Hillary Clinton released a new ad focused on gun control Tuesday which highlights how she has changed her approach to guns since 2008.
"We’re better than this," Clinton said in the ad. "We need to close the loopholes and support universal background checks. How many people need to die before we actually act?"
However, as Politico points out, Clinton's new hardline position on gun control is a departure from her 2008 campaign. "Seeking to combat the perception that he is against gun control, [Bernie] Sanders has also brought up the issue on the stump — marking a shift from the 2008 presidential campaign, when Democrats did not uniformly speak out for such gun restrictions so openly," Gabriel Debenedetti wrote in the piece. "Clinton in particular was largely silent on the issue when she ran in 2008, except when criticizing Barack Obama for what she called his "elitist" and "out of touch" comments that some Pennsylvanians are "bitter, they cling to their guns."
When asked about the apparent change in opinion on guns by CNN's Jake Tapper, Hillary said she had not moved her position at all. "You’ve spoke a lot, at the debate and on the stump, about further restrictions on gun ownership," Tapper said. "I remember in 2008, during the primaries, you were positioning yourself to the right of President Obama, 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."
"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?"
"No, not at all," Clinton responded. "In fact, I would characterize what happened in ‘08 very differently."