Self-Described 'Pretty Pro-Gun' Democrat Defeats Moms Demand's 'Gunsense' Candidate

The big story out of New York's primaries on Tuesday is the rise of the Democrat Socialists in New York City, where candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani notched three wins (and almost certainly three seats in Congress). The upstate primaries haven't received nearly as much attention, and I've seen next to no coverage of the Democratic primary in NY-24, where Alissa Ellman trounced her opponent Diana Kastenbaum by more than 20 points. 

That makes some sense, especially from a national perspective. NY-24 is currently repped by Claudia Tenney, and the district is probably the safest seat for Republicans in the Empire State. Still, from a Second Amendment standpoint the race is worth talking about, especially since Ellman ran as a "pretty pro-gun" Democrat who refused to back gun bans, while Kastenbaum proudly touted her status as one of Moms Demand Action's "gunsense" candidates and declared she'd like to ban all semi-automatic firearms if given the chance. 

I first wrote about Ellman back in April, when her "pretty pro-gun" comment garnered some attention in the local media. Ellman had originally planned on running as an independent, but decided it was too much of a lift to try to gather 15,000 signatures in support of her campaign in just six weeks, which she needed to do to appear on the ballot. Instead, she decided to run as a Democrat, saying that she aligns with most of the party's views. 

“I’m pretty pro-gun,” she told a local paper. “I grew up in the country, where guns are pretty necessary. If you get a break-in in the middle of the night, the police aren’t going to get to you quickly. I carried a loaded weapon with a round in the chamber for 18 months while deployed."

Still, Ellman didn't exactly make support for the Second Amendment a primary issue. In fact, her website was completely devoid of any mention of th right to keep and bear arms. Kastenbaum, however, continued to make an issue of the "pretty pro-gun" comment, and was loud and proud about Moms Demand Action backing her campaign, including at the pair's debate earlier this month, when Kastenbaum declared that we need to get "automatic weapons" off the streets.

After Ellman pointed out that there's a difference between automatic and semi-automatic firearms, and said she would prefer to see things like "red flag" laws and expanding background checks, Kastenbaum then doubled down on her gun ban demands. 

""I actually think assault weapons also mean semi-automatic and those are the ones that have been used to kill in these mass shootings," she said. "So I want to say, I'm for the Second Amendment but I am definitely against assault weapons. That means semi-automatics also."  

Ellman pointed out that Kastenbaum's expansive definition would include everything from semi-automatic shotguns commonly used for hunting to .22 caliber rifles. She even called out some gun laws she believes are ineffective, like banning magazines that can hold more than a certain number of rounds. 

I can see why Moms Demand Action has endorsed Kastenbaum. But Ellman has positioned herself as too supportive of gun ownership for the gun control lobby, and not supportive enough of the Second Amendment for 2A groups. 

Ellman went on to expound on a number of gun control proposals she would find acceptable, including licensing and insurance requirements, as well as raising the age to possess a firearm to 21; positions that aren't likely to win over Second Amendment advocates. 

I'm glad to see that Katzenbaum's gun-grabbing agenda was defeated on Tuesday, and it's nice that a Democrat who isn't vocally supportive of banning commonly-owned guns and magazines won so handily. Still, I wouldn't describe Ellman's positions as "pretty pro-gun," and if I were a NY-24 voter there's no chance of her being my choice in November. I'd love to see legitimately pro-2A Democrats on the ballot, but Ellman has quite a way to go before she can truthfully call herself even moderately "pro-gun." 

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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