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Romney Retreats On Gun Control (RINO alert)
The Boston Globe ^ | January 14, 2007 | Scot Helman

Posted on 01/14/2007 1:45:09 PM PST by JRochelle

ORLANDO , Fla. -- Former governor Mitt Romney, who once described himself as a supporter of strong gun laws, is distancing himself from that rhetoric now as he attempts to court the gun owners who make up a significant force in Republican primary politics.

In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.

"That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA," Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.

At another campaign stop that year, he told reporters: "I don't line up with the NRA."

And as the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Romney lauded the state's strong laws during a debate against Democrat Shannon O'Brien. "We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them," he said. "I won't chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety."

Today, as he explores a presidential bid, Romney is sending a very different message on gun issues, which are far more prominent in Republican national politics than in Massachusetts.

snip/

On Wednesday, Romney said on an Internet podcast, "The Glenn and Helen Show," that he hopes states would continue to ease regulations on gun owners, and he expressed enthusiasm for guns and hunting. "I have a gun of my own. I go hunting myself. I'm a member of the NRA and believe firmly in the right to bear arms," Romney said.

Asked by reporters at the gun show Friday whether he personally owned the gun, Romney said he did not. He said one of his sons, Josh, keeps two guns at the family vacation home in Utah,....

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; bullshit; cult; electionpresident; guns; mitt; rino; rkba; romney
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To: JRochelle
In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.

snip

Also, in 2005, Romney designated May 7 as "The Right to Bear Arms Day" in Massachusetts to honor "the right of decent, law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms in defense of their families, persons, and property and for all lawful purposes, including the common defense."

11 years later he changes his position. It isn't the first time a politician has moderated their position.

Personally, I'd give him a pass on this issues as of now, but time will tell

21 posted on 01/14/2007 2:17:00 PM PST by Popman ("What I was doing wasn't living, it was dying. I really think God had better plans for me.")
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To: JRochelle

The second amendment has nothing to do with hunting.


22 posted on 01/14/2007 2:17:03 PM PST by oursacredhonor
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To: oursacredhonor

Actually, it does - just not the sort of hunting the Dems claim it does. :)


23 posted on 01/14/2007 2:19:56 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: JRochelle

"I believed in gun control before I didn't"


24 posted on 01/14/2007 2:25:48 PM PST by Old_Mil (http://www.constitutionparty.com/)
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To: gcruse
"I have a gun of my own...asked Friday if he personally owned the gun, Romney said he did not."

It depends on what the meaning of "own" is.
25 posted on 01/14/2007 2:28:03 PM PST by Old_Mil (http://www.constitutionparty.com/)
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To: JRochelle

Honey, you are so far to the right you are running up on the left.


26 posted on 01/14/2007 2:30:26 PM PST by libbylu
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To: School of Rational Thought

Mitt has no guns, but his son Josh has them at the family vacation home in Utah? None of us has a family vacation home in Utah, but we have guns. HA HA Come and get 'em A$$HOLE.


27 posted on 01/14/2007 2:33:46 PM PST by hkp123
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To: rhombus

Reagan's worst was signing the 1986 Act that forever took modern military arms (full auto) out of the hands of ordinary people. The worst infringement of the 2nd amendment ever.


28 posted on 01/14/2007 2:36:10 PM PST by Atlas Sneezed (Your FRiendly FReeper Patent Attorney)
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To: JHBowden

"No serious candidate, Democrat or Republican, is going to run on a pro-gun control platform, period."

It's what they run on, but what they do once they're elected. I still shake my head in wonder about Bush-41 and "read my lips..."


29 posted on 01/14/2007 2:36:57 PM PST by PLMerite ("Unarmed, one can only flee from Evil. But Evil isn't overcome by fleeing from it." Jeff Cooper)
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To: JRochelle
Not a suprise to me, everyone would do well to watch the video of his debate with Teddy Kennedy 12 years ago before they fall for his rehtoric today.
30 posted on 01/14/2007 2:40:19 PM PST by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Popman
One more rancid tidbit from the article:

"These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense," he (Romney) was quoted as saying. "They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."

Hmm, sounds like the U.S. Army should be interested in these instruments of destruction, because they apparently autonomously hunt down and kill people.

On a political note, I had been expecting this move from Romney. He is a man who believes in nothing except the pursuit of personal political power. Let him try to spin his past anti-gun positions whichever way he can, but once his signing of the Mass. "Assault Weapons" ban in 2004 is widely publicized in New Hampshire, his chances with the gun people will be completely destroyed.

