Harris campaign says Tim Walz 'misspoke' about weapons 'in war' comments: report

A spokesperson for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris's campaign said that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "misspoke" when he discussed weapons "in war."

"Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way," the Harris campaign spokesperson told NBC News. Walz was named as Harris's vice presidential running mate earlier in the week. 

"In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke. He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children," the statement continued.

A 2018 clip resurfaced of Walz discussing gun control in which he said that "weapons of war" like the ones he carried should only be carried by those in the military.

“We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at,” he said on the video clip.

When Walz ran for office in 2005, his campaign described him as a “war vet," according to The Daily Wire. 

Walz did not get deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, but was stationed in Italy at one point,

The Minnesota National Guard confirmed Wednesday that Walz was demoted and did not retire as a command sergeant major like he has claimed for years, including in his official gubernatorial biography.

While Walz temporarily held the title of command sergeant major, he "retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy," Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, the Minnesota National Guard’s State Public Affairs Officer, told Just the News.