After several mass shootings, including at schools, then-Representative Tim Walz changed his mind on some of the most controversial gun laws in 2017. Kamala Harris CollaboratorHis tough stance on gun safety has angered the NRA.
As he has done in other policy areas, Waltz took more liberal positions on guns and gun control during his tenure as Minnesota governor than during his six terms in the House.
For 12 years, from 2007 to 2019, Walz represented a conservative district that borders Iowa to the south. A National Guard veteran and avid hunter, Walz was named by Guns and Ammo to its list of “The 20 Best Politicians for Gun Owners” in 2016.
But Minnesota as a whole leans blue, which is reflected in Walz’s positions as a gubernatorial candidate and governor.
From an “A” to an “F” from the NRA
Walz received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association during his congressional reelection campaigns in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. But he received an “F” rating from the NRA during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, according to the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. Walz has spoken publicly about how his NRA rating has declined over the years.
“It’s true. I’m a veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner,” Walz tweeted in July. “But I’m also a father. And for many years, I was a teacher. This is about keeping our kids safe. I had an A grade from the NRA. Now I get all Fs. And I sleep very well.”
Randy Kozuch, president of the NRA Political Victory Fund, said Walz was a “political chameleon who changes positions to advance his own personal agenda.”
“In Congress, Walz ran as a friend of gun owners to gain their support in his rural Minnesota district,” Kozuch said. “Once he had his sights set on other offices, he betrayed law-abiding Minnesotans and promoted a radical gun control agenda that has emboldened criminals and left ordinary citizens defenseless. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz cannot be trusted to defend freedom and our constitutional rights.”
The Las Vegas mass shooting
After 2017 mass shooting At a music festival in Las Vegas, the deadliest in modern U.S. history, Walz said he Given his NRA campaign contributions, $18,000, to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a charity that helps families of wounded or killed military personnel.
“As a member of Congress, I support universal background check legislation, oppose concealed carry legislation in Congress, and oppose legislation to reduce restrictions on gun silencers,” Walz wrote on Facebook after the Las Vegas shooting that occurred during his gubernatorial campaign. “As Governor of Minnesota, I will ensure Minnesota passes universal background check legislation. I will support increased funding for mental health services, and support additional restrictions that ensure Minnesota keeps guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”
Months later, after yet another mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, Walz expressed support for banning assault weapons.
In a Star Tribune article at the time, he said: “I have listened closely to students, parents, law enforcement, teachers, athletes and survivors of gun violence in every corner of Minnesota. And while they have different perspectives, I have heard them all say one thing loud and clear: This. must. stop.”
Walz presented background checks and whistleblower policies as common-sense protections that do not contradict the Second Amendment.
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said Walz is “living proof that responsible gun ownership and support for common-sense gun safety laws go hand in hand.”
“Over the past decade, he has joined countless other gun owners in rejecting the increasingly extreme lie of a gun lobby that basic gun safety laws are incompatible with the Second Amendment,” Feinblatt said. “By signing a sweeping gun safety bill and donating past NRA contributions to an organization for his fellow veterans, Governor Walz has proven he is not afraid to stand up to the gun lobby.”
