Hawaii/United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- One of the Democrats seen as a breath of fresh air is Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. She has, at times, seemed rational compared to the likes of her colleagues Jerrold Nadler or Eric Swalwell, the latter of whom is running for president on an extreme anti-Second Amendment platform.
Well, I wish I could say that Gabbard is great on Second Amendment issues, but that would not be reflective of her record. Regretfully, her voting record is as bad as Nadler or Swalwell, although to her credit, she hasn’t trafficked in the smears that Swalwell has.
According to one official campaign statement, Gabbard has supported the usual list of anti-Second Amendment legislation we have come to expect: A ban on modern multi-purpose semi-automatic firearms, arbitrary limits on magazine capacity, “universal” background checks… that list goes on and on. In other words, her votes are those of a typical anti-Second Amendment extremist. She also voted against preventing the District of Columbia from enforcing its draconian gun laws, and she also opposed HR 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.
What is most concerning about her support for a ban on modern multi-purpose semi-automatic firearms is the fact that she, as a military veteran who deployed overseas, should know the difference between the real M16 and M4 assault rifles that our troops have used to fight the Global War on Terror and the AR-15s that law-abiding citizens have the right to buy and own in the United States. To her credit, she calls these firearms “military-style assault weapons,” which accurately reflects their visual appearance. Still, the very use of the term “assault weapon” creates confusion. This should prompt very sharp scrutiny from Second Amendment supporters to determine if she is misinformed, or deliberately lying.
But lumping her in with Swalwell, Feinstein, Schumer, and Nadler is a far too simplistic way to view her, though. In some ways, Gabbard is the type of person who Second Amendment supporters should be able to convince to see at least some issues our way. For instance, that official campaign statement which outlined the unconstitutional measures she supports that she did not want to see gun issues become “partisan political footballs.” In fact, in 2018, she scored a 50% rating from Gun Owners of America. By way of comparison, Steve Scalise scored a mere 20% rating from GOA that cycle.
For instance, she bucked many anti-Second Amendment extremists by voting for the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, which overturned an anti-Second Amendment regulation targeting certain veterans. She also worked with a pro-Second Amendment colleague to address one of the NICS issues that need fixing in the wake of the Sutherland Springs shooting. We may not like NICS, but criminal convictions that disqualify a person from firearms ownership should be in the database.
If we are to be stuck with an anti-Second Amendment president, then Tulsi Gabbard is one of the least bad outcomes that Second Amendment supporters would have to deal with. It goes without saying that it would be far better to avoid this situation, but while Gabbard has a poor voting record on Second Amendment issues, she is not an anti-Second Amendment extremist.
To be perfectly honest, a Gabbard Administration would force us to fight hard for our rights. But that said, Gabbard would not be smearing us, and would be likely to stand against the actions of an Andrew Cuomo. Furthermore, her openness to reach across the aisle means she may listen to the facts. If Second Amendment supporters can convince the Tulsi Gabbards in our personal lives – and across the country – to re-think Second Amendment issues, we could decisively shift the landscape in our favor.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Hmm lol, The more they hypocrites hate her Far-right, etc… the more I like her. The left hates her too so… With both sides Ragging on her only means she’s the better person for the job than most. A 50%means she has stood with us at least half the time from what I’ve seen. And if GOA gives her that much credit it means they have more common sense that NRA does or any other status quo group does, and they must have their reasons. GOA is a no-compromise group and for them to at least give her a 50… Read more »