Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Bernie's Gun Control Critics Are Wrong-His Stance Has Been Consistent
for Decades
________________________________________
Bernie's Gun Control Critics Are Wrong-His Stance Has Been Consistent for
Decades
By Steven Rosenfeld [1] / AlterNet [2]
October 7, 2015
Earlier this week, The Nation announced that Bernie Sanders was not as
progressive on gun control as Hillary Clinton, suggesting that Sanders's
mixed record on gun control bills during his 25-year congressional career
could give Clinton an edge with primary voters-especially after the mass
shooting at Oregon's Umpqua Community College.
"The Vermont socialist isn't terrible on guns: Though the NRA endorsed him
in his first race for Congress, he has a D-minus rating from the group,"
wrote [3] Joan Walsh, national political correspondent, citing his positives
first. "He supported the 2013 background-check bill, in the wake of the
Sandy Hook massacre, and closing the gun-show sales loophole."
But she said [4] Bernie has "troubled gun-control advocates with a few
vexing apostasies, most notably his vote against the Brady Bill. On that and
other gun issues, he has said that he believes states and not the federal
government should set limits. He also voted for NRA-backed bills granting
gun manufacturers legal immunity against claims by gun victims, and making
it possible to carry checked guns on Amtrak."
Walsh didn't say that Sanders has consistently supported [5] specific
gun-controls during his tenure in Congress, such as banning semi-automatic
weapons and high-capacity bullets, nor allowing people to carry concealed
weapons across state lines. Instead, she wrote that Sanders has an
"open-minded approach to guns" that's from "his political reality: He's the
senator from a pro-gun state that suffers little gun violence."
That blurry synopsis is the conventional wisdom about Bernie and guns. It
echoes reports [6] from this summer recounting the NRA's surprising
endorsement. And like this detailed Politifact.com summary [5] of all
Sanders's congressional gun votes, it notes that talking about guns is
outside his comfort zone of economic inequality and justice.
However, the Nation and the other reports like it don't shed real light on
where Sanders is coming from. They don't explain why he supports some gun
controls but not others. Nor do they ask if there's a consistency to
Sanders' positions and votes over the years? They simply suggest that
Bernie's position is muddled and makes a good target for Hillary.
Yet there is an explanation. It's consistent and simpler than many pundits
think. And it's in Bernie's own words dating back to the campaign where he
was first elected to the U.S. House-in 1990-where he was endorsed by the
NRA, even after Sanders told them that he would ban assault rifles. That
year, Bernie faced Republican incumbent Peter Smith, who beat him by less
than 4 percentage points in a three-way race two years before.
In that 1988 race, Bernie told Vermont sportsmen that he backed an assault
weapons ban. Smith told the same sportsmen's groups that he opposed it, but
midway through his first term he changed his mind and co-sponsored an
assault rifle ban-even bringing an AK-47 to his press conference. That
about-face was seen as a betrayal and is the background to a June 1990
debate sponsored by the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs [7].
I was at that debate with Smith and three other candidates-as the Sanders'
campaign press secretary-and recorded it. Bernie spoke at length three times
and much of what he said is relevant today, and anticipates his
congressional record [5] on gun control ever since. Look at how Bernie
describes what being a sportsperson is in a rural state, where he is quick
to draw the line with weapons that threaten police and have no legitimate
use in hunting-he previously was mayor of Vermont's biggest city, and his
record of being very clear with the gun lobby and rural people about where
he stands. His approach, despite the Nation's characterization, isn't
"open-minded."
The debate opened with the simple question, "How would you define a
sportsmen?"
Bernie began his reply, "I would define a sportsmen-not as a sportsman, but
as a sportsperson, to begin with. There are many women who are involved in
hunting and fishing and other outdoor activities. Sportspeople are people
who enjoy communion with nature. They enjoy getting out in the woods. They
enjoy fishing in a pond. They enjoy taking their kids out away from the
hustle and bustle of dail life. And they can be in contact with nature.
