Rep. Keith Ellison denied Thursday that he previously said the Democratic Party should come out against the Second Amendment right of individuals to keep and bear arms.
“That is not what I said at all,” Mr. Ellison said during a CNN debate between the candidates seeking to lead the Democratic National Committee, after he was asked about a 2012 appearance he made on Real Time with Bill Maher.
In the episode, Mr. Ellison told the HBO host that he supported “common-sense” gun rules.
When Mr. Maher countered that the party should come out against the Second Amendment, Mr. Ellison said, “I sure wish they would. I sure wish they would.”
In the CNN debate, Mr. Ellison said his comments are being taken out of context.
“I did not say that,” he said. “That was not an accurate statement.”
The Minnesota Democrat then said he hunts with a conservative Democrat in rural Minnesota and said that he supports stricter background checks for guns.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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