Politics

WaPo: Kaine ‘has pivoted on guns…depending on political climate’

Tim Kaine's position on guns is discussed by the Washington Post. - Wikimedia Commons
Tim Kaine’s position on guns is discussed bgy the Washington Post. – Wikimedia Commons

The Washington Post has published a revealing, and what some might consider a devastating, profile of Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine, portraying Virginia’s junior U.S. Senator as someone who changes his position on gun rights with the political winds.

In a story that has been picked up by the Roanoke Times says this:

In more than two decades as a political figure in Virginia, a Southern state with a strong gun tradition and historically lax firearm regulation, Kaine has pivoted on guns, in style and substance, depending on the political climate, the office he sought, and particular events.

“He has been an urban mayor determined to reduce gun deaths. He’s been a statewide candidate who embraced the Second Amendment and promised not to tighten gun laws. He’s gone quiet on the issue at times, and played offense at other moments. As he served in different offices, in a changing Virginia, Kaine has tailored his stance and message as the politics surrounding guns have fluctuated.

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“His current push for more regulation reflects new calculations by Democrats that after years of mass shootings, they can run on guns and win.”

The WaPo article also noted that, “A spokeswoman for Kaine declined to comment for this article.”

Gun rights advocates contend that the Second Amendment is on the ballot in November. They could very well be right. The next president will quickly fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. There could easily be two or three more vacancies on the high court during the next president’s time in office.

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has made gun control a centerpiece of her campaign for the past year. She told a private fund raiser in New York last fall that she thinks the Supreme Court “is wrong on the Second Amendment.”

The Democratic Party platform says this at the top of Page 36:

Preventing Gun Violence

With 33,000 Americans dying every year, Democrats believe that we must finally take sensible action to address gun violence. While responsible gun ownership is part of the fabric of many communities, too many families in America have suffered from gun violence. We can respect the rights of responsible gun owners while keeping our communities safe. To build on the success of the lifesaving Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, we will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws; repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war—such as assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (LCAM’s)—off our streets. We will fight back against attempts to make it harder for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to revoke federal licenses from law breaking gun dealers, and ensure guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists, intimate partner abusers, other violent criminals, and those with severe mental health issues. There is insufficient research on effective gun prevention policies, which is why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must have the resources it needs to study gun violence as a public health issue.”

Critics say this is one long diatribe about eroding the right to keep and bear arms, not about protecting and abiding by the Second Amendment.

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