A spokeswoman for Scott Walker called a story questioning the Wisconsin governor’s support for a gun bill he cosponsored as a junior assemblyman in 1995 “sleazy journalism.”
In a story published Saturday, Jonathan Allen of Bloomberg News reported that as a member of the Wisconsin legislature, Walker cosponsored a bill that would have made it illegal for gun dealers to sell firearms that were not secured by a trigger lock.
The bill would have also made it illegal to purchase such guns. Anyone caught buying or selling firearms without the trigger lock would have faced a fine of up to $10,000 and a prison sentence of up to nine months.
Walker ultimately withdrew his support for the bill. He has since been given multiple A+ ratings and endorsements from the National Rifle Association, and has signed several pro-gun bills into law during his tenure as governor.
“Honestly, the bill was 20 years ago,” said Kristen Kukowski, communications director for Walker’s PAC Our American Revival. “What we do know is that he pulled his support from it when he was in the state assembly.”
“I think that they are reaching,” Kukowski told The Daily Caller. “The governor’s record on the Second Amendment is air-tight. If you look back to the year this happened and the year after, we are talking about an A and A+ record from the NRA.”
“He has signed concealed carry into law, and has approved constitutional amendments related to the right to bear arms,” she continued. “To look back at something that happened 20 years ago is pretty thin.”
When TheDC reached out to Allen, he declined to comment on the story.
“I don’t know the motive behind the article,” said Kukowski.” But I will say that it is a reach to look back at one piece of legislation that he pulled his support from 20 years ago. It’s sleazy journalism.”
Walker is planning to speak to the NRA next month to unveil more of his views on gun ownership, and the Second Amendment, and Kukowski declined to go into detail on Walker’s views on a military-style rifle ban, open carry and state laws passed after the Newtown school shooting.
“He is going to take some more time to get into specifics on these issues, but he will do that. He is going to be speaking at the NRA convention in April,” she said.
When asked if the Bloomberg article will effect the way voters see the governor as a possible presidential candidate, Kukowski responded, “I think that his record speaks for itself on this.”