Allies of Ron DeSantis have launched a television ad attacking Donald Trump for being a “gun-grabber” and siding with “liberal Democrats” over comments he made in support of gun control.
The ad from the Never Back Down political action committee claims the former president promised members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) that he would back them but “abandoned” them after Second Amendment rights “came under attack”.
Released just after last week’s NRA convention, the ad broadcast clips from Mr Trump’s presidency of him boasting he did not need the powerful gun lobby and another showing him calling for stricter background checks.
Featured in the advert is Mr Trump declaring support for red flag laws, which allow individuals to petition a court to try to take away someone’s firearms if they have reason to believe they might pose a danger to themselves or others. Such restrictions have been promoted by prominent Democrats such as Kamala Harris, the vice president.
“Trump cut and run like a coward,” the ad states. “Trump the gun-grabber doesn’t deserve a second chance.”
A child holds a gun at the NRA annual convention in Indianapolis
Credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS
It is the clearest sign that the governor plans to enter the Republican presidential primary and directly challenge Mr Trump.
The 76-year-old, who has already declared a run for the 2024 election, and Mr DeSantis, 44, who is widely expected to in the coming weeks, both spoke at the NRA’s annual meeting last week – the first occasion the rival Republicans have addressed the same crowd.
In his speech, Mr Trump claimed he would be the group’s “loyal friend” and was the “most pro-gun” president the country has had.
He said, if elected, he would ask Congress to send him a National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill.
For his part, Mr DeSantis, citing his record as governor of Florida, said “we’ve gone on offence to expand individual gun rights,” including a Bill that will allow Florida residents to carry concealed guns without permits.
The NRA held its convention in Indianapolis within two weeks of two more mass shootings, one at a primary school in Nashville, Tennessee which left six dead, and the other at a bank in Louisville.
The issue of guns, in particular the Second Amendment right to carry, is a vote-winning one for the GOP in national elections.