--- title: Democratic Debate: Clinton Hits Bernie Sanders on Guns description: Clinton said Sanders had voted with the NRA canonical: https://time.com/4183978/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-guns/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-18T02:54:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:42.803Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democratic Debate: Clinton Hits Bernie Sanders on Guns og:description: Clinton said Sanders had voted with the NRA og:url: https://time.com/4183978/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-guns/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7cc847423529dd89/69887982f887dc7050e94304/democratic-debate-clinton-sanders-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks as rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders listens at the NBC News - YouTube Democratic presidential candidates debate in Charleston, South Carolina January 17, 2016. R og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democratic Debate: Clinton Hits Bernie Sanders on Guns twitter:description: Clinton said Sanders had voted with the NRA twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7cc847423529dd89/69887982f887dc7050e94304/democratic-debate-clinton-sanders-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Clinton Hits Bernie Sanders Hard on Guns > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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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 [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jan 18, 2016 2:54 AM UTC  Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks as rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders listens at the NBC - YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C. on Jan. 17, 2016. Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks as rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders listens at the NBC - YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C. on Jan. 17, 2016.Randall Hill—Reuters by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jan 18, 2016 2:54 AM UTC Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton slammed Senator Bernie Sanders’ [position on guns](http://time.com/4183716/bernie-sanders-gun-manufacturer-immunity/) during [Sunday night’s Democratic primary debate](http://time.com/4183625/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/). The conversation shifted early in the [debate ](http://time.com/4181009/democratic-debate-watch-live-stream-free-online/)to gun violence — an issue all too familiar to the people of Charleston, where nine black parishioners were gunned down during a Bible-study class last year just a block from the site of the debate. Sanders was questioned about his position on gun manufacturers, an issue on which Clinton has targeted him throughout the campaign. NBC host Lester Holt asked Sanders why he changed his position on immunity for gun manufacturers shortly before the evening’s debate. Sanders had come out in support of a bill that [increases gun manufacturers’ accountability](http://time.com/4183716/bernie-sanders-gun-manufacturer-immunity/), but said he would still want to support “mom-and-pop” gun stores. Sanders defended his position at the debate, saying he’s consistently received a “D-minus” score from the National Rifle Association, he supports an “instant background check” for gun purchases, and he supported President Obama’s targeting of the so-called gun-show loophole in his recent executive actions. “We have seen in this city a horrendous tragedy of a crazed person praying with people and then coming out and shooting nine people,” Sanders said. “This should not be a political issue. What we should be doing is working together.” But this is politics: gun control is one of the hottest political issues of the 2016 primary. And Clinton saw Sanders’ response as an opportunity to attack his record on guns. “I have made it clear based on Senator Sanders’ own record that he has voted with the NRA, with the gun lobby numerous times,” she said before listing Sanders’ votes on the Brady bill, loopholes in background checks, manufacturer immunity and research on guns. “Let’s not forget what this is about — 90 people a day die from gun violence in our country. That’s 33,000 people a year.” “I am pleased to hear that Senator Sanders has changed his position on immunity, and I look forward to him joining with those members of Congress who have already introduced legislation,” she said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4183978/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-guns/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4183978/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-guns/"},"headline":"Hillary Clinton Hits Bernie Sanders Hard on Guns","datePublished":"2016-01-18T02:54:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:46:42.803Z","description":"Clinton said Sanders had voted with the NRA","url":"https://time.com/4183978/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-guns/","keywords":["2016 Election","Hillary Clinton","2016 Election","Gun Violence","Guns","NRA","Bernie Sanders"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7cc847423529dd89/69887982f887dc7050e94304/democratic-debate-clinton-sanders-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7cc847423529dd89/69887982f887dc7050e94304/democratic-debate-clinton-sanders-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks as rival U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders listens at the NBC News - YouTube Democratic presidential candidates debate in Charleston, South Carolina January 17, 2016. 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