Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders explained he does not support a mandatory buyback of firearms because he believes such a law would be unconstitutional.
"Gun violence is an incredibly complex [and] large epidemic in our country...and I wanted to ask what your plan is to combat this epidemic, but also, specifically, wanted to see if mandatory buybacks for AR-15 and AK-47s is something you would consider," Grace asked.
Sanders acknowledged a mandatory buyback is actually confiscation and that would be unconstitutional.
"Let me tell you what my plan is — and I don’t support it. A mandatory buyback is essentially confiscation, which I think is unconstitutional. It means I am going to walk in your house and take something whether you like it or not. I don't think that stands up to constitutional scrutiny," he replied.
Sanders does support banning AR-15s and other types of rifles.
"Assault weapons are designed and sold as tools of war. There is absolutely no reason why these firearms should be sold to civilians," his campaign website states, adding he also supports a ban on "high-capacity ammunition magazines" and universal background checks.
Of the many Democratic presidential candidates who started so far, those who supported very strict gun control measures have not made it very far. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) started his whole campaign around the issue of gun control in April of this year and dropped out in July after never gaining any traction.
While former Rep. Beto O'Rourke had a stronger start to his campaign, when he started to slide towards the bottom in the polls, his stance to have a compensated confiscation of AR-15s and AK-47s did not help. He dropped out of the race in November.