By Mark Oliva

Integrity matters. That’s not unique to any vocation but it’s a defining characteristic of public service. That includes those in uniform and those elected to political office.

Integrity matters. That’s why it was so disappointing to watch Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, attempt to drape his gun control ideas in military camouflage to justify it. He claims that because he served in the military – and more specifically “in war,” – he is qualified to decide what policies don’t violate Constitutional rights. Out of the gate, his integrity was called into question. And rightfully so.

Gov. Walz embraces gun control notions that aren’t just counter to the mainstream. They’re downright unconstitutional. He supports a ban on owning the most-popular selling semiautomatic rifle sold in America – the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) or AR-15-style rifle. There are over 28.1 million of these rifles in circulation. They are commonly owned – more common than there are of the most-popular selling pick-up truck in America on the road today, the Ford F-150.

Banning them would be a clear violation of the Second Amendment. That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court tells us in the Heller decision.

However, Gov. Walz supports this ban, among other questionable gun control positions. But here’s where it gets, well… weird. Gov. Walz claims that the MSR that’s in my gun safe is the same rifle he carried in war. Now, we’ve got a problem. This went from a policy disagreement to a question of integrity because, it turns out that Gov. Walz served during a time of war – but not actually in a war.

“I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks,” Gov. Walz said in a 2018 video clip that’s since come to the surface. “We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”

Except, Gov. Walz never went to war.

Integrity Matters

I want to be clear. I respect and honor Gov. Walz’s service to his nation and his state while serving in the Minnesota National Guard. I respect and honor the service of anyone who swears an oath, dons the uniform and carries out the orders to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Only one percent of America does this today. That’s admirable.

That calling carries with it a tremendous amount of responsibility. Chief among those burdens is integrity. Sound moral character, even when no one is looking, was drilled into my brain since the first day I stood on the yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. It was the trait my Marines demanded of me, and I demanded of them. Integrity matters. That’s the gift each Marine gave to themselves that no one could ever take away. It could only be given away and once lost, it is nearly impossible to regain.

That’s the trust that matters when military members place their lives in one another’s hands defending the nation. That’s what I did when I served on multiple deployments, including tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Gov. Walz said he did the same – served in war. Except he didn’t.

Integrity matters. Gov. Walz’s service,  in and of itself, is honorable, but claiming or even just allowing others to believe that your service was more than it was fails the integrity test. There are other questions, including his promotion to command sergeant major, which was administratively reduced when he didn’t complete the requisite training. Yet he has repeatedly stated he was a command sergeant major when he knew that wasn’t true. Vice President Harris’ campaign website corrected the reference to Gov. Walz retiring as a command sergeant major and now refers to his final rank as master sergeant.

For a matter of transparency, I’m open about my career in the Marine Corps but try to not be boastful. I served in public affairs, the same specialty as U.S. Sen. JD Vance. I served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. No, I never served with or knew Sen. Vance (R-Ohio). No, my duty was not combat arms. Yes, I did face enemy fire, improvised explosive devices and mortars – multiple times. No, my duties didn’t place me near the same daily danger faced by the beloved “grunts” with whom I served. Yes, I did walk the streets of Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi and Habbaniyah. I did what my nation, my Corps, my commanders and most of all, the Marines with whom I served, expected of me.

Integrity matters.

Of Rifles and War

Gov. Walz said that the rifle he carried in war should be banned for Americans to possess. He never served in war. He likely carried rifles in his service that were similar to the ones I carried – the M-16A2 or A4, or the M-4. Those rifles are not the same rifles that are in my gun safe. The rifles I carried in war (and I did carry them and use them in war) were capable of automatic fire. By use of a selector switch, that rifle could fire three-round bursts – automatic fire. The MSRs in my gun safe can only fire semiautomatically – that is one cartridge expended for each press of the trigger.

That’s the same way Gov. Walz’s pheasant hunting shotgun works. And most handguns. But having served in the military – a profession of arms – he should know that. That’s why it is frustrating that he and other politicians cling to this falsehood that the two firearms are the same when it is clear they’re not. In fact, the term “assault weapon” was coined by Josh Sugarmann in 1988, when he wrote, “The semi-automatic weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons — anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun — can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.”

Sugarmann then cloaked the MSR in camouflage to scare people into believing it was something particularly dangerous. That’s no different than what Gov. Walz is trying to do today. He’s cloaking his gun control positions with a military authority of “been there, done that.” Except he hasn’t. And didn’t. And the rifle I carried in war isn’t the same as the one in my safe. Or in the safes of millions of other Americans.

Integrity matters. Especially when you serve a career in camouflage. And politics.

About the Author
Mark Oliva is NSSF’s Managing Director of Public Affairs, The Firearm Industry Trade Association. He is a retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant with 25 years of service, including tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Albania and Zaire.

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38 COMMENTS

  2. Tampon Tim may have taken the oath to defend the Constitution, but he has failed to keep and honor the oath. Amazing as to how the oath of office to so many has become a mere formality.

