Senator Sanders’ record on guns is less than sterling: in 2005 he voted for a statute giving gun manufacturers and dealers broad immunity, in state and federal courts, in 1991 he opposed a seven-day waiting period for background checks, and in 1993 he voted against the Brady bill and a five-day waiting period. The list goes on and on…
Bernie Sanders voted against the landmark Brady bill …multiple times. Bernie Sanders voted against the landmark Brady bill, which established the federal gun purchase background check system and imposed a 5-day waiting period.
- May 1991: Bernie Sanders voted against the Brady Bill. [H R 7, Vote # 83, 5/8/91]
- November 1991: Bernie Sanders voted against the Brady Bill. [H R 3371, Vote #443, 11/26/91]
- November 1993: Bernie Sanders voted against the Brady Bill. [H R 1025, Vote #564, 11/10/93]
- November 1993: Bernie Sanders voted against the final version of the Brady Bill. [H R 1025, Vote #614, 11/22/93]
Bernie Sanders voted for the Gekas Amendment to the Brady Bill. [H R 1025, Vote #559, 11/10/93; CQ Floor Votes, 11/10/93]
- This three-day default proceed, also known as the Charleston loophole, allowed Dylan Roof to obtain a gun. [New York Times, 7/11/15]
Bernie Sanders opposed a seven-day waiting period for firearms purchases so gun owners wouldn’t “get caught up in a bureaucracy.” [Rutland Herald, 3/30/91]
Sanders voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms (PLCAA) in Arms Act which, “shields gun makers and dealers from most liability when their firearms are used criminally.” [Slate, 5/6/15, House Roll Call 534, 10/20/05]