Democrat Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has chosen Tim Walz as her running mate to take on former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance.

Tim Walz was a moderate Democrat from Minnesota who had an A rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was listed by “Guns and Ammo” as one of the “top 20 politicians for gun owners” before running for governor. He even signed onto an amicus brief in support of Dick Heller in the Heller v. DC Supreme Court case before making a sharp turn to the left and started pushing for anti-gun policies. When Walz was a member of the House of Representatives for 12 years, he represented a conservative district that borders Iowa and was relatively friendly to guns.

“A ban on handguns is both unusual and unreasonable,” the brief says, later adding: “The District’s law-abiding citizens are deprived of handguns that are commonly kept by law-abiding persons throughout the United States for lawful defense, which exacerbates the District’s high murder rate.”

That all changed in 2018 when Walz decided to run for Governor of Minnesota. He started pushing anti-gun policies such as universal background checks, opposing concealed carry reciprocity, and a so-called “assault weapons” ban. According to Walz, he changed his mind on guns after a Las Vegas shooting, but many believe that his move to the left has more to do with trying to get votes than an actual change of heart.

“As a member of Congress, I support universal background check legislation, oppose conceal and carry legislation before Congress, and oppose legislation to reduce restrictions on gun silencers,” Walz wrote on Facebook during his run for governor. “As governor of Minnesota, I will work to ensure that Minnesota passes universal background check legislation. I will support increased funding for mental health services and support additional restrictions that ensure that Minnesota keeps guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”

The drastic change caused the NRA to change his grade on guns from an “A” to an “F.” He started taking money from left-wing anti-gun groups such as Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety and inviting Gabby Giffords to bill-signing ceremonies. Walz celebrated the downgrade from the NRA while claiming he was still a gun owner.

“It’s true. I’m a veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner,” Walz tweeted in July. “But I’m also a dad. And for many years, I was a teacher. It’s about keeping our kids safe. I had an A rating from the NRA. Now I get straight F’s. And I sleep just fine.”

It’s true. I’m a veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner. But I’m also a dad. And for many years, I was a teacher.

I know basic gun safety isn’t a threat to my rights. It’s about keeping our kids safe.

I had an A rating from the NRA. Now I get straight F’s. And I sleep just fine. https://t.co/R3ZX4A35GB

— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 27, 2024

Mr. Walz claims he supports the Second Amendment but also thinks laws like universal background checks and extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws don’t violate Constitutional protections. He refers to such policies as “common-sense safeguards.” Walz also claims that anti-gun laws do not make it more challenging for gun owners to acquire firearms, even though he backs banning certain guns.

“You are not going to frame this that this is taking your guns, because I’m going to frame it that you’re not sticking up for our children,” Walz said in a press conference where he pushed for Red Flag laws to take away Minnesotans’ guns.

Mr. Walz says he wants to ban the guns he carried “in war,” but there is a glaring issue with his statement. He has never been in combat or carried any firearm “in war.” Walz, known to wear a Green Beret baseball cap when he wasn’t a Special Forces member, did deploy to Italy, which is not a war zone.

“We can make sure those weapons of war that I carried in war is [sic] the only place that those weapons are at,” he said.

Hey @Tim_Walz, this you? Do you often wear our crest even though you were only National Guard with zero deployments, never went through SFAS or the Q course, and by all accounts never even worked with Special Forces?

Stolen valor much? pic.twitter.com/5Jw0ebCk7I

— Green Beret Nap Time (@GBNT1952) August 7, 2024

According to retired command sergeant major Tom Behrends, who spoke to Alpha News, Walz turned in his retirement papers once he learned he would have to deploy to Iraq four months before he was initially scheduled to retire. Mr. Behrends would deploy in Walz’s place and served two years in Iraq with Minnesota’s First Battalion-125th Field Artillery.

“I was like well, for Pete’s sake, if this guy quits, if I say I’m not going to do it, I mean, what the hell kind of leadership is that?” Behrends recalled. “If a company would say we’re going to deploy to Iraq and the foreman says, ‘I’m not going,’ what does that say to the 500 that work in that factory?”

Mr. Walz also claimed to have retired as a command sergeant major (E-9), but that isn’t true. According to the Minnesota National Guard, because of his rushed retirement he couldn’t complete all the coursework to maintain the rank in retirement. His service record shows he retired as a master sergeant (E-8), not a command sergeant major.

No matter how gun owners feel about the stolen valor claims, one thing is for sure: Tim Walz will be no friend to gun owners unless it politically benefits him.

About John Crump

John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. Mr. Crump has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.