Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE early Sunday described a nightclub attack that left 50 people dead in Orlando, Fla., as “horrific” and “unthinkable” before turning to gun control.

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“Hopes go out to all those who were shot that they can recover,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“And I've got to tell you … I believe that in this country, we should not be selling automatic weapons which are designed to kill people,” he added.

“We have got to do everything that we can on top of that to make sure that guns do not fall into the hands of people who should not have them — criminals, people who are mentally ill. So that struggles continues.”

Sanders said he thinks there is a “very broad consensus” in the U.S. "that we have got to do everything that we can to prevent guns from falling into the hands of people who should not have them.

“That means expanding the instant background check; it means doing away with the gun show loophole; it means addressing the straw man provision. I think there is a wide consensus to move forward in that direction,” he said.

— This report was updated at 9:57 a.m.