  3. What nut has his police use paintballs on people sitting on their porch during the governor mandated lockdowns? Gov. Tiananmen Tim!

    • …. while NOT activating HIS Mn. Army Reserve because in his words ” They’re just a bunch of 19 year old cooks who would’ve gotten hurt. ”
      This a-hole just uses his hunter/warrior persona when it’s convenient, he’d rather be known as a benevolent teacher, as in
      ” Those who can do, those who can’t, teach. And those that can even fuck that up just throw away other’s hard-earned dollars by the Billions. “

    • Then he is a “Manchurian Candidate”.

      I wonder how many copies of “classified” material were passed to his handlers.

  5. If Walz had been worth a damn he would not have been “allowed” to retire. Thus dodging his moral responsibility to deploy with his troops. Read the interview (between the lines) with his BN Cdr of a few days ago.

    I’ll conclude Walz has always been an asshat who certainly hit the Peter Principle point as an E7.

    Yet to be mentioned is he is a lifelong NEA (union hack) schoolmarm which further defines his “character”.

  6. These f*ing communists also want price controls.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/vp-harris-first-economic-plan-proposes-federal-price-controls-combat-inflation

    They follow the same playbook every f*ing time. The government spends with abandon, which results in inflation, which they try and combat with price controls. This ALWAYS leads to empty shelves and a black market in everyday goods. They then crack down using violence. The commies have done this in EVERY NATION they have taken power.

    I call it communist clockwork.

    If this c* wins, the next several years are going to be very interesting.

    You can vote your way into communism, but you can’t vote yourself out of it.

    • National Socialism (kissing cousin of Commie) is their modern model. Allows them to “leverage” their unlimited irresponsible spending.

    • yes, her plan is communism but its also a lie.

      While the constitution exists, neither congress or the president have the constitutional authority to ‘price fix by government control pricing’. She’s ‘dusting off’ a plan that Joe Biden had, until he found out that neither congress or the president have the constitutional authority to ‘price fix by government control pricing’.

      This was the purpose of ‘Biden Nomics’, to make prices higher so in a ‘next term’ they could say ‘Oh look, we have a cure for all this price increase caused (some way or another) by the bad orange man’ and idiots would jump at it to get lower prices and vote for democrats.

      Shes lying to people to sell the socialist line to people who want a socialist communism.

      Notice how Kamala is already granting herself ‘monarch’ type powers. About 98% of what she says she will do she can’t do because she doesn’t have the constitutional authority to do them.

      • All price caps do is cause a shortage of supply and an increase in demand. Basic micro-economics.

        But l3ftist economics have never added up. China is a case in point. But you have to remember China is not a country with a p0.litical party. It is a p0.litical party that has a country.

    • Government could actually legitimately engage in price control. All they’d have to do is stop printing cash endlessly. Never gonna happen.

  7. A recent turn of events on 13 Aug 2024 …. (background) The democrats introduced a bill amendment (by Massie-D) to ban AR-15’s (among other firearms) for citizens to have, purchase, own – no exceptions for citizens. But in the bill they had exemptions for the Department of Education and Department of Agriculture to have AR-15s’ and want those funded. 🤣

    In committee this is being questioned… > https://www.shootingnewsweekly.com/2024/08/15/why-to-the-departments-of-education-and-agriculture-need-weapons-of-war/

    (quote)

    “The entire reason we have the Bill of Rights is there are certain rights that have to be reserved to the people, not government. And Mr. Massie’s amendment shows how this legislation has turned the Constitution and Bill of Rights on its head. It takes powers reserved to the people and it deprives the people of those powers and rights, and then it reserves – explicitly – the very same rights for the government. Not for the military, but for the deputy commissar of pencil erasers at the Department of Education.

    They want you weak and the government strong. They want you disarmed and the government armed to the teeth.

    I’m reminded of a quote from Austin Powers where Austin Power introduces one of his colleagues as a representative of the militant wing of the Salvation Army. I didn’t know we had a militant wing of the Department of Education or the USDA. But I am certainly aware that our fellow Americans are concerned about a very troubling trend where these bureaucracies are getting their own militias and arsenals.

    It would probably surprise most Americans that just this year, the IRS has purchased $700,000 worth of ammunition. So when you peel back all the layers of the onion, the party of big government isn’t actually against guns and ammo. They’re just against you having them. Because they want a citizenry that is repressed and dominated and ultimately subjected.

    And by the way, our Founders were so brilliant they knew this would happen. And they knew that the Second Amendment wasn’t going to be about hunting or self defense, but about curating an appropriate balance that is necessary for a free society where we don’t have to live in fear that one day, some deputy administrator from the Department of Education is going to knock our door down, and that as a result of our not having the appropriate protractor, we’re going to somehow be in a disadvantageous position regarding our safety, and far more important, our liberty.

    — Rep. Matt Gaetz – R”

    • Correction to my still in moderation post, and the post corrected, and I’ll leave out the correctly formed link in the post in moderation and just post this… (modified, to hopefully avoid moderation this time.)

