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Tim Walz: Navigating the Path From NRA Backing To Gun Control

During a closely contested primary for governor in 2018, Tim Walz, a congressman in a a conservative, pro-gun district in Minnesota, faced criticism for his A ratings from the National Rifle Association. After the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., he adopted a more aggressive stance. Walz wrote an opinion piece asserting that he had “repeatedly voted in favor” of tougher background checks, federal gun violence research and firearm bans for people on no-fly lists. He had “voted for universal background checks more than anybody in this race,” he said. He posted a video in which he said he had voted “dozens of times” in Congress for stronger gun laws. The NRA kept giving him high marks until he ran for governor, and Guns & Ammo magazine in 2016 named him one of its top 20 lawmakers. Which version of Walz, now running for vice president, was right? The answer lies in his transition from a small-town gun guy to a statewide candidate facing an electorate with starkly different views, the New York Times reports.


Today, Walz is viewed as a model for Democratic politicians seeking to balance Second Amendment rights and public safety. His NRA report card now shows straight F's. The journey there was tumultuous. During the 2018 campaign, he faced relentless criticism for his pro-gun congressional record, followed by allegations of flip-flopping to secure the nomination from the left-leaning Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. In his defense against accusations of changing his stance for political gain, Walz referred to procedural votes he cast in Congress during 2015 and 2016. However, these votes were not so consequential as he suggested. Most were party-line votes to initiate debate on gun control measures rather than decisive votes on the bills themselves. These parliamentary maneuvers had no chance of succeeding in the Republican-controlled House, but they would allow Democrats to accuse the G.O.P. of blocking politically popular proposals. This is why advocates from both sides of the gun debate afforded them no credibility.

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A daily report co-sponsored by Arizona State University, Criminal Justice Journalists, and the National Criminal Justice Association

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