This expose into Tim Walz’s stolen valor should be running everywhere.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) August 13, 2024
pic.twitter.com/kXyERsMBnt
By Mark Oliva
Integrity matters. That’s not unique to any vocation but it’s a defining characteristic of public service. That includes those in uniform and those elected to political office.
Integrity matters. That’s why it was so disappointing to watch Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, attempt to drape his gun control ideas in military camouflage to justify it. He claims that because he served in the military – and more specifically “in war,” – he is qualified to decide what policies don’t violate Constitutional rights. Out of the gate, his integrity was called into question. And rightfully so.
Gov. Walz embraces gun control notions that aren’t just counter to the mainstream. They’re downright unconstitutional. He supports a ban on owning the most-popular selling semiautomatic rifle sold in America – the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) or AR-15-style rifle. There are over 28.1 million of these rifles in circulation. They are commonly owned – more common than there are of the most-popular selling pick-up truck in America on the road today, the Ford F-150.
Banning them would be a clear violation of the Second Amendment. That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court tells us in the Heller decision.
However, Gov. Walz supports this ban, among other questionable gun control positions. But here’s where it gets, well… weird. Gov. Walz claims that the MSR that’s in my gun safe is the same rifle he carried in war. Now, we’ve got a problem. This went from a policy disagreement to a question of integrity because, it turns out that Gov. Walz served during a time of war – but not actually in a war.
“I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks,” Gov. Walz said in a 2018 video clip that’s since come to the surface. “We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”
Except, Gov. Walz never went to war.
Integrity Matters
I want to be clear. I respect and honor Gov. Walz’s service to his nation and his state while serving in the Minnesota National Guard. I respect and honor the service of anyone who swears an oath, dons the uniform and carries out the orders to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Only one percent of America does this today. That’s admirable.
That calling carries with it a tremendous amount of responsibility. Chief among those burdens is integrity. Sound moral character, even when no one is looking, was drilled into my brain since the first day I stood on the yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. It was the trait my Marines demanded of me, and I demanded of them. Integrity matters. That’s the gift each Marine gave to themselves that no one could ever take away. It could only be given away and once lost, it is nearly impossible to regain.
That’s the trust that matters when military members place their lives in one another’s hands defending the nation. That’s what I did when I served on multiple deployments, including tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Gov. Walz said he did the same – served in war. Except he didn’t.
Integrity matters. Gov. Walz’s service, in and of itself, is honorable, but claiming or even just allowing others to believe that your service was more than it was fails the integrity test. There are other questions, including his promotion to command sergeant major, which was administratively reduced when he didn’t complete the requisite training. Yet he has repeatedly stated he was a command sergeant major when he knew that wasn’t true. Vice President Harris’ campaign website corrected the reference to Gov. Walz retiring as a command sergeant major and now refers to his final rank as master sergeant.
For a matter of transparency, I’m open about my career in the Marine Corps but try to not be boastful. I served in public affairs, the same specialty as U.S. Sen. JD Vance. I served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. No, I never served with or knew Sen. Vance (R-Ohio). No, my duty was not combat arms. Yes, I did face enemy fire, improvised explosive devices and mortars – multiple times. No, my duties didn’t place me near the same daily danger faced by the beloved “grunts” with whom I served. Yes, I did walk the streets of Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi and Habbaniyah. I did what my nation, my Corps, my commanders and most of all, the Marines with whom I served, expected of me.
Integrity matters.
Of Rifles and War
Gov. Walz said that the rifle he carried in war should be banned for Americans to possess. He never served in war. He likely carried rifles in his service that were similar to the ones I carried – the M-16A2 or A4, or the M-4. Those rifles are not the same rifles that are in my gun safe. The rifles I carried in war (and I did carry them and use them in war) were capable of automatic fire. By use of a selector switch, that rifle could fire three-round bursts – automatic fire. The MSRs in my gun safe can only fire semiautomatically – that is one cartridge expended for each press of the trigger.
That’s the same way Gov. Walz’s pheasant hunting shotgun works. And most handguns. But having served in the military – a profession of arms – he should know that. That’s why it is frustrating that he and other politicians cling to this falsehood that the two firearms are the same when it is clear they’re not. In fact, the term “assault weapon” was coined by Josh Sugarmann in 1988, when he wrote, “The semi-automatic weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons — anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun — can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.”
Sugarmann then cloaked the MSR in camouflage to scare people into believing it was something particularly dangerous. That’s no different than what Gov. Walz is trying to do today. He’s cloaking his gun control positions with a military authority of “been there, done that.” Except he hasn’t. And didn’t. And the rifle I carried in war isn’t the same as the one in my safe. Or in the safes of millions of other Americans.
Integrity matters. Especially when you serve a career in camouflage. And politics.
About the Author
Mark Oliva is NSSF’s Managing Director of Public Affairs, The Firearm Industry Trade Association. He is a retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant with 25 years of service, including tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Albania and Zaire.
