Montana Democratic Senate nominee Steve Bullock is campaigning as a fighter for gun rights despite his past support for strict new gun-control laws—a record that earned him an “F” rating from the National Rifle Association. “I believe in our individual right to bear arms,” Bullock said in a recent ad, which featured pictures of him hunting. “I took on Democrats in Washington to defend it.” Bullock, a two-term governor, expressed support for universal background checks in the ad. He failed to mention his past support for a range of other gun-control proposals—including a ban on the sale of so-called assault weapons. Bullock has flip-flopped on gun issues over the years. Though he previously opposed new gun-control measures like universal background checks during his 2016 gubernatorial reelection campaign, he embraced restrictions when he launched his failed presidential campaign. “You know, I would Jake,” Bullock told CNN’s Jake Tapper in 2018 when asked if he’d support an assault weapons ban. “Now, there are things that we can do immediately, everything from red flag laws to closing, sort of having a universal background check, to making sure that we’re doing everything we can, some age restrictions, magazine restrictions.” While Bullock has moderated his position since launching his Senate bid, his opponent, GOP incumbent Steve Daines, has attempted to portray him as in league with national Democrats. Campaign spokeswoman Julia Doyle said the Democratic governor’s flip-flopping shows that he is willing to sacrifice gun rights if it can win him allies in Democratic leadership.  [full article]