As we’ve inched closer to next Tuesday’s elections, Democrats seem to be increasingly reluctant to talk about one of their top “common sense gun safety measures”; a ban on semi-automatic firearms they deem “assault weapons.” 

Kamala Harris isn’t saying much about her support for an “assault weapons” ban in her stump speeches, while gun control groups like Giffords are cutting ads for the Democratic candidate that focus exclusively on background checks, with nary a mention of their desire to turn the most commonly sold rifles in the country into prohibited items. 

Even the Florida head of Moms Demand Action, who’s challenging Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, is trying to reinvent herself as a moderate on the issue. In a sit-down interview with Northwest Florida Daily News, Gail Valimont declared, “As much as Matt (Gaetz) is going to label me as some gun-grabbing, Bloomberg-funded, crazy, tree-hugging liberal, that’s not the case.” 

It would be strange if Bloomberg, Moms Demand Action, and Everytown for Gun Safety didn’t donate to Valimont’s campaign, given her longtime work with Moms Demand Action in Florida. I don’t know if Valimont likes to hug trees or not, but I do know she’s in favor of banning so-called assault weapons, even though she never brought that up in her recent interview. 

Instead, like other Democrats from Kamala Harris on down, Valimont focused her attention on background checks. What she’s calling for, however, is anything but moderate. 

Valimont said anyone who sells a gun should have a federal license. Under current law, only businesses that sell guns to make a profit are required to have a license. Furthermore, she said that all federally licensed gun dealers have to run a background check on all gun sales. 

“People talk about the black market of guns and how no matter if legislation gets passed, guns will still fall into the hands of criminals. The point is that all guns at some point were bought legally,” Valimont added. “So there is more work to be done so instances like Sandy Hook never happen again.”

Valimont equates conversations about guns to the ongoing dispute about immigration. She said most people agree there are problems on both issues and common ground can be discovered if both sides of the aisle can come to the table for a conversation.

Can you imagine what a bureaucratic nightmare it would be if every gun owner who wanted to sell or transfer a firearm from their personal collection had to obtain a federal firearms license? Gun control activists complain that the ATF doesn’t have enough manpower to police the 136,000 or so FFLs in the United States. What happens if they’re expected to keep track of tens of millions of them? 

Valimont’s proposal would also entrap those tens of millions of gun owners who want to be able to sell or transfer one of their guns in a maze of red tape, paperwork, and government oversight that would have a chilling effect on our ability to exercise our right to keep and bear arms. 

It’s gross and disingenuous for Valimont to suggest that her proposal would have prevented the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary when the killer murdered his own mother in order to gain access to her firearms. Valimont’s background check proposal wouldn’t have any impact on gun thefts or black market sales, but it would have a crippling effect on lawful gun ownership. 

Valimont’s campaign website is also absent any mention of her support for an “assault weapons” ban, instead focusing on “universal” background checks, “strengthening and expanding” Extreme Risk Protection Order laws, and investing in Community-Based Violence Intervention programs. 

One of the few times Valimont has mentioned her desire for an “assault weapons” ban came in mid-September, after the NRA’s Political Victory Fund endorsed Gaetz. 

This is the first “F” I have ever received ‼️ and I worked damn hard for it.

I support:
✨️ Background Checks
✨️ Red Flag Laws
✨️ Assault Weapon Ban
✨️ Community Violence Intervention Programs.

All of which the majority of Americans support, too.
So, who is the… pic.twitter.com/EPuSdIaWfb

— Gay Valimont for Congress (@gayforcongress) September 19, 2024

If an “assault weapon” ban is as popular as anti-gunners like Valimont claim, why is she (along with the vast majority of other Democratic candidates) avoiding the issue when given the opportunity to detail her gun control policies? 

While I’d love to believe it’s because Democrats have seen the light, that’s just not the case. This is just another attempt at camoflauging their gun ban plans in order to present a more moderate face to voters. 

I don’t think it’s gonna work for Harris, and I will eat one of my ever-present ballcaps if it leads to Valimont unseating Gaetz next Tuesday. Florida’s 1st Congressional District is R+19, according to the Cook Political Report, and no matter how much Valimont tries to downplay her anti-2A extremism, I suspect a majority of voters will pick the actual pro-2A candidate in the race.