31 posted on 01/14/2007 2:46:45 PM PST by LiveFree99
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To: JRochelle

I'll jump in. The 2nd Amendment has absolutely NOTHING to do with hunting or "sporting purposes." The founding fathers intention was for citizens to have the weapons necessary to fight against an oppressive government should such a government ever come to power.

And by the way, the term "well-regulated" is misunderstood.
Modern day liberals assume it means government interference, which they love, but in the 18th century
it meant "well trained."



32 posted on 01/14/2007 2:56:06 PM PST by july4thfreedomfoundation (Honor and respect the members of our military; without them, America would cease to exist)
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To: JRochelle

I'm sure that he has enough money and little enough sense to be a life member. It'll be his little secret, kept just between him and the National Reasonable-regulation Asses.

Either we are equal or we are not. Good people ought to be armed where they will, with wits and guns and the truth. NRA KMA


33 posted on 01/14/2007 2:56:25 PM PST by dhuffman@awod.com (The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.)
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To: School of Rational Thought

I sense some Kerryesque photo ops coming, maybe crawling on his belly stalking deer...


34 posted on 01/14/2007 3:02:26 PM PST by Sender ("Great powers should never get involved in the politics of small tribes.")
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To: stevem
I'm on a fools errand. I'm still pulling for Duncan Hunter.

Fool's Errand? I don't think so. They accused supporters of a certain former California Governor that was running for President in 1980 that since he had failed to get the GOP nomination in '76, that it was a fool's errand and a bunch of other stuff to support a guy like Ronald Wilson Reagan.

And Congressman Hunter arrived in Washington WITH Reagan in 1980, and he is as close to the second coming of the Gipper as you're going to get.

As for Governor Waffle from Massachusetts, comparisons to John F'n Kerry's two-faced positions on virtually anything are not too much of an exaggeration.

In all fairness, Mitt Romney has never committed treason or supported America's enemies. But he needs to stake out positions and be consistent or whatever credibility he's got is going to vanish as quick as you can say 'President George Romney' (his Dad), who made the mistake of saying he had been 'brainwashed' about Vietnam, and that pretty much ended his brief campaign for the White House in 1968.
35 posted on 01/14/2007 3:03:43 PM PST by mkjessup
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To: LiveFree99
"They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."

To be fair, he is talking about assault weapons.

Politically, I can understand why a politician would take that position, but anything beyond that is a big red flag for me.

On gun control, I am not a single issue voter, but as long as he keep his hands off the 2nd amendment, I can pull the lever for him.

36 posted on 01/14/2007 3:08:10 PM PST by Popman ("What I was doing wasn't living, it was dying. I really think God had better plans for me.")
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To: mkjessup

Politicians that need to find a position and stick to it wear me out.


37 posted on 01/14/2007 3:30:50 PM PST by stevem
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To: JRochelle
Politicians who want to ban most guns try to sound moderate by saying that they support the right of hunters to enjoy their sport, etc. Then when they are elected they come out with a long list of guns that they declare hunters "don't need" to have in order to hunt. Such politicians will say that no "hunter needs a handgun, no hunter needs an 'assault rifle' and no hunter needs a 'sniper rifle'" and so on.

Probably such a politician would allow (note the word "allow") you to keep an expensive shotgun if you owned a large estate and he would allow you to hire armed security guards for your gated community, but that is about it. It is a clever but tired attempt to divide gunowners (the "bad" people who own handguns or rifles vs. the mythical "hunter" who is so good because "needs" fewer and fewer types of firearms). Most gunowners are on to this trick -- whether they hunt or not.

38 posted on 01/14/2007 3:37:41 PM PST by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: Popman
11 years later he changes his position. It isn't the first time a politician has moderated their position.

Personally, I'd give him a pass on this issues as of now, but time will tell

If a politician repudiates a former position, making it abundantly clear that he recognizes he made a mistake, and explains the reasons why his new position is right and the former position was wrong, then I will trust the politician to actually hold the new position.

I am unaware of Mitt Romney having done anything even remotely resembling that.

39 posted on 01/14/2007 3:39:45 PM PST by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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To: Beelzebubba
Reagan's worst was signing the 1986 Act that forever took modern military arms (full auto) out of the hands of ordinary people. The worst infringement of the 2nd amendment ever.

In fairness to President Reagan, the FOPA did also provide some protections to firearm owners which, while they may be scoffed at as unnecessary, are in some cases quite significant.

Without the FOPA, it would be nearly impossible to transport firearms on a cross-country trip without running the risk of getting pulled over in some town that didn't like them. To be sure, the probability of getting searched would have been pretty small (though with today's so-called DUI checkpoints not as small as it should be) but even so, there's no reason law-abiding people should have to take such risks at all.

40 posted on 01/14/2007 3:43:08 PM PST by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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