Berman and Pulido Back Gun Rights, Then Back Gun Control
NBC News profiled a new group of Democrats who say they support the Second Amendment, one week before Election Day. Two stand out. Wisconsin candidate Mitchell Berman praises carrying a firearm for self-defense in the woods, but he has not extended that logic to cities. Bobby Pulido, a Democrat running for Congress in south Texas, rejects gun bans outright, then leaves the door open to “smarter gun legislation” he never defines. A gun owner who carries daily should read both candidates closely. Neither has explained how a pro-gun vote differs from a vote for new restrictions.
Key Details
The facts that matter are simple, and each one tests the candidates’ claims.
- Timing: NBC News published its profiles roughly one week before the November 3, 2026 general election.
- Mitchell Berman (Wisconsin): He told NBC News that certain policies would “help reduce gun violence without infringing on the Second Amendment.” The piece reports that his comments tied gun violence reduction to universal background checks, safe storage laws, red flag laws, and a ban on high-capacity magazines.
- Campaign website: Bearing Arms says those same policy positions do not appear on Berman’s campaign website.
- Bobby Pulido (Texas): He told NBC News he would not vote for any ban, calling bans “lazy legislating.”
- Undefined legislation: Pulido also said he supports “smarter gun legislation” but did not describe what it would contain.
- Stated objection: Pulido’s objection targets bans as lazy policy. He does not say that bans violate the Second Amendment.
Background
The “I support the Second Amendment, but” script is not new. Kamala Harris used a version of it in the 2024 presidential race. Media outlets reported that she owned a Glock, and that report was offered as proof she could not oppose gun rights. Owning a handgun, however, does not establish a constitutional position. The Supreme Court settled the legal standard in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). That decision held that modern gun laws must be consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. The Court refined that test in United States v. Rahimi (2024), which upheld a federal ban on firearm possession for people under domestic violence restraining orders. Lawmakers now argue over which modern proposals survive that historical analysis. Candidates who talk about “common sense” rarely say which historical analogue they rely on.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
Voters in Wisconsin and south Texas will decide whether these candidates join a Congress or state legislature that writes gun policy. A candidate who backs universal background checks, safe storage mandates, and red flag laws supports measures that would reshape how ordinary owners buy, store, and transfer firearms. Universal background checks alone would extend federal paperwork to private sales that currently fall outside it in many transactions. Magazine bans would hit owners of common pistols and rifles, many of which ship with standard capacity magazines. Owners in these districts should ask each candidate three questions: which specific bills they would sponsor, which ones they would vote for, and what “smarter” means in practice. Write down the answers. Compare them with the candidate’s record and campaign website. Vague answers are a signal, and voters should treat them as one.
DownRange Analysis
Owning a gun does not make a candidate pro-Second Amendment. The Second Amendment protects a right, and a candidate who says a right is “important” while endorsing magazine bans and expanded background checks has not defended it. Under Bruen, the question is whether a law fits the historical tradition. Berman and Pulido have not engaged that test. Pulido’s objection to bans is about policy quality, not constitutional limits, and that tells us what he believes about the Constitution. Gun owners should not accept hunting stories as a substitute for a voting record. Check the bills, check the sponsors, and check what the candidate says when a reporter asks about magazines. That answer will tell you more than any duck blind photo.
