tim walz
Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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Right-wing media attack Tim Walz for his support of gun safety, ignoring the horrific mass shootings that affected his stance

Conservatives accused Walz, a longtime gun owner and hunter, of being a “political chameleon” and “flip-flopping” because he supports “common-sense solutions to end gun violence”

Special Programs Guns & Public Safety

Written by Jack Winstanley

Published

After Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her 2024 running mate, right-wing media lobbed a range of attacks at Walz, including calling him “radical” for his current stance on gun control — despite Walz being a longtime gun owner and reiterating his commitment to both the Second Amendment and “common-sense solutions to end gun violence” during his first speech after joining the ticket. As right-wing media and conservative organizations attack Walz, they have left out vital context about how mass shootings contributed to his embrace of gun safety reforms, or claimed that he arbitrarily “flipped on guns” for political gain.

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  • Tim Walz publicly changed his stance on gun control after the mass shootings in Parkland and Las Vegas

    • Walz — a longtime gun owner, soldier, and hunter who was “one of the best shots in Congress” — began publicly distancing himself from his prior pro-gun policies after the 2017 Las Vegas concert mass shooting by publicly advocating for universal background checks, opposing concealed carry, and calling for the restriction of silencers. Running for governor in 2017, Walz also answered Minnesota state Rep. Erin Murphy’s call to return the campaign contributions he received from the NRA, which he instead donated to a charity supporting the families of fallen military service members. Prior to the Las Vegas shooting — which left 59 dead and over 500 people wounded — Walz supported several laws that would have expanded firearm access in Washington, D.C.; voted in favor of allowing military veterans deemed “mentally incompetent” to own a weapon to purchase firearms; and was involved in the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, which aims to protect hunting and fishing rights. [CBS News, 10/4/17, 8/7/24; MinnPost, 10/11/17; The Washington Post, 8/11/24; Star Tribune, 10/4/10, 8/9/24; MSNBC, Decision 2024, 8/6/24]
    • In a 2018 op-ed for The Star Tribune after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Walz wrote that his views on gun safety were “evolving in some ways” and reaffirmed his commitment to “fight for common-sense solutions to end gun violence.” Walz wrote that “we can’t accept mass shootings becoming the status quo” and also explicitly called out the NRA by name, writing that the group is “the biggest single obstacle to passing the most basic measures to prevent gun violence in America.” (While serving in the House of Representatives, Walz received “A” ratings from the NRA in four races before losing the group’s support in 2018.) [The Star Tribune, 2/23/18; CBS News, 8/7/24]
    • After being named Harris’ running mate on August 6, Walz noted that “he was one of the best shots in Congress” and “believes in the Second Amendment,” but also reaffirmed his commitment to “common sense gun violence laws.” Echoing his reaction to the Parkland school shooting, Walz also stated that part of the Harris campaign’s vision includes the freedom “for our children to be free to go to school without worrying they’ll be shot dead in their classrooms.” [The Washington Post, 8/6/24; MSNBC, Decision 2024, 8/6/24]
    • Right-wing media figures have since lobbed flailing attacks against Walz’s record as governor, his military service, and even his hugs in an attempt to undermine the Democratic vice presidential candidate and falsely brand him as “radical.” False accusations coming from the right that Walz committed “stolen valor” have been used to discredit his stated positions on gun control and gun safety policy. [Media Matters, 8/14/24, 8/13/24, 8/12/24, 8/9/24, 8/7/24, 8/7/24, 8/7/24, 8/6/24, 8/6/24; Slate, 8/8/24]

  • Some right-wing figures claimed Walz “flipped on guns” while leaving out or dismissing the vital context that his views shifted following the Parkland and Las Vegas shootings, with some calling him a “political chameleon”

    • On Fox Business’ Your World with Neil Cavuto, The Hill’s Bob Cusack said that Walz “used to support gun rights, he flipped on that,” without mentioning when or why his position changed. [Fox Business, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 8/6/24]
    • In an August 6 op-ed for the New York Post, National Review’s Dan McLaughlin claimed that Walz “flipped on guns” without mentioning the Parkland and Las Vegas shootings. McLaughlin also claimed that Walz “banked hard to the left” on other issues after becoming governor of Minnesota, adding, “There’s a lot for him to answer for.” [New York Post, 8/6/24]
    • Newsmax host Carl Higbie scoffed that Walz had “an involved, let's call it, record on gun legislation,” and later said that “it’s important to note the inconsistency in his record.” While contrasting Walz’s current position with his previous “A” ratings from the NRA, Higbie again joked that “Democrats call it ‘evolving,’ or whatever they like to call it.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 8/6/24]
    • On Newsmax, NRA President Bob Barr claimed Walz’s record on gun policies changed when he ran for statewide office, adding: “This is not a man who is rooted in strong principles, but he very clearly based on his record as governor is anti-Second Amendment, anti-freedom.” The right-wing network promoted Barr’s comments on its website under the headline “NRA Pres. to Newsmax: Walz Is No Friend of the Second Amendment.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 8/6/24, Newsmax, 8/6/24]
    • In an op-ed for The Daily Caller, Barr dismissed the idea that Walz’s views on guns had “evolved” between his time in Congress and as governor, with Barr calling it “the language du jure for what previously was known quite accurately as ‘flip-flopping.’” [The Daily Caller, 8/8/24]
    • In an article for The Daily Caller titled “Tim Walz Once Received ‘A’ Grade From NRA — Then He Shot Left,” Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus’ Rob Doar was quoted calling Walz “a political shapeshifter,” claiming that the governor was only ever a pro-gun advocate “because that’s what he had to be to win.” Doar said “the problem with Walz is you can’t trust what he says,” and that he “touts that he’s a gun owner and a hunter but will fully sign on and endorse extreme gun control proposals that anti-gun politicians will put forward. I just don’t think he can be trusted to protect Second Amendment rights.” [The Daily Caller, 8/6/24]
    • A Fox News headline highlighted a statement from the NRA calling Walz a “political chameleon” on guns. Following the announcement that Harris had chosen Walz to be her running mate in the 2024 presidential election, the NRA issued a statement dismissing the Minnesota governor as a “political chameleon” on guns and claiming he changed his views to further his career. [Fox News, 8/6/24]