Opinion
Minnesota – -(AmmoLand.com)- Recently state attorneys general have been in the news. When Defense Distributed won a settlement from the State Department that would have allowed the publication of certain files, a number of state attorneys general filed suit to block that publication. They got their injunction – never mind that a settlement had already been reached allowing for it.
One high-profile AG race is in Minnesota. The big reason for this high profile is because Representative Keith Ellison, the Deputy Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is one of the candidates, and he’s been in the news for alegedly abusing his girl friend. [but Dems do not believe her…]
What you may not know is that Ellison has a horrific record on the Second Amendment. He has been hostile down the line. According to Project Vote Smart, there are a host of lowlights: He opposed passage of concealed carry reciprocity. He’s supported the walkouts demanding, among other things, semi-auto bans and “universal background checks.” But Ellison didn’t stop there, a line which even Dianne Feinstein did not cross – at least out in public. Feinstein at least purports to support hunters and sportsmen. Ellison didn’t. He opposed the SHARE Act in 2016, which was intended to promote shooting sports, including hunting.
His hostility towards law-abiding gun owners is such that when it came to prohibiting the importation of legally-taken trophies, he voted yes. Ellison also voted against an amendment to further protect law-abiding citizens who were traveling with their unloaded firearms by allowing them to collect attorney’s fees in certain cases. He was a no vote on the final passage of that bill, which was not acted on by the Senate. Still, this is notable, and something Second Amendment supporters should remember. His hostility is not as notorious as that of Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, but it is as real as that of Jerrold Nadler.
Look, debates over concealed carry, background checks, handguns, and AR-15s are one thing. The misuse of some firearms has tragic consequences, and it is completely understandable that people want to prevent tragedies, even when their proposals are completely misguided.
But opposing legislation for hunters, sportsmen, and to even fail to address situations where travelers trying to do the right thing get prosecuted in states that don’t respect Second Amendment rights is beyond the pale.
Ellison’s votes didn’t catch much attention. He didn’t even speak in the debate on the SHARE Act. But those votes speak volumes all by themselves. It’s beyond a hostility towards our right to protect ourselves and our families – it’s a hostility towards owning any firearm for any reason whatsoever. This will translate to many actions Ellison could take as attorney general.
Thankfully, there is an alternative that Second Amendment supporters can vote for in the election. Republican Doug Wardlow is also running for Attorney General of Minnesota. Wardlow’s campaign site doesn’t say much on Second Amendment issues. While the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund has not endorsed him, in several election alerts for other offices, he is listed as a candidate worth supporting.
Wardlow would certainly put a big speed bump in Ellison’s career. More importantly, he could make the Second Amendment rights of Minnesotans – and all Americans – a lot more secure.
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.