North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr apologizes for Clinton gun-shop 'bullseye' quip

Sen. Richard Burr regrets his Hillary Clinton &quot;bullseye&quot; quip

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Last weekend, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told a rally in Mooresville, North Carolina, that when he walked into a gun shop recently, "nothing made me feel better" than seeing a magazine about rifles "with a picture of Hillary Clinton on the front," CNN reported Monday. Burr, in a tight re-election fight against Democratic challenger Deborah Ross, added, "I was a little bit shocked at that — it didn't have a bullseye on it." The crowd laughed and Burr added that the magazine did list candidates gun advocates should vote for, "so let me assure you, there's an army of support out there right now for our candidates."

When confronted with audio of the rally, Burr told CNN on Monday that "the comment I made was inappropriate, and I apologize for it." A Burr spokesman clarified that Burr was not suggesting that gun owners should want to shoot Clinton, but rather that he felt "better" that gun-rights groups were supporting Republican candidates.

Burr also said at the rally that President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, will not be confirmed during a lame-duck session, "period," and that "if Hillary Clinton becomes president, I am going to do everything I can do to make sure four years from now, we still got an opening on the Supreme Court." He also bragged about being responsible for the "longest judicial vacancy in history" by blocking an Obama nominee to fill a vacant federal judgeship in eastern North Carolina from getting a vote. Burr did not apologize for those remarks.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.