      A recent turn of events on 13 Aug 2024 …. (background) The democrat backed bill to ban AR-15’s (among other firearms) for citizens to have, purchase, own – no exceptions for citizens. But in the bill they had exemptions for the Department of Education and Department of Agriculture to have AR-15s’ and want those funded. 🤣

      In committee this is being questioned… > Look for the article over at SNW today on the front page entitled ‘Why do the Departments of Education and Agriculture Need ….’

      (quote)

      “The entire reason we have the Bill of Rights is there are certain rights that have to be reserved to the people, not government. And Mr. Massie’s amendment shows how this legislation has turned the Constitution and Bill of Rights on its head. It takes powers reserved to the people and it deprives the people of those powers and rights, and then it reserves – explicitly – the very same rights for the government. Not for the military, but for the deputy commissar of pencil erasers at the Department of Education.

      They want you weak and the government strong. They want you disarmed and the government armed to the teeth.

      I’m reminded of a quote from Austin Powers where Austin Power introduces one of his colleagues as a representative of the militant wing of the Salvation Army. I didn’t know we had a militant wing of the Department of Education or the USDA. But I am certainly aware that our fellow Americans are concerned about a very troubling trend where these bureaucracies are getting their own militias and arsenals.

      It would probably surprise most Americans that just this year, the IRS has purchased $700,000 worth of ammunition. So when you peel back all the layers of the onion, the party of big government isn’t actually against guns and ammo. They’re just against you having them. Because they want a citizenry that is repressed and dominated and ultimately subjected.

      And by the way, our Founders were so brilliant they knew this would happen. And they knew that the Second Amendment wasn’t going to be about hunting or self defense, but about curating an appropriate balance that is necessary for a free society where we don’t have to live in fear that one day, some deputy administrator from the Department of Education is going to knock our door down, and that as a result of our not having the appropriate protractor, we’re going to somehow be in a disadvantageous position regarding our safety, and far more important, our liberty.

      — Rep. Matt Gaetz – R”

  12. Sliding down their illogical slope what we end at is that they really want to ban the cartridge loaded weapon. The cartridge is the technology that underlies user friendly relatively high(er) rates of fire from each preceding technology.

  13. Gonna take the what i presume is unpopular opinion here, but i dont care, i do not and will never respect walz or his military career, he and his disgusting views mean simply i hate him and everything he stands for since his side hates me and my way of life and i will never respect and damn will wont honor anyone like that, dont care if he served and i WILL denigrate him all i want, that freak is bolshevik scum, that and i am tired of the hero military worship in this country because it lets scumbags like tampon tim scream “MUH SERVICE
    when they get called on what they are

    • I agree WHOLE-HEARTEDLY. Who GAF if he served? He’s a f*ing commie and should be treated as such.

      • I agree guy’s! My son was all over the mideast. Even protected W in Egypt(that airport was attacked a week later). While he’s less “conservative” than me he is a patriot. Unlike Tampon Tim. Supporting BLM rioters, people shot with paintball’s, supporting infanticide & mutilating children & did I mention he’s a LIAR??? Even worse than Kamala🙄😧

      • No, and don’t be coy the right is the one who generally but not solely gets up in arms if you say bad things about former members of the military or the military in general this isn’t exactly a hidden tendency, maybe this site goes against the grain but go elsewhere and baby boomers scream at you if you talk bad about those things

        • Some are sure. I am former military and of the opinion most republicans are barely left of center and many (RINOS) are way left of that. Not a fan of standing armies and personally believe neighborhoods should have machine gun and mortar leagues to compete with each other to keep up militia readiness. With all that said I am a bit on the extreme end normally but only barely so here.

    • the national guard is usually a pretty cushy gig in peacetime…nice little part-time job..we all know “career sgts” who hang around forever in that context…

  15. Tampon Tim’s ” Weapon of War ” is recognized as being of insufficient power to be legal for hunting Large Game (Deer) here in his Home State of Mn.
    If Walz’s braincells were loaded into an empty .223/5.56 cartridge case, the round would be of insufficient power to blow your nose.

  16. Walz is aa Coward. Skeered he would get hurt or killed and Bugged Out in fear.
    Nothing political, he’s simply GUTLESS. Worst form of human.

  18. Can’t wait to “modify” and stake a “Mattress/A-Walz” campaign sign out front. Lol!

  19. Walz served as a NG member. A couple deployments in Europe if I remember correctly. Never into an active combat theater.
    Funny how Walz is being praised for his NG service while Bush the younger was demonized for NG service.
    I have no issue with either NG or active duty service. Nor with those who have not served. What I have issue with is those who make false claims or exaggerate about their service. Or those who demand special consideration or special recognition for unremarkable service careers. Those who deserve special consideration are those who have actually given of themselves or have given their lives for others. Not those who put in their time and only wanted the benefits with minimal sacrifice.

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