Romney No Straight Shooter on NRA (Editorial By Obama's Re-Election Campaign Co-Chairman)

Politico ^ | April 13, 2012 | Ted Strickland

[lbryce]

When it comes to gun rights, Mitt Romney is anything but a straight shooter. And when the presumptive Republican nominee speaks to the National Rifle Association’s annual convention on Friday, he’s going to have a tough time explaining a Second Amendment record that’s more scattered than buckshot pellets.

I know a real sportsman when I see one. My eight siblings and I grew up in rural Scioto County, Ohio, where hunting and fishing were our heritage, passed from generation to generation. Throughout my service as a congressman and governor, I supported sportsmen, in both my lifestyle and legislation. I’ve been an unwavering supporter of citizens’ Second Amendment rights and recreational opportunities – I even extended them in Ohio – and I’ve fought against every effort to weaken them.

Romney is hardly a consistent Second Amendment defender, or a lifelong sportsman, or a longtime gun owner. But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that he pretends to be all these things, —pandering shamelessly to voters just as he does on every issue under the sun.

When Romney against Ted Kennedy ran for Senate in Massachusetts on a platform of gun-control measures like the Brady Bill and assault-weapons ban, he asserted, “I don’t line up with the NRA.”

Now he’s going to stand before that same group and — with a straight face - tell its members that he’s one of them. That dog won’t hunt, as the saying goes.

*snip*

And the NRA was right not to endorse back then. Once he became governor, Romney quadrupled fees on Massachusetts gun owners, making it harder for folks to get a license to carry their firearms.

[lbryce]

Thanks very much for your post, perfectly expressed.