CHARLESTON, S.C.—On the eve of the next Democratic debate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced his support for legislation that would reverse a 2005 law granting gun manufacturers legal immunity that he once supported.
Sanders’ changed position came in a statement issued after days of attacks from rival Hillary Clinton, who had attempted to use his previous vote to undercut his liberal image.
The two candidates, along with former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, will meet Sunday for the last debate before voting begins in the Iowa caucuses—a match-up that’s expected to be far more contentious than their previous three forums.
The debate was scheduled to take place just blocks from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where nine parishioners were killed in a mass shooting last summer. Gun control has emerged as a central theme in the race, with Clinton citing it as one of the major differences between the candidates.
