Clinton to Dems: Don’t Get Smug on Gun Culture

Bill Clinton has a message for Democrats who might shrug off gun supporters: “Do not patronize the passionate supporters of your opponents by looking down your nose at them,” he told a gathering of top donors yesterday, according to Politico. “A lot of these people live in a world very different from the world lived in by the people proposing these things. I know because I come from this world."

“A lot of these people, all they’ve got is their hunting and their fishing,” he said. “Or they’re living in a place where they don’t have much police presence. Or they’ve been listening to this stuff for so long that they believe it all.” Clinton cited polls that found a majority of Americans favor increased gun control legislation, but warned that there would be political consequences anyway: “Do not be self-congratulatory about how brave you (are) for being for this. The only brave people are the people who are going to lose their jobs if they vote with you.” In other gun news, five people were injured in accidental shootings at gun shows yesterday. (More Bill Clinton stories.)