Hillary Clinton characterized Donald Trump as just another politician beholden to the gun lobby, who will do anything to get the support of powerful lobbyists. “I believe it’s the most powerful lobby in Washington,” Clinton said at the Trayvon Martin Foundation’s Circle of Mothers dinner in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night. “And we know some candidates will say or do anything to make them happy.” In contrast, Clinton emphasized she has the necessary experience to stand up to the gun lobby. “Unlike Donald Trump, I will not pander to the gun lobby and we will not be silenced and we will not be intimidated,” she said. “As long as children anywhere are being killed by gun violence, we will keep fighting.”
Clinton particularly went after Trump’s promise to end gun-free school zones. “That idea isn’t just way out there, it’s dangerous,” she said. “This is someone running to be president of the United States of America, a country facing a gun-violence epidemic, and he’s talking about more guns in our schools.”
A day after Trump said Clinton wanted to get rid of the Second Amendment, the former secretary of State said the real estate mogul’s policies would only fan existing tensions and increase violence. “If you want to imagine what Trump’s America will look like, picture more kids at risk of violence and bigotry,” she said. “Picture more anger and fear. Ask any of the mothers here tonight if they want to live in that kind of America.”
In front of several mothers who had lost their children to gun violence, Clinton said that partisan politics is preventing progress on stronger controls. “Despite all the political noise we are actually united on this issue,” Clinton said. “The vast majority of Americans support comprehensive background checks.”
Trump took to Twitter Saturday night to say that Clinton had lied about his position on guns in classrooms.
On Sunday, he sent a bit of a contradictory message on the issue. “I don’t want to have guns in classrooms, but sometimes teachers should have guns,” Trump said on Fox News’ Fox and Friends. “I am not advocating guns in classrooms … trained teachers should have guns.”
