![]() Walz was just one of 20 Democratic yes votes on the bill. bill had retired or were swept out in the 2010 Tea Party wave. He found himself in lonelier company this time around, as most of the moderate Democrats who voted for the 2008 D.C. government from using any of its funds - which are appropriated by Congress each year -to enforce its gun laws. passed a ban on open and concealed-carry firearms permits, Walz voted in favor of an amendment that would prohibit the D.C. “does not have the authority to enact laws or regulations that ‘discourage or eliminate’ private ownership or use of firearms.” Later that year, Walz joined with 84 Democrats and 181 Republicans to pass a bill to force D.C. Heller that D.C.’s long-standing ban on handguns was unconstitutional. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of District of Columbia v. Walz has also taken several votes to undermine gun control laws passed by the District of Columbia, a frequent proxy for national gun debates. (The bill passed 240 to 175 out of the House, earning the support of 12 Democrats, including Walz.) Opponents countered that the bill would strike important protections designed to prevent veterans from using guns to harm themselves or others. Supporters of the bill, such as the NRA, claimed that the government’s definition of “mentally incompetent” was too broad, and amounted to an infringement on veterans’ Second Amendment rights. The bill permits veterans who are deemed mentally incompetent to purchase firearms, unless a judge explicitly finds that person to be dangerous. Earlier this year, Walz - who is the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs panel - voted in favor of the so-called Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act. Democratic leaders such as Nancy Pelosi have pushed for a vote on background checks and assault weapons in the lower chamber, but it has not occurred.īut that doesn’t mean Walz hasn’t taken meaningful votes on guns during his career. ![]() Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey, failed in the Senate, and never received a vote in the House.Īlso after Sandy Hook, the Senate voted on legislation to ban assault weapons, a bill that was defeated, and never came up for a vote in the House. Owing to his position in the House of Representatives, Walz has been spared Congress’ most contentious and high-profile gun vote of the last decade - the 2013 amendment, drafted in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, to expand background checks for firearm purchases. As a relatively consistent supporter of gun rights, he has taken several opportunities to vote in favor of expanding or maintaining access to firearms. ![]() At the same time, he broke with his party by supporting tougher vetting of refugees and has sided with his district’s agriculture interests in opposing some of the Barack Obama administration’s regulations on land and water.īut perhaps the most significant difference between Walz and most of his Democratic colleagues has been over guns. He is pro-choice, voted for the Affordable Care Act and the Iran nuclear deal and broadly supports his party’s increasingly progressive economic platform. Since arriving in Congress in 2007, Walz has sought to cultivate a reputation as a moderate Democrat with ties to the party’s progressive base. ![]() ![]() But some of the very issues that underscored that rural appeal - guns not least among them - are in danger of becoming a sticking point for the liberal activists whose votes will be critical to Walz winning the DFL endorsement for governor. Now, as he pivots from a candidate for Congress to a statewide office, Walz is touting himself as someone who can bring rural voters back into the Democratic Party. For that, Walz was able to boast of an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association for each of his five successful re-election campaigns. During his 11 years in Congress, Walz took several votes to expand access to firearms, while the majority of his Democratic colleagues strongly dissented. Walz survived there, election after election, thanks to his brand of folksy, middle-of-the road politics, and a key element of that was his record on guns. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |