Hillary Clinton decries use of ‘automatic weapons’ in school shootings, calls for background checks, assaut weapon ban

During a CNN town hall meeting Tuesday, Hillary Clinton spoke out when asked about gun control, saying “We can’t let ‘a minority of people’ terrorize the majority.”

Clinton’s remarks came as part of a book tour promoting her new book, “Hard Choices.”

CNN’s international correspondent Christiane Amanpour acted as the moderator of the hour-long interview with Clinton that covered topics as varied as Benghazi, the possibility of being the first female president, and marijuana.

However, it was her remarks on gun control that stole the show.

Clinton said that the United States needs to have, “a more thoughtful conversation” on guns then blasted gun-rights activists.

The topic of guns was introduced to the former Secretary of State by a public school teacher from Maryland identified as Gail Santa Maria.

“Do you think that that reinstating the ban on assault weapons and banning high capacity magazines would do any good?” asked Santa Maria.

This brought an affirmative answer from Clinton who, after a round of applause, elaborated on her opinion of the issue.

“I’m well aware that this is a hot political subject,” said Clinton. “And again, I will speak out no matter what role I find myself in. But I believe that we need a more thoughtful conversation. We cannot let a minority of people — and that’s what it is, it is a minority of people — hold a viewpoint that terrorizes the majority of people.”

In the back and forth between Santa Maria and Clinton, the controversial Everytown figure of 74 school shootings since the 2012 Newtown event, that saw 20 children and 6 adult staff members killed, was mentioned. This elicited a confusing response from Clinton who spoke of ‘automatic weapons’ twice in little less than two minutes.

“And I don’t think any parent, any person should have to fear about their child going to school or going to college because someone, for whatever reasons — psychological, emotional, political, ideological, whatever it means — could possibly enter that school property with an automatic weapon and murder innocent children, students, teachers,” said Clinton.

Clinton confused semi-automatic firearms with fully automatic weapons, otherwise classified as machine guns. These have been heavily regulated in the U.S. since the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Hughes Amendment further banned domestic production for civilians in 1986. This type of firearm is rarely used in crime with the just two homicides committed with legally owned automatic weapons since 1988. Neither of those cases was located on the grounds of a school.

Even allowing for confusion, it should be noted that a recent study by criminology professor James Alan Fox found mass murders rarely use ‘assault weapons,’ cannot be prevented with background checks and gun bans, and that the rates of these shootings as well as their toll is not increasing.

Next, Santa Maria interjected ‘background checks that work’ into the discussion, which Clinton noticed, replying:

“But the vast majority of Americans, even law abiding gun owners, people who want background checks that work, information that is shared immediately, and an awareness that, you know, we’re going to have to do a better job protecting the vast majority of our citizens, including our children, from that very, very, very small group that is unfortunately prone to violence and now with automatic weapons can wreak so much more violence than they ever could have before,” said Clinton.

Following this answer, Amanpour cut off Santa Maria from posing additional questions.

The self-identified public school teacher, who asked Clinton about universal background checks, as well as bans on so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines,” has several posts on her social media account in which she repeatedly espouses support for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Both of these gun-control groups publicly call for many of the same programs that Santa Maria referenced in her ad-hoc interview with Clinton.

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