Dem candidates call for gun bans and more in first PA Senate debate

Three of the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania met on a debate stage for the first time on Thursday night, and while there were some slight differences in how each of them approached the issue of “gun violence,” they’re pretty much on the same page when it comes to gun control: they like it, they love it, they want a lot more of it.

While Thursday’s debate was the first time that Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta squared off in a debate, the three also took part in a forum sponsored by the gun control group Giffords a few days ago, and all of them endorsed the top priorities for the gun control lobby; universal background checks, bans on “large capacity” magazines, and criminalizing the ownership of modern sporting rifles.

Thursday night, however, only Fetterman made new gun control laws the focus of his response.