Even though Giffords co-founder Mark Kelly was on Kamala Harris's shortlist as a potential running mate, at least one of his fellow gun control activists was urging the Harris campaign to pass over the Arizona senator and select Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead. 

According to a report from the New York Times, Harris's team was inundated with messages from one of the co-founders of March for Our Lives pushing Walz as the ideal choice for a VP pick.

About a week before Mr. Biden ended his campaign, Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, was traveling in Cambodia when she realized that the party would soon need a new running mate. The opportunity to elevate a fellow Midwesterner and Nebraska native struck her as a chance not to be missed. For years, she had been friends with Mr. Walz, a regular speaker at fund-raisers for Nebraska Democrats.

So along with some progressive allies in the Midwest, Ms. Kleeb helped draft a document promoting his strengths as a running mate. When Mr. Biden dropped out, the document circulated widely, helping lift Mr. Walz’s profile.

Its 10 pages included a brief biography, details on his legislative record, links to positive news coverage and flattering photographs, including one showing children hugging him during the signing of a bill creating a free school-lunch program for all Minnesota students. 

Ms. Kleeb was in contact with Mr. Walz’s chief of staff, who she said was appreciative but did not provide direction — or suggest that the group should stop.

“This was the one moment where we could get someone who understands rural populist culture and believes in state parties,” Ms. Kleeb said. “We couldn’t ask for more.”

Last year, Ms. Kleeb had introduced Mr. Walz to the gun-control activist David Hogg, who bombarded aides to Ms. Harris with texts and old video clips he had found of Mr. Walz — to the point that Mr. Hogg said the Harris campaign once gently told him that they “got it.”

That ten-page memo from Kleeb contains little about Walz's support for gun control, offering just a single bullet point declaring that he "is a gun owner and hunter but very strong on gun safety reforms and speaking to the issues of gun violence," adding "He proudly talks about beating his Republican colleagues in Congress in marksmanship competitions." 

"Very strong on gun safety reforms" = "willing to back any gun control policy we can think of". Gun control activists, including Hogg, are already playing up Walz's hunting background, while downplaying the specific anti-2A policies he's endorsed and pushed as governor.  

The NRA wasn’t ready for this.

Governor @Tim_Walz is a veteran, a gun owner, and a longtime hunter.

He has an F from the NRA—and he’s proud of it. This is our future Vice President! #GunOwnersForSafety pic.twitter.com/szaYW3kxbm

— GIFFORDS (@GIFFORDS_org) August 8, 2024

Walz was pretty proud of his "A" rating from the NRA when he was in Congress too, or at least happy to receive some $18,000 in campaign contributions. Once he started thinking about a gubernatorial run, however, his views on gun control suddenly shifted and fell right in line with the standard Democrat talking points.

But March for Our Lives' mission goes far beyond what politicians like Harris and Walz are willing to talk about publicly. As The Guardian outlined in 2019, the group wants to reduce the number of lawfully owned firearms in the United States by at least 100 million, and they're looking to Australia for inspiration.

March for Our Lives’ young activists endorsed an Australia-style mandatory government buyback and destruction of “assault weapons”. They want to decrease the number of guns in circulation by 30% – which would mean roughly 100m fewer firearms in American hands. They proposed regulations that would dramatically raise the bar for who is allowed to purchase a gun, putting US law much more in line with European countries. And they want to revisit the 2009 supreme court decision, District of Columbia v Heller, which enshrined a pro-gun interpretation of Americans’ second amendment right to bear arms.

And Hogg apparently believes Walz was the best potential vice presidential candidate to advance that agenda, which tells you all you need to know about the governor's supposed moderation on Second Amendment issues. Walz's camouflage hats can't hide his anti-2A extremism, especially when the most ardent gun grabbers are singing his praises.