Cortez Masto calls Trump’s Second Amendment statement ‘outrageous’

Nevada Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto denounced Donald Trump’s “Second Amendment people” comment on Tuesday as “outrageous.”

While in North Carolina, the GOP presidential nominee said Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would “essentially abolish” the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms, according to The Associated Press.

He added: “By the way, if she gets to pick her judges (on the U.S. Supreme Court), nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.”

Cortez Masto used the incident to criticize her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Joe Heck.

“Enough. Donald Trump has attacked veterans, immigrants, Muslims, the disabled, women, workers, and is now inciting violence against a candidate for president,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “How many outrageous things must Donald Trump say before Republicans like Congressman Heck retract their support for him? Nevadans need leaders who will stand up to Donald Trump, not a politician like Congressman Heck who has ‘high hopes’ for a Trump presidency.”

Heck’s campaign declined to comment.

Trump’s campaign later put out a follow-up statement in which senior communications adviser Jason Miller said: “It’s called the power of unification — Second Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power.”

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find @BenBotkin on Twitter.