officially announces his candidacy for U.S. Senate on May 19, 2006, at the Unitarian Church in Burlington, Vt. Alden Pelett—AP  Bernie Sanders and the other members of the Vermont Congressional delegation at the annual lighting of U.S. Capitol Christmas on Dec. 5, 2007 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks during a rally in support of Social Security with Sen. Tom Harkin and Bernie Sanders on March 28, 2011 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  Rep. Steve Cohen and Bernie Sanders attend a rally near the reflection pool, held by 350.org to protest the amount of money members of Congress receive from the fossil fuel industry on Jan. 24, 2012. Tom Williams—Getty Images  Bernie Sanders at the signing ceremony of Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act on Aug. 7, 2014 in Belvoir, Va. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Bernie Sanders waits to speak at a rally to advocate for an increase in pay to $15 USD per hour, as part of a "Fight for $15" labor effort on April 22, 2015 in Washington. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images  Bernie Sanders shakes Colleen Green's hand as he leaves a town hall meeting on May 11, 2015\. in Charlottesville, Va. Jay Paul— Reuters  Bernie Sanders kisses his wife, Jane O'Meara, before officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park May 26, 2015 in Burlington, Vt. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Bernie Sanders delivers remarks at a town meeting at the South Church May 27, 2015 in Portsmouth, N.H. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Bernie Sanders speaks during a news conference to discuss legislation to restore pension guarantees for thousands of retired union workers on June 18, 2015 in Washington. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  Bernie Sanders kisses his wife Jane O'Meara during a campaign event on Aug. 10, 2015 in Los Angeles. Bloomberg/Getty Images  Bernie Sanders speaks to a primarily Latino audience during a campaign stop at the Muscatine Boxing Club on Sept. 4, 2015 in Muscatine, Iowa. Bloomberg/Getty Images  Bernie Sanders and Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, listen to a prayer during a Liberty University Convocation on Sept. 14, 2015 in Lynchburg, Va. Bloomberg/Getty Images  Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, right, and his wife Jane O’Meara, wave to the crowd as he is announced onstage to speak to supporters during a campaign rally on Sept. 14, 2015 in Manassas, Va. Cliff Owen—AP  Bernie Sanders joins Cornell William Brooks in a march with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Sept. 15, 2015 from Selma, Ala. to Washington. 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