On Monday, the Senate took up four bills aimed at restricting gun sales following the shooting in Orlando, Florida that killed 49 club goers. Two of the bills were aimed at introducing background checks. One bill, penned by the Democrats, called for mandatory background checks, while the other, written by Republicans, would have pushed resources to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, but would not have made background checks mandatory for all gun purchases. The other two bills would have blocked suspected terrorists from purchasing a firearm, and, again, there were two versions of the bill with one penned by a legislator from each party. Each of the four bills were voted down along party lines with Republicans voting against each of the measures.
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has advocated for increasing gun control by banning assault weapons, closing a number of loopholes, prevented suspected terrorists from accessing guns, and making background checks required for all gun purchases. The bills would have been a step, albeit a weak one, in the right direction. Following the Senate’s failure to agree on a single piece of legislation, Clinton released a strong, single worded statement:
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the Cleveland Industrial Innovation Center, Monday, June 13, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Following yesterday’s terror inspired shooting at an Orlando, Florida night club, Hillary Clinton delivered a counter-terrorism speech today in Cleveland, Ohio. Clinton was previously scheduled to appear in Cleveland today, but she changed the subject of her speech following yesterday’s devastating shooting. During her speech, Clinton called for a bipartisan response to not only fight ISIS, but to restore an assault rifle ban that was in effect during the 1990s. She said, “It’s essential that we stop terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks, and that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino.”
Clinton reached out to the LGBT community saying, “I want to say this to all the LGBT people grieving today in Florida and across our country, you have millions of allies who will always have your back. I am one of them.” She also reached out to the country’s Muslim allies saying that blaming all of Islam is not the answer. While she did not say his name, she referred to Republican Donald Trump’s proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the country. Clinton said, “Inflammatory, anti-Muslim rhetoric—and threatening to ban the families and friends of Muslim Americas as well as millions of Muslim business people and tourists from entering our country—hurts the vast majority of Muslims who love freedom and hate terror.” A full video from Clinton’s speech is below and a transcript can be read HERE.
Earlier in the day, Clinton called in to NBC’s The Today Show and spoke with Savannah Guthrie. Clinton discussed the importance of not blaming Muslims for the shooting, but the person who carried it out and the system that enabled him to purchase an assault rifle. She also criticized Trump for his rhetoric and said that it is ignoring the key issue of going after ISIS and preventing them from using social media to recruit. Audio from Clinton’s interview is below.
Meanwhile in New York City, a fundraiser was held in partnership with Hillary for America. The event featured a conversation with Cheif Finanical Officer Gary Gensler and was hosted by Mike Bodson, Donna Milrod, Larry Thompson, and Mark Wetjen. Clinton was scheduled to attend a fundraiser in Cincinnati, but the event was postponed.
On the day before California’s Democratic primary, Bill Clinton campaigned on behalf of Hillary Clinton in the San Francisco area. Bill has been focusing his efforts on smaller events and has spoken to supporters by standing in the back of a truck. His first two events today were a Get Out the Vote rallies in Oakland and Hayward. At each event, Bill spoke about Hillary’s experience and a number of platform points including growing the economy, focusing on clean energy, and expanding health care. In his speeches, he also criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump for a number of his positions and rhetoric saying that Hillary is a better candidate to continue the progress of the last eight years. A video from today’s event in Oakland is below.
Bill then spoke at a Get Out the Vote event in Antioch. Speaking to a crowd of supporters at Marsh Elementary School, Bill spoke about Hillary’s experience and her plans to keep moving America forward. He explained how important the 2016 election is to continue to the progress of the last eight years, and that electing Trump is a certain way to undo most of that progress. A video of the speech is below.
In Richmond, he spoke spoke about similar topics, but he was confronted by a group of protestors who interrupted his speech. Instead of having the protesters escorted out, Bill answered their questions. He was asked about Hillary’s ties to Wall Street and the crime bill that passed during his administration. He has admitted that that parts of that bill were not perfect saying, “When the crime bill in 1994 came over from the House, it had stronger incarceration procedures than I originally asked for. They cover about 8 percent of total people in prison. When we got to the Senate, the Senate included an assault weapons ban with an ammunition clip limit.” A partial video from the event, including Bill’s exchange with the protester, is below.
His final event of the day was in San Francisco where he spoke about the city’s important position in the country saying, “San Francisco is uniquely positioned to understand that every American should care about the implications of our elections and our choices and the rest of the world.” He then went on to speak about a number of Hillary’s platform points and making an argument why she is a better candidate for president than Democratic rival Bernie Sanders or Trump. He asked for voters’ support in the primary saying that California would be a big win for Hillary. A video from the event is below.
Chelsea Clinton and Senator Cory Booker also campaigned for Hillary in New Jersey. They appeared at several events and spoke about a number Hillary’s platform points and the importance of the 2016 election. They both urged voters to vote in tomorrow’s New Jersey primary.