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We all know that Kamala’s running mate had to be a leftist communist douche by job description… Let’s not even try to parse the obvious. All that has been revealed about him thus far has confirmed it.
“I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks” – Tim Walz
The way to protect the Second Amendment is not passing any legislation that conflicts with Second Amendment rights. Tim Walz is a douche bag. Another politician talking out his ass that doesn’t understand the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
OK the guy was a jerk for insinuating that he was in a war. You win on that one but let’s look at the big picture. The guy who wants to be president. Draft dodger, never served anyone but himself. Never did anything for veterans, refused to visit a cemetery of dead WWI vets because it was raining. Called soldiers who were KIA losers. Called my hero John Mc Cain a looser because he was captured. Wouldn’t fly the flag at half staff for McCain at the Whitehouse. And again he is a draft dodger! He should never go near the Whitehouse again. Forget who is the pick for Vice President. With all the great republicans in this country we have to pick this POS? And BTW. No one is taking away my AR-15. I don’t give a shit who the president is.
What a contradiction! You think a guy who served 25 years in the National Guard and quit like a coward right before his unit shipped out to the Middle East is somehow better than Trump. Then you seem to repeat all the lies the media made regarding Trump towards veterans. Trump never called soldiers who were “killed in action” losers. Trump didn’t visit Normandy because of the bad weather; which is a cemetery full of “World War 2” soldiers that stormed the beach in Normandy. You obviously don’t know your history because we didn’t storm any beaches in WW1. McCain didn’t do anything heroic. John McCain could have been released immediately from the Vietnam prison camp due to his father being a US Admiral. The only valiant thing John McCain did is stay captive and get tortured as a prisoner in a Vietnam because he refused an “out of sequence” early release. McCain was a US Naval pilot that got shot down and captured by the Vietnamese. Nothing heroic there. There as a lot of animosity between McCane and Trump. Not flying the flag at half-mast probably wasn’t the right thing to do. However, John McCain specifically requested that Trump not be invited to his memorial service. McCain had a lot of animosity towards Trump. You call Trump a “draft dodger”. There were a lot of wealthy people that prevented their sons from being drafted. Fred Trump wasn’t the only one. All the great Republicans in this country had a chance to run for President during the primaries. The people chose Trump.
Kamala Harris wants your AR-15. That’s the only statement I agree with you on. Good luck trying to disarm the American People. Are you going to vote for Harris/Walz because you hate Trump so much?
Remember the Battle of Gonzales: “Come and Take It”
Good post Patrick. Just to give you a few other points on McCain both his father and grandfather were Admirals. The Senator’s father “Jack” was in charge of the investigation of Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty of which there is strong evidence suggesting major cover up under the command of Admiral McCain in the deaths of 34 crew members with hundreds injured. Intresting note, Admiral George S. Morrison (father of Jim Morrison of the Doors) felt that the attack by Israel was intentional and he considered the “investigation” by Admiral McCain a sham and Admiral Morrison wanted at the very least with sanctions againt Israel in which
The other questionable incident involving this time John McCain as a pilot. There was a major fir on the USS Forrestal involving McCains Phantom jet. The investigation found that the “zunnie” rockets has detonated killing 134 crew members but some believed that McCain was doing some sort reckless flaming out of his jet that caused the fire. Since the family was already known for coveriing up Naval investigations how can anything about the McCain’s be taken at face value?
McCain was a douche. He was a joke of a presidential candidate. He was a joke of a husband to his first wife that waited for him. Forget the comments you’re taking out of context, you’re a typical low information rino throwing as much crap against the wall as you think will stick.
Walz reminds me of my first sgt. I had in Nam. When the feces hit the osculating device one night he suddenly disappeared.
Comments to another article in today’s Gunsamerica about gun confiscation talked about how our service men a women took an oath to defend the constitution. With folks like Walt I’m not likely to rest my freedom on the veracity of his oath…
Walz also presents himself as a hunter. Every year for the past couple decades the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) participated in an event called the Governors deer hunt opener, which includes taking the Governor on a deer hunting outing. During the last two years the Democrats have controlled both state Houses of Congress in MN and they introduced numerous gun control Bills that walz supported. As a result of walz contempt for gun owners in MN the MDHA has discontinued their support of the Governors deer hunt. H\walz is a hunter by his definition only. He is not a Hunters Hunter.
Oh yes he is! He IS a hunters hunter… He is a hunter OF hunters… He hunts only “other” hunters… And well, “other” Americans; of course…
Just remember background checks and red flag laws can be altered or amended by the government to include just about any criteria whether you agree with it or not. Ever subscribe to a gun magazine? Up you’re on the list ever respond to a post on internet website regarding any subject in controversial? Yep you’re on a list. Never by or sell anything on an internet website even remotely related to guns? Yes you two are on that list. So you see why background checks are just another way of exercising tyranny. Don’t think that it’s going to be all right because you “haven’t done anything to be on the list.”
Kamala insisted on a eunuch clown, the search team nailed it.
You’ve insulted clowns!
You nailed it.