Posted on 01/12/2007 7:08:01 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
ORLANDO, Fla. - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney touted his conservative credentials at a gun show Friday, where he met with a GOP-friendly crowd in an effort to garner support for his 2008 campaign.
"I support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution," said Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.
Romney, who has launched a presidential exploratory committee, appeared at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show with his wife, Ann, and Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
Romney spent about an hour walking among the booths and greeting some of the more than 40,000 outdoor enthusiasts, law enforcement officials and industry representatives attending the show, which featured exhibits from major firearms and ammunitions manufacturers.
Romney also took a private phone call from former President George H.W. Bush. He wished Bush a speedy recovery from hip replacement surgery he had last week.
"I can't wait to watch you skydive again," Romney told Bush, referring to Bush's tandem jump in 2004 on his 80th birthday.
Romney described himself as an outdoorsman, but admitted that he was not a firearms expert.
"As a boy, I worked on a ranch in Idaho and shot rabbits with a single shot .22 rifle," Romney said. "After a while my cousin said 'you're not very good at that. Try using this semiautomatic.'"
Romney said he once owned a pistol, but doesn't own any firearms now.
I think the general public will really like him. I heard he polled as looking most presidential somewhere. Speaking of slick, that was the word on Clinton too, and helped him be elected, and if these people think Mitt is slick, that's a good thing, lol... Mitt will make a good prez though and we won't have to worry about stains.......
I don't know anything about him except what I have recently read on this forum, and I don't have an axe to grind against him. (Unlike Rudy & McStain.) That said, his statement about "rights guaranteed under the Constitution" rings hollow, when many people argue the Constitution protects the right of states to arm National Guard members. Kerry "supported the Second Amendment" and so did Gore, so when someone talks about the rights "guaranteed" by a particular document, I simply have to be skeptical and ask what sort of rights, and whose rights? In particular, I'd like to know what sort of gun control law he thinks violates the Constitutional protection. Apparently from reading this thread, I gather that he thinks neither Brady nor the AWB manages to infringe. That's two strikes as far as I'm concerned.
I am a NRA life member, and I usuaully go along with their suggestions regarding who would be best to vote for when it comes to 2nd Amendment issues. However, I haven't always agered with their choices, and have voted for the opposite candidate. What is particularly galling to me is when the democrat and republican have identical, or close, NRA "grades" (i.e., A, A-, etc.). I wrote and complained to them that, given MOST democrats dismal track record on support of our 2A, when given such a scenario - they should ALWAYS support the republican.
Like you, I'll be interested to see what Wayne LaPierre and my NRA say about Romney, but I'll also be checking to see what some other, more strident pro-gun organizations (like GOA) dig up on him as well.
No matter what, I am SURE there are better men out there that have unquestionable conservative credentials (why can't we find a younger Dick Cheney who isn't afraid to not only VOICE his support for our 2A, shooting, and hunting, but to LIVE it), and I believe they CAN win if given the chance and supported to the hilt by the republican powers that be, and us voters of course.
Glad to hear you are a refugee from The Peoples Republic of massachusetts.
"Comparing Romney to Kerry is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"
Not at all. Kerry is acceptable to the socialist gun grabbers in Mass (Kennedy too) and they elected Romney- he's acceptable to them.
Kerry, when it was clear that his anti RKBA record was hurting him, posed with shotguns, did the horrible kin ah git... thing, shot a goose, maybe, but refused to be photoed with it, told stories about his many hunting experiences. So I'd forget his antigun votes.
Mitt told a story in which he couldn't hit a rabbit with a bolt action, so his cousin said he needed a semiauto. Gee, semis are more deadly, so he should have hit the rabbit fer sure, don't you think? (MY cousin taught me sight alignment, breathe, hold, and squeeze the shot, rather than switching me to a "deadlier" firearm).
Romney grandstanded just like Karry at a gun show. So that I'd forget what Mitt said about deadly Assault Weapons and neglect his lack of care about the socialist gun policies in Mass.
Sure, I can compare them, I just did!
Why do you want me to believe there is to be a clean slate? Why should these Republicans who are demonstrably soft on RKBA have their pasts ignored? I think there is no clean slate and that what they said in 2004, or signed into law, or voted on, should be scrutinized closely.
You're skeptical for good reason. Mitt has two positions on every issue.
Doesn't this represent a change from Mitt's position when he was running against Ted Kennedy in 1994? I haven't read the transcript, or watched the tape, so I don't know.
I hadn't heard about that poll, but Mitt Romney is definitely personable, expressive, and telegenic in video media. He was named one of People magazine’s 50 most beautiful people in 2002. That definitely works to his advantage in the unmarried female demographic group, and Republicans typically poll much lower than Democrats in that important group.
Yeah, we need to support a liar. After all, his heart is in the right place!
Exactly right!
Lots of people can point. I can point to his signature on the MA semi-auto ban.
LOL!
I know exactly how you feel about this. The NRA endorsed the Democrat candidate in the majority Republican district of Texas CD-22 (Tom DeLay's former district) in 2006 even though our Republican candidate had an equivalent A rating from the NRA. It was infuriating.
I disagree. His statement could be quite weasely. "As guaranteed by the constitution" leaves open the question, what does he think the constitution guarantees in that regard?
"That is a real eye opener!"
Inform us! Please!
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