Firearms expert to Hillary: Heller case wasn’t about ‘toddlers’

Gun Owners of America chief stunned by candidate's claim

Gun rights advocates and other experts are firing back at Hillary Clinton’s assertion in Wednesday’s presidential debate that she opposed the 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision on gun rights because the court failed to protect toddlers from getting access to firearms.

The issue was raised early in the debate as part of a wider discussion on how Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump view the Supreme Court. Moderator Chris Wallace asked pointed questions of both candidates on the Second Amendment, and he specifically asked Clinton about why she was critical of the 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.

“Secretary Clinton, you said last year, let me quote, ‘The Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment.’ And now, in fact, in the 2008 Heller case, the court ruled that there is a constitutional right to bear arms, but a right that is reasonably limited. Those were the words of the Judge Antonin Scalia who wrote the decision. What’s wrong with that?” asked Wallace.

After stating she respected the right of individuals to own firearms, Clinton addressed the Heller decision.

“You mentioned the Heller decision. And what I was saying that you referenced, Chris, was that I disagreed with the way the court applied the Second Amendment in that case, because what the District of Columbia was trying to do was to protect toddlers from guns and so they wanted people with guns to safely store them,” said Clinton.

Gun Owners of America Executive Director Larry Pratt was stunned by that answer.

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