Hillary Jumps on Guns in Wake of Orlando

In the wake of the horrific terror attack in Orlando, Hillary Clinton took the podium to call for increased gun control measures, to take veiled jabs at Donald Trump and to try and look tough on terror. Clinton opened her speech saying “today isn’t a day for politics” before proceeding to politicize the tragedy.

Clinton spoke to a room full of supporters in Cleveland, Ohio hoping to position herself as the strongest candidate to fight the War on Terror while bashing Donald Trump. “We also need continued American leadership to help resolve the political conflicts that help fuel ISIS’ recruitment efforts,” Clinton said referencing her earlier claims Trump was a recruitment asset for ISIS.

Clinton tried to paint herself as the most capable on fighting terror, but the Democratic presumptive nominee is already fighting an uphill battle against public perception.

Clinton took another apparent dig at Trump when she said Americans need to work with the Muslim community in the fight against terror, rather than “isolating or scapegoating” them.

It didn’t take long for Clinton to get to Democrats’ own preferred scapegoat in the wake of acts of violence: legal gun ownership.

Clinton said assault weapons have no place on America’s streets. “It’s essential that we stop terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks,” Clinton said to a standing ovation. “And that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino.”

[lz_third_party includes=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhrSD7MqZlE”]

Clinton, using typical anti-2nd Amendment rhetoric, slammed loopholes that don’t really exist and that wouldn’t have stopped the tragedy in Orlando. “You shouldn’t be able to exploit loopholes and evade criminal background checks by buying online or at a gun show,” Clinton said.

Clinton ended her anti-gun rant by pledging to never stop fighting for these kinds of gun control provisions. “We have to make it harder for people who should not have those weapons of war and that may not stop every shooting or every terrorist attack — but it will stop some, it will save lives, and it will protect our first responders,” Clinton said.

[lz_jwplayer video=”5JzGVzuJ” ads=”true”]

Clinton tried to paint herself as the most capable on fighting terror, but the Democratic presumptive nominee is already fighting an uphill battle against public perception.

A June 2 Gallup poll showed voters trusted Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton on national security and terrorism by a four point margin, with fully 50 percent of respondents indicating they trusted Trump over Clinton on the issue. A Fox News poll taken in May showed Trump with an even wider, 12 point margin on the issue over Clinton.

On Monday, CNN’s Chris Cuomo noted Clinton appeared particularly weak on the issue earlier in the day on the network when she said the deadly attack in Orlando “wasn’t an example that the war against terror is failing.”

[lz_related_box id=”154606″]

A Gallup poll from December 2015, shortly after the deadly terror attack in San Bernardino, showed that Americans’ fear of terrorism had hit its highest point in ten years.

Clinton’s tough rhetoric on terror is also a sharp contrast from the beginning of her campaign for president. In the fourth Democratic debate the candidates were asked to list their top prioriries in office. Clinton, no doubt told by political soothsayers she needed the support of the elderly and women to squash the primary challenge from Bernie Sanders, said equal pay for women, jobs, and reduced prescription drug prices.

Now that terror has struck America at home, she claims national security is her top priority. Little wonder more Americans trust Trump to handle the threat posed by Islamic terrorism.