Mitt Romney and Firearms

[Heartland Patriot]

I have tried to do a search on here about Mitt Romney and though I did get some returns, it wasn't conclusive. What I did find made me very wary of him in this regard. There were posts stating that he had signed very restrictive anti-firearms legislation while Gov. of Mass. as well as him supporting both a renewed AWB and other gun control measures. And while I also read that he was an NRA member, that only goes so far. There is a group I call the "inlay shotgun country club crowd" and while I have nothing against fine inlay shotguns and country clubs in and of themselves, I don't care for those who believe "hunters and shooters" only have rights if they are part of that crowd. You and your AR-15, your Remington 870 with police barrel or your baby Glock need not apply to that group and I worry that Mitt Romney may fall into that category...so, can anyone give me a definitive answer as to where Mitt Romney stands on the Second Amendment and gun control?

[speedsix]

http://aboutmittromney.com/gun_rights.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Purplehood]

I have tried to do a search on here about Mitt Romney and though I did get some returns, it wasn't conclusive. What I did find made me very wary of him in this regard. There were posts stating that he had signed very restrictive anti-firearms legislation while Gov. of Mass. as well as him supporting both a renewed AWB and other gun control measures. And while I also read that he was an NRA member, that only goes so far. There is a group I call the "inlay shotgun country club crowd" and while I have nothing against fine inlay shotguns and country clubs in and of themselves, I don't care for those who believe "hunters and shooters" only have rights if they are part of that crowd. You and your AR-15, your Remington 870 with police barrel or your baby Glock need not apply to that group and I worry that Mitt Romney may fall into that category...so, can anyone give me a definitive answer as to where Mitt Romney stands on the Second Amendment and gun control?

I have always felt the way you do in regards to Romney. However, SpeedSix's link (though an obviously biased-sourced in favor of Mitt Romney) seems to assert that he is quite the opposite of what I thought he was.
What anti-2A bills has he signed?

[speedsix]

...we gotta remember...he's a politician...what he say and what he do don't necessarily look much like each other...

[Purplehood]

...we gotta remember...he's a politician...what he say and what he do don't necessarily look much like each other...

Oh, I never forget that.

[jimlongley]

...we gotta remember...he's a politician...what he say and what he do don't necessarily look much like each other...

And he's a Massachusetts politician to boot, which ranks second only to Chicago politicians in lying, prevaricating, obfuscating and so on.

[Oldgringo]

...we gotta remember...he's a politician...what he say and what he do don't necessarily look much like each other...

And he's a Massachusetts politician to boot, which ranks second only to Chicago politicians in lying, prevaricating, obfuscating and so on.

'Nuff said, Burma Shave.

[RPB]

All his "pro-2A legislation" seems to be about 1) Muzzle loaders or 2) Hunting, and I do neither.
That reeks of BATFE "Sporting Purpose" being the "ONLY" legitimate reason to "NEED" a firearm.

The thing that worries me MOST is he keeps saying :

for all lawful purposes, including the common defense

And that indicates to me that he doesn't "get" the THIRD Amendment, and it's relationship to the SECOND as they were written about 45 minutes apart while both were in the minds of the authors.

In other words, the SECOND AMENDMENT is not and never was about the "common defense" of the Country, but an Individual right of defense against soldiers/militia forcing you out of your home ... quartering soldiers/militia. A right to defend against" the government itself, so we don't have to give up property etc like when we were Governed by/Subjects of England and had to house/feed them while they shot at us etc.

Both the SECOND and THIRD contain 2 classes or groups of persons (For your convenience: considering the mindset at the time they were written ...Soldiers/Militia/Redcoats are coming evil in red, good guys/citizens in blue)

3
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

2
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The right in the 2nd, assures that the "consent" of the owner/people in the 3rd ... is genuine, rather than under "duress"
Realizing that the "militia" (soldiers) is a "necessary" evil, the People (property owners) are not to be made defenseless against it such that the events necessitating the Third amendment will never occur again...

[OldCannon]

Romney seems to me to be the type that will quickly abandon his stated principles for "common sense gun laws" (as The Head Kenyan In Charge would say).

I don't trust him. Not the tiniest bit.

[RoyGBiv]

It would be VERY difficult for me to vote for Romney in the primaries, given that he's the only declared candidate not advocating for scrapping the current tax code in it's entirety. Honestly, I'm not so worried about any GOP candidate's 2A views. They know where they need to be on 2A and I believe Romney is not going to be a big exception. I will acknowledge that Romney seems to be the most Left-leaning in the field on 2A, but still in the "acceptable" range if he's the party choice come next November.

Without completely scrapping the tax code, we leave ourselves open to a government that remains in the business of picking winners based on political winds and deepest pockets. This, for me, is THE BIG ISSUE this year.

We'll likely expand the Republican majority in the House, and quite possibly regain a Republican majority in the Senate. NOW is the time to scrap the tax code in favor of something "Fairer" (not in the way BHO means it, certainly) and more transparent. The tax code is the string that needs to be unraveled to fix our economy. Sure, there are others, but, tax manipulation is the "Purse String", the string that makes all other strings possible.

Cain winning the Florida straw pole was a very nice surprise.... Puts all of them on notice, tells the world it's still anybody's race.

[speedsix]

...most financial experts agree that to scrap the tax code and have a flat rate or sales tax would be great...and they agree that it will not happen...this election is crucial for far more important issues...though I'm in agreement with you that it needs to be done, the one most important thing that must be done this election is to end Obsama's regime...after that, we can rebuild what he's destroyed...not a small task...

[RoyGBiv]

the one most important thing that must be done this election is to end Obsama's regime...after that, we can rebuild what he's destroyed...not a small task...

Agreed

[74novaman]

“Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts,” Romney said, at a bill signing ceremony on July 1 with legislators, sportsmen’s groups and gun safety advocates. “These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.”" Mitt Romney, July 2004.

Though Mass already had an Assault Weapons Ban in place it was set to expire in 2009. When Mitt was gov he signed a law that made the AWB PERMANENT. As a concession, Mass gun owners got their LTC extended from 4 to 6 years and a 200% price increase for that license to $100. Really pro gun piece of legislation there.

Edited to add. He's a RINO who supports Assault weapon bans and had his own version of Obamacare that he's quite proud of, even though its failing miserably.

I won't be voting for him in the primaries, and frankly, if we're going to have another 4 years of obama or 4 years of RINO leadership, I'd rather let Obama take the blame. With Romney at least, looks like we'll be getting the same stance on a lot of things.

Gotta get out and vote in those primaries!

[The Annoyed Man]

Here is all you need to know: http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Mit ... ontrol.htm

OnTheIssues.org is non-partisan and straightforward. Romney does not look that good when it comes to the RKBA.

[jocat54]

Rick Perry!