Sen. Bernie Sanders rejects sexism allegation
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bernie Sanders says he wasn’t being sexist toward rival Hillary Clinton when he said during the Oct. 13 Democratic presidential debate that “all the shouting in the world” won’t end gun violence.
The Vermont independent said on CNN’s "State of the Union" Sunday that Clinton was “taking words and misapplying them” when she appeared to accuse him of sexism.
“What I was saying is, if we are going make some progress on dealing with these horrific massacres that we're seeing, is that people have got to start all over this country talking to each other,” Sanders said. “It's not Hillary Clinton. You have some people who are shouting at other people all across this country. You know that. This nation is divided on this issue.”
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Clinton, speaking Friday at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum, said “I’ve been told to stop, and I quote, ‘shouting about gun violence.’ Well, first of all, I’m not shouting. It’s just when women talk some people think we’re shouting.”
She repeated the same line at other events Friday and Saturday and her campaign posted it on Twitter.
Sanders said Sunday he's proud of his record on women’s issues and he “certainly” does not have a problem with women speaking out.
During the Oct. 13 debate, Clinton said Sanders isn’t tough enough on the gun issue. She highlighted his vote to limit legal liability for gun makers and dealers as well as his opposition to the pro-gun control Brady Bill.
Sanders also, however, favors a ban on assault weapons and strong background checks for firearms buyers, including at gun shows.
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When asked to respond to Clinton at the debate, Sanders said: “As a senator from a rural state, what I can tell Secretary Clinton, that all the shouting in the world is not going to do what I would hope all of us want, and that is keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have those guns and end this horrible violence that we are seeing.”