This past June, Wendy Davis painted herself as being pro-gun on many issues (from open carry to allowing permitted concealed handguns to be stored in people's cars on college campuses to reducing training for permits). Democrats, of course, denied the claim that Davis was really anti-gun and just pretending to be pro-self defense. As the argument went this past summer, from Politico:
Rising Democratic star and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis has joined her top Republican rival in supporting a proposed "open carry" law. It would allow people with concealed handgun licenses to wear a pistol on their hip, in full view, while in public.
Davis has said she supports expanding gun rights in Texas. In a statement to the Associated Press, she said that includes open-carry — a position that puts her at odds with her own party but could keep her from alienating gun rights advocates in a deeply conservative state where the Second Amendment is sacrosanct. . . .
Davis, who said she keeps a gun at her home for protection, supported legislation last year to allow college students with concealed handgun licenses to keep their weapons in their cars. She also voted for reduced training requirements to get such a license.
Still, gun rights advocates were skeptical. Texas State Rifle Association spokeswoman Alice Tripp noted Davis' previous calls for more restrictions on gun show sales and past votes against allowing concealed license holders to carry their guns in classrooms and buildings on college campuses.
"Wendy Davis has a very bad record as far as gun owners go," Tripp said, calling Davis an "opportunist."
Abbott spokesman Adviel Huerta expressed a similar sentiment. . . .
But veteran Democratic consultant Harold Cook said Abbott supporters have already tried to portray Davis as anti-gun.
"If the issue isn't important to you, then it would be smart to take it off the table by saying, 'Me, too; now let's go back to talking about education and how we fund road building and the stuff the mainstream of Texas is really concerned with,'" he said. . . .Well, now Davis says that she really didn't believe her promise and just said it to get elected. She told the San Antonio newspaper:
"There is one thing that I would do differently in that campaign, and it relates to the position that I took on open carry. I made a quick decision on that with a very short conversation with my team and it wasn't really in keeping with what I think is the correct position on that issue." . . .Note: I am not a big fan of open carry, so it isn't upsetting to me that she didn't support it, but saying she did when she really didn't is the problem.
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