Hillary Clinton renewed her call for new gun control measures in the aftermath of a shooting at a community college in Oregon on Thursday, but she did not repeat her criticism of the Supreme Court’s rulings on the Second Amendment.
"We’ve got to go after this," a leaked audio tape obtained by the Washington Free Beacon reveals Hillary Clinton saying at a private event last week. "And here again, the Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment."
"And I am going to make that case every chance I get."
Although Clinton did not specifically say which Supreme Court ruling she thought was wrong, she appeared to be criticizing the landmark 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, which affirmed individual gun rights. The case overturned the district’s total ban on handgun sales and set the precedent federal courts now follow when ruling on Second Amendment cases.
Clinton’s latest comments on gun control did not mention the Supreme Court.
While speaking with WCVB’s Janet Wu on Thursday Clinton advocated the expansion of the federal background check system, instituting waiting periods on gun purchases, and creating a group to counter the National Rifle Association. "I have to tell you, Janet, I am just sick of this," Clinton told Wu. "I’m sick about it, and I feel an absolute urgency for this country to start being sensible about keeping guns away from people who should not have them."
Clinton accused the NRA of having an "absolutist theology about the Second Amendment being sacrosanct" and said they "intimidate and scare legislators because they make it into a single issue for voting" before moving on to outline prospective gun control policies.
"I’m going to be pushing this issue. Universal background checks, a long-enough waiting period so that people can’t sneak in under the deadline because the full investigation wasn’t completed. I would like us to be absolutely determined, as I am, to try to do something about this."
The Clinton campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.