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 ...
The term "assault weapon" could be defined to mean just about any modern rifle and they want to ban them all as a "first step." Once you accept the premise there is no logical place to stop.
As was also true with Ronald Reagan, it doesn't matter where you start. What matters is where you end up. Too many start right and end up left.
Look at Romney's personal life for validation. That's where the truth is. He's an enormously savvy businessman whose leadership and policies would bring continued prosperity to this country. He's a devout family man who can be counted on to uphold and strenghten traditional families and protect them from the predations of the left.
On the Second Amendment he is more gun friendly than even Ronald Reagan who, after all, was a strong supporter of the Brady Bill.
And when FR's most notorious social liberal troll, Torie, hates him, you know he's on the right track.
No offense, but why are you so obsessed with bashing Mitt Romney?
And in a related vein, who is your favorite GOP candidate?
A few months ago he was being interviewed on the radio and not only did he support MA's repressive gun laws but he was happy that pellet guns have to be registered as it helped to track down some kids who shot a few windows out.
The poster likely meant that "hunting" is not the reason for the Second Amendment and that pandering to hunters won't do diddley for the pandering candidate, Romney, Giuliani or McLame, whoever...
So we have Romney, McCain, and Guiliani as the front runners. ALL RINOS!
Their staffers are probably super liberals.
There is no true conservative who has a chance of winning the primary.
The Globe is probably shooting for a Pulitzer for their series on why conservatives shouldn't vote for Romney.
Presidential prospect Mitt Romney checked out a display of shotguns Friday during his NRA-guided tour of a sprawling gun trade show in Orlando, Fla. (Gerardo Mora/ Getty Images for the Boston Globe)
I wonder how long it will be before some of the formerly-socialist or communist countries are more conservative than the USA?
You give Mitt such slack, and me none, from your little uber right wing social conservative prism. Why might that be? So tell. :)
First, you have to question anything the Boston Globe prints, since it is likely to be a lie or distortion of the facts.
By the way, you might be careful in trying to sell Romney, as the one the troll liberal Torie "hates," given Torie's actual opinion about Romney:
"I am trying to be fair. Reagan I don't think thought much about the issue, and it became a hot issue after he legalized abortion in California. It became a hot issue with Roe. Romney seems to have had new insights, during the time when the issue was red hot, and as I said, Romney is a very smart and analytical and curious man.
"Romney has many good qualities, no doubt about it, and I suspect it is more likely than not that he would make an excellent president."
And what did I do a chip shot on Mitt about? You guessed it. His dis-ingenuousness on abortion! Yes, that is what the urber liberal troll observed.
I really enjoy have you as an interlocutor. Well, actually not. It is not a fair fight.
In any event, my best advice is to do a mid course correction in your Mitt marketing missives. You are not helping him. JMO.
Absolutely. I'll bet that gun he tells the press about is a two barrel shotgun. This guy is pro-gun the same way John Kerry is pro gun. I guarantee you you will see photo ops of him going pheasant hunting just to show how 'pro gun' he is.
Travel convenience for hunters weighs small against the loss of the prime reason fopr the right to keep and bear arms.
Pandering I'd expect. At least Romney took responsibility for a gun in his house unlike Kerry who disowned the SUVs on his property. I expect Romney either has his own gun now or will shortly. ;-)
The Second Amendment is NOT about protecting the right to own sporting goods.
There's no agreement on what a true conservative is. Only agreement on who they are not and that's not very encouraging.
What's an assault weapon?
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