Hillary Clinton: Increase Outreach to Muslims, Ban ‘Assault Weapons’

During a June 13 interview on CNN, Hillary Clinton said the U.S. needs to increase its outreach to Muslims, while simultaneously pursuing a ban on “assault weapons” and .50 caliber rifles.

Clinton’s comments come one day after alleged Islamic terrorist Omar Mateen walked into the gun-free zone at Pulse Orlando and killed 50, wounding 53 others.

Chris Cuomo started the interview by pointing out that Clinton is under increased scrutiny for her refusal to talk about radical Islamic terror. He said, “[Many point out that] President Obama won’t use the words ‘radical Islamic terror,’ that it seems to be either a fear or a protective instinct about blaming the religion. You are now coming under scrutiny about what you will call this.”

He asked pointedly, “Do you believe that this is radical Islamism or radical Islamic terror?”

Clinton quickly sidestepped the question by saying, “First all, it matters what we do more than what we say. It mattered that we got bin Laden, not what name we called him.” She went on to say, “We face terrorist enemies who use Islam to slaughter innocent people,” the implication being that it’s not Islam’s fault, but the fault of those who hijack Islam.

The former secretary of state said whether one calls it “radical jihadism or radical Islamism … they mean the same thing.” Then she stressed her belief that we must increase outreach not simply to American Muslims, but to Muslims around the world.

Cuomo followed with a question about guns, and Clinton lamented the absence of a ban on .50 caliber rifles. For the record, a .50 caliber has never been used in a terror attack or high-profile crime in the U.S.

Clinton also lamented the lack of an “assault weapons” ban and of licensing requirements for rifle owners in Florida. She suggested the implementation of more gun control is part of the way forward.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.