Opinion

“Weighing run for governor, David Jolly proposes gun liability insurance to reduce violence,” the Tallahassee Democrat reported Thursday. “Jolly is a former Republican congressman from St. Petersburg introducing himself to voters elsewhere as a potential Democratic candidate for governor. He’s holding a series of town halls; among the things he’s talking about is gun violence.”

What an offensively stupid idea, to blame peaceable gun owners for the criminal misuse of firearms by “0.004% of households with guns involved in gun homicides” (most of which do not even legally “own” them) with the equivalent of a prior restraint poll tax on their birthright.

As for town halls, when? Where? Because Florida has plenty of gun owners who say they believe in the Second Amendment, and those open forums provide perfect opportunities to take a play out of the Democrat playbook, albeit they just disrupt. More ordered points could be made by calling the guy out over how he betrayed everyone who had previously supported him based on his past endorsement by the National Rifle Association.

“The NRA mobilized our members and pro-gun voters in this congressional district. Thanks to our members who voted early and turned out yesterday to vote, their efforts made a significant difference and helped win the day for the only candidate in this race who supported their right to Bear Arms, their hunting heritage and their right to self-defense.”

He’d have never gotten elected otherwise. So, what lies did he tell them to get an “AQ” (based on questionnaire) rating? Bizarrely, presuming he’s a calculated liar gives him more credence than presuming he’s a moron who didn’t comprehend what he was signing up for.  So, why not ask him what he told NRA to get them to mobilize their members on his behalf? Why not get him to release the questionnaire he submitted, and we can see what he promised?

We already have a pretty good idea. Conservative Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller shared his “perfect” questionnaire with me, back when NRA was sidelining him in favor of establishment pick Lisa Murkowski.  Among the things Jolly would have had to freely say he agreed with:

• He opposed legislation banning semi-automatic firearms and their ammunition and magazines.
• He supported right-to-carry.
• He opposed legislation ending private sales.
• He agreed a judge’s record and belief in the Second Amendment as an individual right should be “important factors” for confirmation votes.
• He opposed “sporting purposes” requirements.
• He agreed that the Second Amendment is a fundamental individual right applicable to state and local governments as well as to the federal government.

Understand that 2014 was the year for both the above-cited Miller and Jolly campaigns, so it’s reasonable to assume the questions were the same.

So, how long did it take Jolly to do a 180?

In 2016, he proposed a “terror watchlist” bill to disarm Americans who hadn’t even been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. Not only are such bills affronts to liberty, what better way is there to tip a real terrorist off that he’d been made, and give him a heads up that it’s time to make tracks?

But Jolly’s thirst for disarming his countrymen did not end there. He “suggested” to MSNBC that Parkland shooting survivor Kyle Kashuv, who emerged from the experience with pro-Second Amendment and “conservative” values intact, should not be allowed to purchase guns because he might be at risk to become a mass shooter. His reason? Kashuv made some racist/antisemitic statements on social media when he was 16 and had since disavowed and profusely apologized for. Presumably, if you’re on the SPLC/ADL blacklists, “A-rated” Jolly says no guns for you.

Add to this Jolly gushing “We owe our trust to Joe Biden,” and praising fellow NRA darlings-turned-Judases Dick and Liz Cheney for the “certain level of patriotism” they showed by endorsing Kamala Harris, and his journey toward the Dark Side is complete. That’s assuming it already wasn’t when he misled NRA on its questionnaire. Because here’s what he says about the Second Amendment now:

Florida suffers needlessly from gun violence. Restricting access to firearms has proven to effectively reduce injury and death. Florida should ban the sale of assault weapons, require universal and comprehensive background checks, explore licensing, and preserve and expand the red flag laws enacted following the tragedy at Parkland.

For someone reportedly about to launch a series of town halls, Jolly’s keeping the “wheres” and “whens” pretty close to the vest. Hopefully, Florida’s politically involved gun owner advocates will be able to track those down and attend, and bring some pointed questions to the fore, including “What specifically did you tell the NRA to get elected?” and “With your record of deception for political gain, why in the world would anyone believe a word that comes out of your mouth and trust you with political power over their lives?”

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.