Democratic presidential candidate Klobuchar in Little Rock, talks gun control

Hunting tradition not in peril, she says

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota arrives Thursday at the state Capitol for a news conference on gun violence.
Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota arrives Thursday at the state Capitol for a news conference on gun violence.

The first of two presidential candidates scheduled to speak in Little Rock this week, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, gave an address on gun violence at the state Capitol on Thursday afternoon.

The three-term Democratic senator touted her electoral win streak in Minnesota to make the case that Democrats in other rural areas, like Arkansas, do not have to back down from proposing gun-control policies to win elections.

"If you think you can't be for some sensible gun legislation and win, I have won every race, every place every time," Klobuchar said.

Without referring to the newspaper by name, she also made note of statistics compiled by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which found that Arkansas has the seventh-highest rate of gun deaths among all states.

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Klobuchar mentioned universal background checks and closing the "boyfriend loophole" -- which allows people convicted of domestic abuse against an unmarried partner to purchase guns -- as solutions she supports in Congress.

As president, she said she would take additional action to close gun-purchase loopholes and fund gun-violence research through executive action.

In back of the senator was a line of state Democratic lawmakers who touted their own successful effort to block a Republican-backed "stand-your-ground" bill during this year's regular legislative session. In the same session, state Democrats proposed a "red flag" bill that would have allowed law enforcement officials to petition a court to confiscate weapons from dangerous people, but the bill died in committee.

Klobuchar said red-flag laws, "if done right," and other measures can be an effective deterrent to gun violence. She also credited a group of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America supporters during her address, saying it is an effective counterweight to gun control opponents.

The crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates has placed a renewed spotlight on gun-control measures after back-to-back mass shootings this month in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

"What I see is the emotion on this side, is going to more than meet the emotion the [National Rifle Association] tries to generate every day," Klobuchar said.

Later Thursday, Klobuchar addressed state Democrats at a fundraiser for the party at Little Rock's South on Main district.

There, Klobuchar again touched on the issue of gun control, saying Arkansas and her home state of Minnesota share a hunting tradition, and that that tradition would not be harmed by Democratic-proposed gun measures.

Also addressing both state's rural areas, Klobuchar knocked President Donald Trump for trade policies that she said were harming farmers and for rhetoric that "tears down" a sense of community across the country.

"I am someone who believes you don't leave parts of this country behind," Klobuchar said, finishing her speech with a promise.

"If I am leading this ticket, I will be back," she said.

In response to the visit from a Democratic presidential candidate, the Republican Party of Arkansas tweeted out a critique of the senator's policies, saying they were a reminder "of how out-of-touch she is with average Arkansans."

Klobuchar's visit was a precursor to the party's Clinton Dinner, its largest annual fundraiser.

The dinner Saturday night will feature a keynote address by former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas, who is also running for president. O'Rourke has scheduled an event with Moms Demand Action on Saturday.

Both Klobuchar and O'Rourke have qualified for the next round of Democratic primary debates in September, according to CNN.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, also running as a Democrat, visited the state in June for Walmart's annual shareholders meeting, becoming the first 2020 presidential candidate to visit the state this cycle.

Another candidate, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, visited Marianna -- his wife's hometown -- in July.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock gave the keynote address at last year's Clinton Dinner, well before he announced his own run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Arkansas will hold its presidential primary in March, as part of a "Super Tuesday" group of primary states.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, speaks about gun violence Thursday at the state Capitol amid local lawmakers, including Democratic state Reps. Fred Love (left) of Little Rock and Vivian Flowers (right) of Pine Bluff.

Metro on 08/16/2019

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