Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, now the vice-presidential running mate for Kamala Harris, has undergone a dramatic transformation from being a staunch supporter of gun rights to one of the most prominent advocates for gun control in America. Once a darling of the NRA, Walz’s shift on gun issues has been marked by a series of public betrayals against the Second Amendment that have justifiably drawn the ire of gun rights advocates.
During his time as a congressman representing a rural district in Minnesota, Walz was a vocal advocate for gun rights, earning an “A” rating from the NRA and proudly displaying his endorsement from the group. In 2010, Walz expressed pride in his alignment with the NRA, stating he was “proud to stand with the NRA to protect our Second Amendment rights,” as reported by Alison Durkee in Forbes.
However, as Walz set his sights on the Minnesota governorship, his stance on guns began to shift. The change became apparent in 2017 when he appeared at a sports and outdoor show in Minnesota, where he attempted to balance his pro-gun record with a newfound support for so-called “common-sense regulation.” Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, noted this shift as a calculated move to find middle ground, according to Beth Reinhard and Isaac Stanley-Becker in The Washington Post.
The Las Vegas mass shooting in October 2017 marked a turning point for Walz. He pledged to donate his previous NRA contributions to a charity supporting families of fallen service members, signaling the beginning of his break from the gun lobby. The Parkland school shooting in February 2018 accelerated his shift, with Walz publicly declaring support for an assault weapons ban and criticizing the NRA as the “biggest single obstacle to passing the most basic measures to prevent gun violence in America,” as reported by Forbes.
This devolution from a pro-gun congressman to a gun-control advocate culminated in 2023, when Walz, as governor, signed a series of stringent gun control measures into law, including universal background checks and “red flag” laws designed to prevent dangerous individuals from owning firearms. His transformation was so complete that Walz proudly declared during his 2023 State of the State address, “I got an A rating from the NRA my first term in Congress. Now I get straight F’s. And I sleep just fine,” a quote highlighted by both Forbes and The Post.
Walz’s evolution on gun rights has been met with fierce criticism from gun rights groups. Randy Kozuch, chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund, accused Walz of being a “political chameleon,” changing his positions to further his own agenda. The U.S. Concealed Carry Association also condemned Walz for creating “onerous barriers” to gun ownership.
Despite his past as a pro-gun advocate, Walz now stands as a symbol of what many gun rights advocates see as a betrayal of Second Amendment rights and the Democratic Party’s abandonment of rights and ideals that built America. His vice-presidential candidacy alongside Kamala Harris underscores his full alignment with the Democratic Party’s push to undermine the United States Constitution and foster stricter gun control measures—a stark contrast to the man who once proudly wore an “NRA ENDORSED” camo hat at hunting events. He is still known to wear hunting hats and brag that he is a hunter at political events, even as he seeks to destroy access to the very tools most hunters use to pursue that time-honored tradition. He seems oblivious that the Second Amendment was not written so people could hunt, so in making such statements while posing as a sportsman, Tim Walz has become the embodiment of a true Fudd and an enemy to the American sportsman and our country as a whole.
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