Opinion
In what can only be described as a political Hail Mary, the Harris-Walz campaign is making a desperate attempt to reel in support from rural America with their newly minted “Hunters & Anglers for Harris” coalition. [huntersanglers4harris.com]
Yes, you read that right—the same Kamala Harris who’s spent years backing gun control is suddenly pretending to care about your Second Amendment rights. Spoiler alert: no one’s buying it.
You’ve got to hand it to them—the Harris camp is really swinging for the fences here. They’ve gone from being openly hostile toward gun owners to staging a full-on charm offensive, complete with camo hats and promises of “supporting traditional hunting,” whatever that is. It’s almost as if they think tossing on a cheap hat and awkwardly holding a shotgun will make gun owners forget all the times they’ve tried to strip us of our rights.
Hunters & Anglers for Harris Coalition Astroturf
Walz, playing the part of the “good ol’ boy,” aka FUD, hunter, kicked off the pheasant opener in Minnesota—well, kind of. Let’s just say the footage of him awkwardly fumbling with a shotgun like it was his first day in the field didn’t exactly scream “seasoned outdoorsman.” In fact, he looked more like a guy who just Googled “how to load a shotgun” five minutes before the cameras started rolling.
As one hunter joked, “Take the gun away before he Dick Cheneys someone.” Ouch.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s sudden embrace of gun owners is the biggest head-scratcher of all. This is the same person who’s been called “the most anti-gun candidate ever,” and yet here she is, expecting hunters and anglers to rally behind her like she hasn’t spent years co-signing every gun-grab scheme she could get her hands on. The NRA has been vocal about her being a threat to shooting sports and the firearms industry. But now, apparently, we’re supposed to believe she’s on our side.
Here’s the kicker: the Harris-Walz campaign is pushing this new coalition as a way for “responsible gun owners” to back their ticket. But come on—we know what “responsible” means in political speak. It’s code for, “We’ll let you keep your guns… for now. But don’t get too comfortable.” After all, this is the same ticket that supports national “assault weapon” bans and other anti-gun measures. The idea that Harris, who once called gun confiscation a “good idea,” is suddenly a champion for the Second Amendment? Yeah, right.
The campaign’s big rollout included a staged pheasant hunt that looked more like a badly scripted reality show than a genuine display of rural values. Walz was out there with no shotguns in sight for most of the event, until finally, he did manage to lug out his brand new $2000.00+ Beretta—only to fumble with the thing like he’d never used it before. “I wouldn’t share a duck blind with him,” one hunter said, nailing the general vibe of the day.
To top it all off, the campaign sent out talking points about “preserving traditions” and “protecting wild places” while conveniently glossing over the fact that they’ve spent the last four years doing the exact opposite. From restricting access to hunting lands to banning traditional lead ammo, they’ve done more harm to the hunting community than good. And don’t get us started on Harris’s role in shutting down shooting sports on millions of acres of public land.
One Maryland hunter summed it up best: “Hunters want to support Harris-Walz as much as the fish want to be eaten.”
It’s clear this whole “Hunters & Anglers for Harris” stunt is nothing more than an astroturf operation designed to give the appearance of rural support where there isn’t any. Just like the rest of her campaign events. Let’s be real—most hunters and gun owners are still shaking their heads at the idea that this administration thinks they can just slap together a coalition 24 days before the election and expect us to fall for it. We know a marketing ploy when we see one.
Gabriella Hoffman, host of the District of Conservation podcast, put it perfectly: “No $40 camo hat is going to convince most sportsmen and women that Harris-Walz represents them.” And she’s right. You can’t erase years of pushing an anti-gun, anti-hunting agenda with a single press release and some awkwardly staged photo ops. The outdoor community isn’t that gullible.
So what’s the next desperate act for the Harris-‘Tampon~Tim Walz’ crew?
Tim Walz claimed he carried “weapons of war in combat” but he can’t load a shotgun? This guy is beyond weak. My little sister could beat him up. Ya gotta watch this pic.twitter.com/nd7CneGWBI
— John Rich (@johnrich) October 12, 2024
Well, they’re planning to hold some “organizing calls” to rally support from gun owners and conservationists. But considering they couldn’t even get through a pheasant hunt without turning it into a cringefest, it’s safe to say those calls will be about as effective as using a Glock to hunt ducks.
In the end, this whole charade is just another example of the Democrats scrambling to patch up the gaping holes in their support. After spending years pandering to urban leftists, they suddenly remember rural voters exist—just in time for election day. But the thing is, we haven’t forgotten their record, and we won’t be fooled by their last-minute attempt to win us over with empty promises and bad photo ops.
One Great Plains hunter (thespectator.com) nailed it when he said, “It’s that time of year: the new guy shows up sporting designer camo with the tags still on and unsure about which direction the shells go in the gun. Sure, they look a little silly, but they’re still welcome to try—because unlike Democrats, we aren’t trying to take their rights away.”
And that’s really the heart of it. While Harris and Walz are out here playing dress-up, gun owners know exactly where they stand—and it’s not with the people who’ve spent the last four years trying to chip away at their rights. Sorry, Harris, but hunters and anglers aren’t falling for the camo hat trick. Nice try, though, but we will stick with President Trump.
