HARTFORD, Conn. — Hillary Clinton accused gunmakers and the gun lobby on Thursday of using their money and power to coerce members of Congress to do their bidding, as she promised to work for new gun-control measures if elected president.

"We need a national movement," Clinton said at a community meeting in a YMCA here, drawing applause. "The gun lobby is the most powerful lobby in Washington," more so than Wall Street, big Pharma and more, she said, adding, "They have figured out how to really intimidate elected officials at all levels, who basically stop thinking about this problem because they are too scared of the NRA," the National Rifle Association.

Clinton cited the massacre of Connecticut schoolchildren four years ago as only one example of a gun culture gone too far. She tied some gun violence to difficulty getting mental health treatment for some who need it, and said gun-control activists are too often targeted for online harassment.

"There has been a concerted effort to undermine the real-life experiences of people who speak out," Clinton said. "Blame the victim, blame the victim's mother , blame the victim's family, blame the victim's neighborhood," she said. "Find somebody to blame instead of saying — you know what, we've just got too many guns in this country."

She repeatedly promised to try to build on the Brady bill, which was passed during her husband's administration, and said the gun lobby has effectively blocked most gun-control efforts since then. She said common-sense gun control can be achieved without infringing on the Second Amendment and with the support of gun owners.