In our state, which is one of the most rural states in America, there are
tens and tens of thousands of Vermonters for whom going out and fishing,
hunting and walking-walking through the snow, walking in the spring-is of
extraordinary importance. And very often these are people who do not have
the sums of money to go to the yachting clubs, or country clubs, or to buy
big boats, but they enjoy what nature has given us. So, as an overview,
that's how I would define a sportsperson."
As you can see, Bernie-who moved to rural northeastern Vermont in the late
1960s-has an appreciation and feeling for where hunting and fishing fit into
the lives of lower income rural people. He's not a hunter or a fisherman.
When he grew up in Brooklyn, he was a nerdy jock-being captivated by ideas
and a high school miler who hoped for a track scholarship for college. But
like many people who settled in Vermont for generations, he was drawn to its
freer and greener pastures and respected its local culture.
Next, the 1990 debate turned to gun control. The moderator, who clearly was
a Second Amendment absolutist, went after Bernie-to test his mettle after
Smith's about-face.
"Do you support additional restrictions on firearms? Do you support
additional restrictive firearms legislation?" he asked. "Bernie Sanders,
explain yourself, yes or no?"
"Yes," he replied. "Two years ago, I went before the Vermont Sportsman's
Federation and was asked exactly the same question. It was a controversial
question. I know how they felt on the issue. And that was before the
DiConcini Bill. That was before a lot of discussion about the Brady Bill.
That was before New Jersey and California passed bills limiting assault
weapons.
"I went before the sportsmen of Vermont and said that I have concerns about
certain types of assault weapons that have nothing to do with hunting. I
believe in hunting. I will not support any legislation that limits the
rights of Vermonters or any other hunters to practice what they have enjoyed
for decades. I do have concerns about certain types of assault weapons."
That was not the end of his remarks. But it is worth noting that his
separating the rights of traditional hunters from the concerns of police
chiefs has been a constant thread in many subsequent votes he would take in
Congress. It's also noteworthy that Bernie consistently has opposed assault
weapons from the late 1980s-before he was in Congress-which he reiterated to
the moderator.
"I said that before the election," he continued. "The Vermont sportspeople,
as is their right, made their endorsement. The endorsed [Republican] Peter
Smith. They endorsed [Democrat] Paul Poirier. I lost that election by about
three-and-one-half percentage points, a very close election. Was my failure
to get that endorsement pivotal? It might have been. We don't know. Maybe it
was. Maybe it wasn't. All I can say is I told the sportspeople of Vermont
what I believe before the election and I am going to say it again.
"I do believe we need to ban certain types of assault weapons. I have taked
to police chioefs. I have talked to the police officers out on the street. I
have read some of the literature all over this country. Police chiefs,
police officers are concerned about the types of weapons which are ending up
in the hands of drug dealers and other criminals and our police oficers are
getting outgunned.
"So the answer is I would support something simlar to a DiConcini-type bill,
which bans about nine very specific types of weapons and allows that
decision to be made within the United States Congress and not the
bureaucracy. That's the best answer I can give."
As has been the case [8] in Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, he was
accused by Smith in 1990 of taking some positions held by the NRA-opposing
some gun controls. He didn't take that bait. Bernie stood by his defense the
rights of rural hunters, and in his closing statement did what he always
does-turn the conversation toward what he thinks is the most relevant and
big picture issue.
"I think the issues facing Vermont sportsmen and women, the issues facing
Vermont's environmentalists, are tied up with some very basic issues facing
the entire country," he said. "There is something wrong when the best
environmentalists in this country tell us if we continue along the same road
with energy consumption and energy development, if we continue alongthe same
road in term of development, in terms of pollution, in terms of our
dependency on the autombile, we may not have an environment to leave to our
children and grandchildren. Clearly there must be radical changes in our
national priorities. We cannot continue to do the same things that we have
done."
"The sportsmen and sportswomen of this state have the right to know, that in
the years to come, that their kids and grandchildren will be able to enjoy
the streams, the lakes, and the forests of the state," he continued. "They
can go out and hunt. They can go out and fish. But they are not going to
have that unless we begin to control development, which is destroying the
countryside, unless we preserve the family farm, unless we radically change
the priorities of this nation, so that all people have the right to enjoy
life, and not just the super rich."