Meanwhile, Tokyo, Japan, a fundraiser was held for American citizens living in the region. The event featured a conversation with former Under Secretary of State Bob Hormats. The topic of the conversation was economic growth, energy, and the environment.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speak during a town hall with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Monday, April 25, 2016, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Since launching her campaign last April, Hillary Clinton has outlined a number of major platform points in a series of speeches. Now that it it is clear that the Republican nominee will be Donald Trump, it is important that Clinton continue to deliver substantive speeches and combat a Trump platform that seems to offer no substance or foundation. Clinton’s platform is built on a career of public service and an understanding of domestic and foreign policies. While no every may agree with points of her platform, taken as a whole it is clear that she has put together a solid plan to more the country forward and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to live up to their full potential.
When Clinton has introduced a major platform topic, we add it to the Platform category of the website. Looking through Clinton’s speeches and policy proposals, a clear plan emerges. From Clinton’s kickoff rally in June 2015 to the announcement of the proposed cap on child care costs and expanded early childhood education earlier this month, a list of Clinton’s platform speech topics and announcement dates are below:
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at East Los Angeles College on Thursday, May 5, 2016 in East Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/ Pasadena Star-News)
Since launching her campaign in April, Hillary Clinton has outlined a number of major platform points in a series of speeches. Now that it seems the Republican nominee will be Donald Trump, it is important that Clinton continue to deliver substantive speeches and combat a Trump platform that seems to offer no substance or foundation. Clinton’s platform is built on a career of public service and an understanding of domestic and foreign policies. While no every may agree with points of her platform, taken as a whole it is clear that she has put together a solid plan to more the country forward and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to live up to their full potential.
When Clinton has introduced a major platform topic, we add it to the Platform category of the website. Looking through Clinton’s speeches and policy proposals, a clear plan emerges. From Clinton’s kickoff rally in June 2015 to the announcement of the proposed cap on child care costs and expanded early childhood education earlier this month, a list of Clinton’s platform speech topics and announcement dates are below:
Hillary Clinton leads the discussion at a manufacturing roundtable in Syracuse, New York on April 1, 2016.
Since launching her campaign in April, Hillary Clinton has given a number of platform setting speeches across the country. When she has introduced a major platform topic, we add it to the Platform category of the website. Looking through Clinton’s speeches and policy proposals, a clear plan emerges. From Clinton’s kickoff rally in June to the announcement of her manufacturing plans earlier this month, a list of Clinton’s platform speech topics and announcement dates are below:
Clinton’s platform displays her breadth of knowledge on both domestic and foreign policy issues. While the Republicans continue to bicker among the crowd, Clinton has been laying out her plans to help everyday Americans, keep our country safe, and maintain our status as a leader in the world.
Hillary Rodham Clinton laid out her plans to combat gun violence today during a town hall event on the campus of Manchester Community College in Manchester, New Hampshire. Clinton’s plan, which was also released in a post on The Briefing, contains many parts to help cut down the 33,000 deaths every year that occur because of guns and to combat the fact that 20% – 40% of gun purchases in the United States are completed without a background check. Clinton calls for comprehensive background check reform, closing the “Charleston Loophole,” which allows a gun purchase to continue if a background check is not complete after three days, and to introduce tighter restrictions on internet and gun show sales.
Clinton vowed to fight the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other lobbying efforts to curb gun control. She would repeal the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,” a law that protects gun manufacturers and dealers from being held responsible for the violence their guns commit. She is also calling for stricter regulations and more frequent inspects of gun dealers.
Clinton argued that checking a person’s background is key to ensuring whether they should own a gun. She vowed to support legislation which would prevent domestic abusers from buying and possessing guns, make “straw purchasing” (buying a gun for someone who is a convicted felon) a federal crime, improve existing regulations to ensure guns stay out of the hands of those who are mentally ill, and renew the ban on military-style assault weapons. Clinton points out that a lot of what she proposes is not new, but existing legislation is either extremely weak or was allowed to expire. She spoke strongly during the event, but she broke down for moment when she introduced, Nicole Hockley, the mother of a child killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. She is now the executive director of the group Sandy Hook Promise.
She vowed to make gun control a top priority because too many people have died as a result of weak laws. She said, “It’s time for us to say, ‘Wait a minute, we’re better than this, our country is better than this, and there are steps we can take that improve gun safety and further prevention of violence. We haven’t done what we need to do to try and make our children safe. That’s what’s behind the proposals I’m making. They’re not new — there’s nothing unique about them other than that I’m so determined to do everything I possibly can.”
A full video from the town hall event is available on C-SPAN.
Tomorrow, Clinton begins a two day campaign trip to Iowa where she is schedule to take place in four events. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 