Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) is running a pro-gun control ad in hopes of attracting Democrat voters in the buildup to Pennsylvania’s April 26 Primary.
According to the Associated Press, the ad is narrated by gun control proponent Nancy Grogran, “a board member of CeasefirePA.” The ad is only running in certain areas of the state and appears focused on creating space between Toomey and pro-gun GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
Toomey joined with pro-gun control Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) for a massive gun control push following the December 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary. The duo pushed a bill to expand background checks nationally in the way that such checks are currently expanded in California, Colorado, and Washington state. But the gun control push went down in flames after voters learned that the Sandy Hook shooter–Adam Lanza–had stolen his guns, and would therefore not have been hindered in the slightest by expanded background checks.
In fact, Toomey’s gun control partner–Senator Manchin–admitted that expanded background checks would not have prevented the Sandy Hook attack. Yet Toomey is reminding voters that he is pro-gun control in hopes of pulling some Democrats to his side.
His campaign did not comment on how many Republican voters may be ostracized by refocusing on the gun control effort.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.