Quotes from the Democratic debate between New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

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On gun rights:

_ OBAMA: "As a general principle, I believe that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right, and, you know, in the same way that we have a right to private property but local governments can establish zoning ordinances that determine how you can use it. And I think that it is going to be important for us to reconcile what are two realities in this country. There's the reality of gun ownership and the tradition of gun ownership that's passed on from generation to generation. You know, when you listen to people who have hunted, and they talk about the fact that they went hunting with their fathers or their mothers, then that is something that is deeply important to them and, culturally, they care about deeply. But you also have the reality of what's happening here in Philadelphia and what's happening in Chicago."

_ CLINTON: "I believe that we can balance what I think is the right equation. I respect the Second Amendment. I respect the rights of lawful gun owners to own guns, to use their guns. But I also believe that most lawful gun owners, whom I have spoken with for many years across our country, also want to be sure that we keep those guns out of the wrong hands. And as president, I will work to try to bridge this divide, which I think has been polarizing and, frankly, doesn't reflect the common sense of the American people. So we will strike the right balance to protect the constitutional right but to give people the feeling and the reality that they will be protected from guns in the wrong hands."

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On how they would use former presidents if they were elected president, specifically President Bush:

_ CLINTON: "I'm going to have to give some serious thought to that. I do believe that it's a way to unify our country. I thought that President Bush was right when he asked his father and Bill (Clinton) to represent us during the aftermath of the tsunami. I thought it sent a great message here at home and around the world. And I'm sure there will be opportunities to ask all the former presidents to work on behalf of our nation. You know, we've got to come together and the former presidents really exemplify that, whether one agrees with them politically or not."

_ OBAMA: "Well, you know, I think that having the advice and counsel of all former presidents is important. I'm probably more likely to ask advice of the current president's father than the president himself, because I think that when you look back at George H.W. Bush's foreign policy, it was a wise foreign policy. And how we executed the Gulf War, how we managed the transition out of the Cold War, I think is an example of how we can get bipartisan agreement. I don't think the Democrats have a monopoly on good ideas. I think that there are a lot of thoughtful Republicans out there."

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