Romney Retreats On Gun Control (RINO alert)

The Boston Globe ^ | January 14, 2007 | Scot Helman

[Popman]

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

[oursacredhonor]

The second amendment has nothing to do with hunting.

[Spktyr]

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

[Old_Mil]

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

[Old_Mil]

"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.

[libbylu]

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

[hkp123]

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.

[Atlas Sneezed]

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.

[PLMerite]

"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..."

[Arizona Carolyn]

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.

[LiveFree99]

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.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

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."

[dhuffman@awod.com]

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

[Sender]

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

[mkjessup]

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.

[Popman]

"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.

[stevem]

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

[Wilhelm Tell]

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.

[supercat]

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.

[supercat]

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.