Gun Advocates Are Not That Stupid, Mitt

Now it's one thing if you let your NRA membership lapse, as yours truly has. It's quite another to suddenly in your late 50's decide you're on board. And it doesn't exactly ring true that one would be a gung-ho Second Amendment supporter, then go on to brag about shooting rabbits with 22's. Hmm.

Today's Boston Globe reports on one of the NRA's newest members, Mitt Romney:

Mitt Romney, who has touted his support of gun owners since launching his presidential campaign, yesterday acknowledged he did not become a member of the National Rifle Association until last August, campaign officials said. Asked why Romney joined only a few months before declaring his candidacy, Madden said: "I would argue not many Americans care when you join, but why you join, and I think I've made that clear."

Speaking on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Romney said he signed up for a life long membership "within the last year." "I think they're doing good things, and I believe in supporting the right to bear arms," Romney said.

Not all gun advocates are convinced of Romney's commitment to their cause....

Dukakis Rode In a Tank, Romney Shops for Rifles?

Romney checks out the rifles in Orlando. (Does he know the difference between a sporting rifle and an "assault weapon"?)

[Getty Images/Boston Globe]

Romney has joined the NRA! The latest flip-flop. Next thing we know, he'll be duck hunting with Dick Cheney. Or buying a hunting license with John Kerry.

The Boston Globe reports today that "Romney retreats on gun control; Ex-governor woos Republican votes":

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."