Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is in hot water with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) after stating in a recent interview with the New York Daily News that he does not believe victims of gun crime should be able to sue gun manufacturers.
According to Sanders,
I do believe that gun manufacturers and gun dealers should be able to be sued when they should know that guns are going into the hands of wrong people. So if somebody walks in and says, ‘I’d like 10,000 rounds of ammunition,’ you know, well, you might be suspicious about that. So I think there are grounds for those suits, but not if you sell me a legal product.
Murphy took to Twitter with a series of tweets lambasting Sanders for his views, saying it effectively disqualifies him from winning the Democratic nomination.
Bernie is a friend, but this is really bad. Dems can’t nominate a candidate who supports gun manufacturer immunity. pic.twitter.com/JEgXQhlnAA
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
Let’s be clear – supporting restoring liability for sellers is not the same thing as restoring liability for gun makers.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
For Sanders to say that the Sandy Hook families should be barred from court, even if the weapon was negligently made, is wrong.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
Democrats cannot nominate a candidate who believes that toy gun makers should be held to a higher legal standard than real gun makers.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 5, 2016
Sanders has previously been praised by the National Rifle Association for his “spot on” position on shielding gun manufacturers from liability during a CNN debate in Flint, Michigan last month.