Clinton: NRA Pushing Legislation Backed by ‘Extreme’ Elements

TAPPER: “You're talking a lot at the debate and on the stump about further restrictions on gun ownership, gun control.”
CLINTON: “Mm-hmm.”
TAPPER: “I remember, in 2008, during the primaries, you were positioning -- positioning yourself to the right of President Obama, or then-Senator Obama, on this issue. You talked about respecting how guns are part of the culture, sending out a mailer criticizing then- Senator Obama for pushing tougher gun laws. But now you're coming at Bernie Sanders on this issue from the left. Did something change, or is it just about who you're running against?”
CLINTON: No, not at all. In fact, I would characterize what happened in '08 very differently. I spent a lot of years in Arkansas. I have a lot of experience with and respect for people who own guns, collect guns, use them for hunting, use them for target shooting. I respect the Second Amendment. I was taught to shoot by my dad when I was a girl. I have gone hunting. I get that. And I don't in any way want to denigrate those responsible gun owners, who have rights under the Second Amendment and our laws. But I believe we have gone way too far in being intimidated by the NRA. And I have said repeatedly that the majority of Americans and the majority of gun owners support universal background checks. And for the NRA to take these absolute positions on behalf of the most extreme of their members and carrying water for gun manufacturers and dealers is just wrong. So, I don't think I have moved at all. I do have more experience perhaps than some in living in places. I represented Upstate New York, which is a big, vast rural area with small towns and cities. So, I get why people who are part of gun ownership are very proud of that. But what I don't get is why we can't have sensible gun safety measures to keep guns out of the hands of fugitives and stalkers and felons and people with serious mental illness and domestic abusers, the people who should not have them in the first place.”