Democratic presidential candidates on Saturday placed responsibility for inaction on gun violence in the hands of President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association, in the face of broad national support for some gun control measures. "If most Americans insist that something be done and
1 / 15Election 2020 Amy KlobucharDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks at the Presidential Gun Sense Forum, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. DES MOINES, Iowa — Democratic presidential candidates on Saturday placed responsibility for inaction on gun violence in the hands of President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association, in the face of broad national support for some gun control measures.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, in response to a question on how to avoid stigmatizing mental illness when the president has repeatedly highlighted that issue in response to mass shootings, called Trump a liar. Most people with a mental illness are not violent. Warren released a sweeping gun control agenda on Saturday before the event, starting with a trio of actions she vowed to immediately take if elected — including an expansion of background checks accomplished by redefining the federal standard for those"engaged in the business" of gun sales — and continuing with a long list of legislative priorities.
"We need background checks. Let's just start with that," she said."And we need people to be, as I've said, responsible in the way they are selling guns. So it's not about everyone needs to stop selling guns. But we absolutely need to have checks and balances on it." A Walmart spokesman has said the company is conducting"a thorough review of our policies" after the shooting.
A 2017 Pew Research Center poll showed a slight majority of NRA members — and more than three-fourths of gun owners polled — support stronger background checks.
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