At next week's first 2016 Democratic presidential candidate debate, it's
likely that his opponents will attack Bernie for his stance on gun control.
He did not come out after last week's Oregon mass shooting with a major new
gun-control initiative. He issued a three-paragraph statement [9] that was
criticized by opponents as being too vague. And it's true that gun control
is not an issue that Bernie races toward. But Bernie's statement was
remarkably consistent with what he told Vermont sportsmen in 1990.
"The American people are horrified by these never-ending mass shootings," he
began. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the innocent
victims. As a nation, we must do everything we can to put an end to this
awful epidemic of senseless slaughter.
"We need a comprehensive approach. We need sensible gun-control legislation
which prevents guns from being used by people who should not have them. We
must greatly expand and improve our mental health capabilities so
individuals and families can get the psychological help they need when they
need it. We also have to tone down the incredibly high level of gratuitous
violence which permeates our media.
"The shouting at each other must end. The hard work of developing good
policy must begin."
Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including
America's retirement crisis, democracy and voting rights, and campaigns and
elections. He is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting"
(AlterNet Books, 2008).
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [10]
[11]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernies-gun-control-critics-are-wrong-
his-stance-has-been-consistent-decades
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/steven-rosenfeld
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
https://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-is-running-to-bernie-sande
rss-left-on-this-one-issue/
[4]
http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-is-running-to-bernie-sander
ss-left-on-this-one-issue/
[5]
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jul/10/generation-fo
rward-pac/did-bernie-sanders-vote-against-background-checks-/
[6]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-nra-helped-put-bernie-sanders
-in-congress/2015/07/19/ed1be26c-2bfe-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html
[7] http://www.vtfsc.org/
[8]
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/bernie-sanders-awkward-history-with-gu
ns-in-america-119185
[9]
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-o
regon-shootings
[10] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Bernie's Gun
Control Critics Are Wrong-His Stance Has Been Consistent for Decades
[11] http://www.alternet.org/
[12] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Bernie's Gun Control Critics Are Wrong-His Stance Has Been Consistent
for Decades
Bernie's Gun Control Critics Are Wrong-His Stance Has Been Consistent for
Decades
By Steven Rosenfeld [1] / AlterNet [2]
October 7, 2015
Earlier this week, The Nation announced that Bernie Sanders was not as
progressive on gun control as Hillary Clinton, suggesting that Sanders's
mixed record on gun control bills during his 25-year congressional career
could give Clinton an edge with primary voters-especially after the mass
shooting at Oregon's Umpqua Community College.
"The Vermont socialist isn't terrible on guns: Though the NRA endorsed him
in his first race for Congress, he has a D-minus rating from the group,"
wrote [3] Joan Walsh, national political correspondent, citing his positives
first. "He supported the 2013 background-check bill, in the wake of the
Sandy Hook massacre, and closing the gun-show sales loophole."
But she said [4] Bernie has "troubled gun-control advocates with a few
vexing apostasies, most notably his vote against the Brady Bill. On that and
other gun issues, he has said that he believes states and not the federal
government should set limits. He also voted for NRA-backed bills granting
gun manufacturers legal immunity against claims by gun victims, and making
it possible to carry checked guns on Amtrak."
Walsh didn't say that Sanders has consistently supported [5] specific
gun-controls during his tenure in Congress, such as banning semi-automatic
weapons and high-capacity bullets, nor allowing people to carry concealed
weapons across state lines. Instead, she wrote that Sanders has an
"open-minded approach to guns" that's from "his political reality: He's the
senator from a pro-gun state that suffers little gun violence."
That blurry synopsis is the conventional wisdom about Bernie and guns. It
echoes reports [6] from this summer recounting the NRA's surprising
endorsement. And like this detailed Politifact.com summary [5] of all
Sanders's congressional gun votes, it notes that talking about guns is
outside his comfort zone of economic inequality and justice.
