US presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton divided over gun control in wake of Oregon college shooting
Bush opposes tighter laws as Clinton takes on pro-gun lobbyists in wake of Oregon shooting
US presidential hopeful Jeb Bush and other Republicans declared their opposition to stiffer gun laws Friday in the aftermath of the Oregon college mass shooting as Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a national movement to counter the power of the gun lobby.
Bush said stricter government was not always the answer when tragedy struck. “Stuff happens, there’s always a crisis,” he said.
President Barack Obama called him out for the remark on Friday, which Bush insisted was not about the Oregon shooting that left 10 dead a day earlier.
“I think the American people should hear that [and] decide whether or not they consider that ‘stuff happening’,” Obama said.
Meanwhile, Clinton told supporters at a South Florida community college that she would take on the National Rifle Association in a bid for “new, effective gun control measures.”
“What is wrong with us that we can’t stand up to the NRA, to the gun lobby and the gun manufacturers they represent,” Clinton asked.
On Friday, Bush, speaking at a university in South Carolina, referred to the Oregon shooting when he was asked about his stance on gun rights.