I guess if Romney can get away saying that his positions have evolved, why shouldn't Rudy try it? But do we believe him? Can we trust him that he will protect our rights?
Glossing over the less appealing line items on his gun control resume, ex-NYC mayor Rudy c presented himself as sympathetic to the aims of the National Rifle Association and pledged, as president, to protect gun rights.(via)
"Your right to bear arms is based on a reasonable degree of safety," he said.
He indicated that he would oppose new efforts to tighten national gun laws.
"I believe that law endforcement should focus on enforcing the laws that exist on the books as opposed to passing new extensions of laws," he said. "A person's home is their castle. They have the right to protect themselves in their own home."
Giulaini explained the lawsuit he initiated in 2000 against gun manufacturers by saying that he was "excessive in everyway that I could think of in order to reduce crime" but said that "intervening events" like September 11th had caused his views to evolve. "I think that lawsuit has gone in the direction that I don't agree with."
Update: I don't think there's much chance of the gun owners accepting this change of heart and I don't think the other candidates will let him walk away from his record:
Second Amendment supporters say Rudy Giuliani's actions will speak louder than his words, when he addresses the National Rifle Association on Friday.
As Giuliani speaks, top officials from the gun industry will be in New York City, fighting a lawsuit the former mayor filed in 2000. The lawsuit seeks to hold firearms manufacturers responsible for the criminal misuse of their products.
[...]
"It's not surprising that Mr. Giuliani is now courting the firearms industry and the National Rifle Association -- whose members he has referred to as extremists," said Keane.
"His support for gun control and contempt for the manufacturers, retailers and purchasers of firearms may have gained him praise in Gotham, but that will only handicap him in the rest of the country. He understands this and is now trying to backpedal."
When he became the only Republican mayor to sue the firearms industry seven years ago (the announcement can now be seen on YouTube), Giuliani said he was doing so because the industry was "profiting from the suffering of innocent people." Giuliani said the lawsuit was intended to "end the free pass that the gun industry has so long enjoyed."
In 2005, when President Bush signed a bill barring lawsuits intended to bankrupt the gun industry, the Giuliani lawsuit was specifically mentioned as an example of the "junk" lawsuits the new law was intended to stop.
[...]
The National Rifle Association has invited Giuliani and other Republicans to a "celebration of American values" on Friday and Saturday. Most of the presidential hopefuls will be there -- among them, Sen. John McCain, who is planning to fire away at Giuliani's stance on guns.