However, the Nation and the other reports like it don't shed real light on
where Sanders is coming from. They don't explain why he supports some gun
controls but not others. Nor do they ask if there's a consistency to
Sanders' positions and votes over the years? They simply suggest that
Bernie's position is muddled and makes a good target for Hillary.
Yet there is an explanation. It's consistent and simpler than many pundits
think. And it's in Bernie's own words dating back to the campaign where he
was first elected to the U.S. House-in 1990-where he was endorsed by the
NRA, even after Sanders told them that he would ban assault rifles. That
year, Bernie faced Republican incumbent Peter Smith, who beat him by less
than 4 percentage points in a three-way race two years before.
In that 1988 race, Bernie told Vermont sportsmen that he backed an assault
weapons ban. Smith told the same sportsmen's groups that he opposed it, but
midway through his first term he changed his mind and co-sponsored an
assault rifle ban-even bringing an AK-47 to his press conference. That
about-face was seen as a betrayal and is the background to a June 1990
debate sponsored by the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs [7].
I was at that debate with Smith and three other candidates-as the Sanders'
campaign press secretary-and recorded it. Bernie spoke at length three times
and much of what he said is relevant today, and anticipates his
congressional record [5] on gun control ever since. Look at how Bernie
describes what being a sportsperson is in a rural state, where he is quick
to draw the line with weapons that threaten police and have no legitimate
use in hunting-he previously was mayor of Vermont's biggest city, and his
record of being very clear with the gun lobby and rural people about where
he stands. His approach, despite the Nation's characterization, isn't
"open-minded."
The debate opened with the simple question, "How would you define a
sportsmen?"
Bernie began his reply, "I would define a sportsmen-not as a sportsman, but
as a sportsperson, to begin with. There are many women who are involved in
hunting and fishing and other outdoor activities. Sportspeople are people
who enjoy communion with nature. They enjoy getting out in the woods. They
enjoy fishing in a pond. They enjoy taking their kids out away from the
hustle and bustle of dail life. And they can be in contact with nature.
In our state, which is one of the most rural states in America, there are
tens and tens of thousands of Vermonters for whom going out and fishing,
hunting and walking-walking through the snow, walking in the spring-is of
extraordinary importance. And very often these are people who do not have
the sums of money to go to the yachting clubs, or country clubs, or to buy
big boats, but they enjoy what nature has given us. So, as an overview,
that's how I would define a sportsperson."
As you can see, Bernie-who moved to rural northeastern Vermont in the late
1960s-has an appreciation and feeling for where hunting and fishing fit into
the lives of lower income rural people. He's not a hunter or a fisherman.
When he grew up in Brooklyn, he was a nerdy jock-being captivated by ideas
and a high school miler who hoped for a track scholarship for college. But
like many people who settled in Vermont for generations, he was drawn to its
freer and greener pastures and respected its local culture.
Next, the 1990 debate turned to gun control. The moderator, who clearly was
a Second Amendment absolutist, went after Bernie-to test his mettle after
Smith's about-face.
"Do you support additional restrictions on firearms? Do you support
additional restrictive firearms legislation?" he asked. "Bernie Sanders,
explain yourself, yes or no?"
"Yes," he replied. "Two years ago, I went before the Vermont Sportsman's
Federation and was asked exactly the same question. It was a controversial
question. I know how they felt on the issue. And that was before the
DiConcini Bill. That was before a lot of discussion about the Brady Bill.
That was before New Jersey and California passed bills limiting assault
weapons.
"I went before the sportsmen of Vermont and said that I have concerns about
certain types of assault weapons that have nothing to do with hunting. I
believe in hunting. I will not support any legislation that limits the
rights of Vermonters or any other hunters to practice what they have enjoyed
for decades. I do have concerns about certain types of assault weapons."
That was not the end of his remarks. But it is worth noting that his
separating the rights of traditional hunters from the concerns of police
chiefs has been a constant thread in many subsequent votes he would take in
Congress. It's also noteworthy that Bernie consistently has opposed assault
weapons from the late 1980s-before he was in Congress-which he reiterated to
the moderator.
