Parents of Aurora victim slam Sanders over gun bill support
Parents of a victim of the 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colo., joined a Hillary Clinton campaign call on Friday and slammed Bernie Sanders for his past support of a measure that resulted in them owing $200,000 in legal fees after suing the online retailer who sold bullets to their daughter’s killer.
Speaking to reporters, Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, the parents of Jessica Ghawi, explained how a 2005 law Sanders supported gave immunity to gun dealers including the retailer they sued. Their lawsuit against the retailer was thrown out because of that law, the parents told reporters.
{mosads}The Phillips described meeting with Sanders, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, to discuss his support and said that his recent decision to co-sponsor a bill repealing the law isn’t enough.
“He did promise that he would have a gun stance at some point or another, but to this point, he truly does not. And what stance he does have, he flip-flops on very often,” Sandy Phillips said of her meeting with Sanders.
“The only reason we feel that Bernie has stated anything to do with guns is because Hillary has pushed him to the corner where he had to.”
The call is the Clinton campaign’s latest attempt to put gun control back in the spotlight ahead of April’s important New York primary. Clinton has repeatedly accused Sanders of siding with the gun lobby, forcing him onto the defensive.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, whose district spans parts of New York City, also framed the issue as of vital importance to the city’s minority communities as Clinton remains significantly more popular among minority voters.
“We all know that the stakes are high in this election, and on no issue is that more clear than on the issue of gun violence prevention,” she said, noting a 2012 New York Police Department study that said 97 percent of gun violence victims in the city are minorities.
“But we don’t need statistics to tell us that we need a president who will stand up to the gun lobby and fight every day to keep us safe. When we look at the records of the two candidates in this primary, it is clear that Hillary Clinton is the only one on our side.”
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