Report: Gun Control Not Resonating with SC Democrat Primary Voters

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2013 file photo, assault weapons and handguns are seen for sale at
AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File

Although Democrat presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are pushing for more gun control in the lead-up to this Saturday’s South Carolina primary, a newspaper report indicates gun control is simply not resonating with the state’s Democrat primary voters.

The AP reported a similar story in New Hampshire, where gun control did not play well in the lead-up to that state’s primaries, either.

According to Myrtle Beach Online, state Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-66) believes Clinton and Sanders are “taking their cue from the national conversation,” instead of focusing on what SC Democrat primary voters believe to be important. Hunter suggested issues important to SC Democrats are “kitchen table ones, including jobs and schools.”

Anil Rao, a 72-year-old retiree and Democrat voter in North Charleston, told Myrtle Beach Online he supports Clinton, but not because of gun control. In fact, he said, “If I had 10 priorities, gun control would be no. 10, or maybe no. 9.”

Audrey Brown, a 36-year-old mom in Charleston, believes the focus on gun control is a waste of time because those doing the killing with guns are not acquiring them in legal ways to begin with.

Brown said, “There’s too many guns on the street,” adding, “It’s like, how can people sitting at the White House up there think they can fix the problem? There’s so many guns out there; people are getting them legally, illegally. What are you going to do? Knock on every door?”

Nevertheless, Clinton is running a new gun control ad this week, which focuses on the June 17, 2015, attack, which killed nine at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She uses the ad to claim she is stronger than Sanders on gun control.

And earlier this week Clinton spoke at Columbia’s Central Baptist Church, saying, “The epidemic of gun violence stalking our land is another barrier holding us back.” Elaborating, she asserted, “Gun violence by far is the leading cause of death for young African-American men, next to the nine other causes combined.”

Myrtle Beach Online quoted the College of Charleston’s Gibbs Knotts, who suggested Clinton’s continued focus on gun control could simply be due to the fact that it remains an area in which she can distinguish herself from Sanders.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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