Washington (CNN) Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is running to Hillary Clinton's left on nearly every other issue -- but says he can "bring us to the middle" on guns.

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" on Sunday, the Democratic presidential candidate said there is a "cultural divide that exists in this country."

Sanders has faced criticism from the left for voting in 2005 to shield gun manufacturers from lawsuits by gun violence victims -- which frustrated the families of the victims of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado theater shooter.

"If somebody has a gun and it falls into the hands of a murderer and the murderer kills somebody with a gun, do you hold the gun manufacturer responsible? Not any more than you would hold a hammer company responsible if somebody beats somebody over the head with a hammer. That is not what a lawsuit should be about," Sanders said Sunday.

But he touted several other votes, pointing to his support for banning semi-automatic weapons, for instant background checks for gun owners and for doing away with loopholes that allow buyers at gun shows to skirt some regulations.

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