Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders once told a group of Vermont voters that he did not believe gun control was a “panacea for the forces of crime,” saying that “people pull the trigger, not the guns themselves.”

Sanders made the remarks — reported by Vermont’s Rutland Herald at the time — while campaigning for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1990. That year, the National Rifle Association targeted his opponent, incumbent Republican Rep. Peter Smith, who they felt had betrayed him on a key issue. Sanders used the N.R.A.’s disappointment with Smith to his advantage in that campaign.

“Mr. Smith had said he would oppose gun control, but he agreed to sponsor legislation that would have banned certain types of assault weapons,” explained a New York Times article published after Sanders was elected. “Conservative Republicans abandoned him, joining liberal voters to form a solid majority for Mr. Sanders, who said he would not support Federal gun-control measures.”