"I said that before the election," he continued. "The Vermont sportspeople,
as is their right, made their endorsement. The endorsed [Republican] Peter
Smith. They endorsed [Democrat] Paul Poirier. I lost that election by about
three-and-one-half percentage points, a very close election. Was my failure
to get that endorsement pivotal? It might have been. We don't know. Maybe it
was. Maybe it wasn't. All I can say is I told the sportspeople of Vermont
what I believe before the election and I am going to say it again.
"I do believe we need to ban certain types of assault weapons. I have taked
to police chioefs. I have talked to the police officers out on the street. I
have read some of the literature all over this country. Police chiefs,
police officers are concerned about the types of weapons which are ending up
in the hands of drug dealers and other criminals and our police oficers are
getting outgunned.
"So the answer is I would support something simlar to a DiConcini-type bill,
which bans about nine very specific types of weapons and allows that
decision to be made within the United States Congress and not the
bureaucracy. That's the best answer I can give."
As has been the case [8] in Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, he was
accused by Smith in 1990 of taking some positions held by the NRA-opposing
some gun controls. He didn't take that bait. Bernie stood by his defense the
rights of rural hunters, and in his closing statement did what he always
does-turn the conversation toward what he thinks is the most relevant and
big picture issue.
"I think the issues facing Vermont sportsmen and women, the issues facing
Vermont's environmentalists, are tied up with some very basic issues facing
the entire country," he said. "There is something wrong when the best
environmentalists in this country tell us if we continue along the same road
with energy consumption and energy development, if we continue alongthe same
road in term of development, in terms of pollution, in terms of our
dependency on the autombile, we may not have an environment to leave to our
children and grandchildren. Clearly there must be radical changes in our
national priorities. We cannot continue to do the same things that we have
done."
"The sportsmen and sportswomen of this state have the right to know, that in
the years to come, that their kids and grandchildren will be able to enjoy
the streams, the lakes, and the forests of the state," he continued. "They
can go out and hunt. They can go out and fish. But they are not going to
have that unless we begin to control development, which is destroying the
countryside, unless we preserve the family farm, unless we radically change
the priorities of this nation, so that all people have the right to enjoy
life, and not just the super rich."
At next week's first 2016 Democratic presidential candidate debate, it's
likely that his opponents will attack Bernie for his stance on gun control.
He did not come out after last week's Oregon mass shooting with a major new
gun-control initiative. He issued a three-paragraph statement [9] that was
criticized by opponents as being too vague. And it's true that gun control
is not an issue that Bernie races toward. But Bernie's statement was
remarkably consistent with what he told Vermont sportsmen in 1990.
"The American people are horrified by these never-ending mass shootings," he
began. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the innocent
victims. As a nation, we must do everything we can to put an end to this
awful epidemic of senseless slaughter.
"We need a comprehensive approach. We need sensible gun-control legislation
which prevents guns from being used by people who should not have them. We
must greatly expand and improve our mental health capabilities so
individuals and families can get the psychological help they need when they
need it. We also have to tone down the incredibly high level of gratuitous
violence which permeates our media.
"The shouting at each other must end. The hard work of developing good
policy must begin."
Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including
America's retirement crisis, democracy and voting rights, and campaigns and
elections. He is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting"
(AlterNet Books, 2008).
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [10]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[11]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernies-gun-control-critics-are-wrong-
his-stance-has-been-consistent-decades
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/steven-rosenfeld
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
https://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-is-running-to-bernie-sande
rss-left-on-this-one-issue/
[4]
http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-is-running-to-bernie-sander
ss-left-on-this-one-issue/
[5]
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jul/10/generation-fo
rward-pac/did-bernie-sanders-vote-against-background-checks-/
[6]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-nra-helped-put-bernie-sanders
-in-congress/2015/07/19/ed1be26c-2bfe-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html
[7] http://www.vtfsc.org/
[8]
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/bernie-sanders-awkward-history-with-gu
ns-in-america-119185
[9]
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-o
regon-shootings
[10] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Bernie's Gun
Control Critics Are Wrong-His Stance Has Been Consistent for Decades
[11] http://www.alternet.org/
[12] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
