HARTFORD — Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders preached to more than 1,000 supporters in Riverfront Park Monday morning. Sanders, who also spoke a...

HARTFORD — Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders preached to more than 1,000 supporters in Riverfront Park Monday morning. Sanders, who also spoke at a rally in New Haven Sunday night, took the stage around 10:20 a.m.

In a one-on-one interview with FOX 61 shortly before Monday's event, Sanders spoke about his position regarding gun rights.

"Let me be as clear as I can be, that as president of the United States, I will do everything I can to make sure that guns do not fall into the hands of people who should not have them and that means expanding the instant background check, doing away with the gun show loophole and doing away with the straw man situation where people are legally buying guns and then selling them to people who should not have them," Sanders said.

FOX 61 told Sanders about the recent vote to raise tuition at 17 Connecticut colleges.

"I believe we should impose a tax on Wall Street speculation, which will pay for free tuition at public colleges and universities, lowering student debt," he said in response, bringing the topic up again during his speech.

The Vermont senator also touched on issues concerning the poor and middle classes, and promised to break up the big banks during the rally. He pledged to prohibit fracking, the practice of injecting fluids into the ground to release natural gas, which has been blamed for the pollution of ground water.

Sanders said voters do not have to accept the status quo. He said that voters need to tell corporate America that the billionaires and Wall Street will not be able to control the country any more.

He promised a Supreme Court nominee during his administration that would overturn the campaign funding decision known as Citizens United. Sanders also vowed to take on Republican governors who suppress people's right to vote.

Sanders talked about America's richest family, the Waltons, who own Walmart, and said they make money while their lowest paid workers are forced to apply for food stamps and Medicaid subsidies for health care. "What we are saying to the Walton family, the wealthiest family in America, 'Get off of welfare and pay your workers a living wage,'" Sanders said.

The Democratic presidential candidate proposed to create an economy that would work for all people, not just the one percent.

He also promised to invest in America's infrastructure, and rebuild streets, train systems and airports. Te Flint water crisis brought that issue home.

He pledged to reform the criminal justice system, too. "It's time to bring justice back to the criminal justice system," said Sanders, who also said that bankers who committed crimes should be forced to serve time.

Sanders also promised immigration reform, an issue important to Latino communities.

He said change in America had come from the people working against injustice. Women, blacks and gays and lesbians had all challenged the system, he said.

He drew distinctions between his campaign and Hillary Clinton's. He said he had never taken money from political action committees, and that he had not been paid for speaking to banking groups. He also said she had supported fracking.

Connecticut's Presidential primary is Tuesday, April 26.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a 51 to 42 percent lead over Sanders according to a Quinnipiac Poll released last Wednesday. Clinton also has a 66 to 25 percent lead among black likely Democratic primary voters and a wide margin among women. Only 5 percent are undecided, but 25 percent of those who name a Democratic candidate say they might change their mind before the April 26 primary said poll officials.