The first Democratic presidential primary debate of the election season aired on CNN Tuesday night. Like the two GOP debates that came before it, candidates clashed over foreign policy, domestic healthcare and gun policies. We pulled the best debate quotes pertaining to the issues nearest and dearest to our hearts so you don’t have to.

The Military Tool

When asked about American military involvement in the Middle East, most candidates agreed that the past wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were “blunders.” However, their statements regarding current national security threats diverged.

Martin O’Malley: I believe that, as president, I would not be so quick to pull for a military tool. I believe that a no-fly zone in Syria, at this time, actually, would be a mistake. You have to enforce no-fly zones, and I believe, especially with the Russian air force in the air, it could lead to an escalation because of an accident that we would deeply regret.

Jim Webb: Now, I say this as someone who spent five years in the Pentagon and who opposed the war in Iraq, whose son fought in Iraq, I’ve fought in Vietnam. But if you want a place where we need to be in terms of our national strategy, a focus, the greatest strategic threat that we have right now is resolving our relationship with China. And we need to do this because of their aggression in the region. We need to do it because of the way they treat their own people.

Hillary Clinton (on the nation’s greatest threat): I think it has to be continued threat from the spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear material that can fall into the wrong hands. I know the terrorists are constantly seeking it, and that’s why we have to stay vigilant, but also united around the world to prevent that.

On Military Veterans

Senators Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb shared their experience with military veterans through serving on the Senate Veterans Committee and, in Webb’s case, by actually serving in the military. No other candidates made mention of military veterans.

Jim Webb: In government service, I’ve fought and bled for our country in Vietnam as a Marine. I spent years as Assistant Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy — in the Reagan administration. In the senate, I spoke about economic fairness and social justice from day one. I also wrote and passed the best piece of veterans education legislation in history, the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.

Bernie Sanders: What we did is pass a $15 billion dollar piece of legislation which brought in many, many new doctors, and nurses into the V.A. so that veterans in this country could get the health care when they needed it, and not be on long waiting lines … As a result of that legislation, we went further in than any time in recent history in improving health care for the men and women of this country who put their lives on the line to defend them.

Guns, Guns, Guns

Unsurprisingly, candidates spoke at length about restricting gun access among American citizens in order to prevent mass shootings like the ones in Oregon, Chattanooga and Charleston.

Hillary Clinton: I think that we have to look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day from gun violence. This has gone on too long and it’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA. The majority of our country supports background checks, and even the majority of gun owners do.

Bernie Sanders: I believe that there is a consensus in this country. A consensus has said we need to strengthen and expand instant background checks, do away with this gun show loophole, that we have to address the issue of mental health, that we have to deal with the strawman purchasing issue, and that when we develop that consensus, we can finally, finally do something to address this issue.

Lincoln Chafee: Yes, I have a good record of voting for gun commonsense safety legislation, but the reality is, despite these tragedies that happen time and time again, when legislators step up to pass commonsense gun safety legislation, the gun lobby moves in and tells the people they’re coming to take away your guns … So, I would bring the gun lobby in and say we’ve got to change this. Where can we find common ground? Come on, we’ve got to change this. We’re not coming to take away your guns, we believe in the Second Amendment, but let’s find common ground here.