Hillary Clinton to receive gun control award
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is slated to receive an award for her work promoting gun control measures, bestowed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
"Throughout her career as a public servant, Hillary Clinton has repeatedly put the safety of the American people above the influence and interests of the corporate gun lobby," Brady president Dan Gross said in a statement to CBS News. "She serves as an example for all policymakers who truly want to serve the constituencies they are elected to represent."
The organization pointed specifically to the candidate's dedication to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, passed while Clinton was first lady, which required a waiting period and national background check for handgun buyers.
"Mrs. Clinton was there when the historic Brady Law was signed by President Bill Clinton and she has demonstrated a clear commitment in support of our efforts to 'finish the job' and expand those lifesaving Brady background checks to all gun sales," Gross added.
The act was a sticking point in the last Democratic presidential debate, when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had to answer for his opposition to the 1993 legislation. Clinton later pounced on Sanders' waffling defense and noted, at the end of the debate, that she counted the National Rifle Association (NRA) as an enemy she was proud of.
In 2000, Clinton also proposed a national gun registry -- a policy she backed away from during her 2008 presidential bid against Barack Obama, when she positioned herself to the right of the progressive candidate on gun safety.
Since launching her second presidential campaign, Clinton has rolled out new proposals for gun safety, which include closing regulatory loopholes for gun shows and Internet vendors and holding gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed with their products.
The Brady Center's "Bear Awards" are named after James "Bear" Brady, a former White House press secretary under Ronald Reagan. Brady sustained a gunshot wound to the head during an attempted assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981. He became a fierce gun control advocate after the shooting, which left him partially paralyzed and caused him health problems throughout his life. Brady's death in 2014 was later ruled a homicide, caused by the gunshot wound inflicted 33 years earlier.
The inaugural Governor Mario Cuomo Leadership Award will be presented to Clinton next Thursday, November 19 during the center's annual gala in New York City.