It would be difficult to identify a principle more fundamental to America as a constitutional republic than the proposition that our rights come from God and it is the duty of government to protect them. As to the rights recognized and protected by the Second Amendment, virtually no one voting in November would believe that President Obama shares this view. And, at the second 2012 presidential debate, Mitt Romney revealed that he, too, believes neither aspect of this foundational principle.
When the debate topic turned to his defense of gun rights, Gov. Romney tried to talk around the issue. Candy Crowley brought him up short, asking, “I know that you signed an assault weapons ban when you were in Massachusetts. … Why have you changed your mind?” Well, the debate transcript suggests that she may have been assuming facts not in evidence – not about signing the ban, but about changing his mind.
Indeed, moderator Crowley was absolutely right about what happened in Massachusetts. At the time, the governor’s office put out a press release claiming that the “permanent assault weapons ban” eliminated “deadly assault weapons [which] have no place in Massachusetts.” In fact, once on “Meet the Press,” Gov. Romney confirmed that as president he would have signed the federal assault weapons ban that had just expired if it had come to his desk.
Has Romney changed his mind? At the debate, he made the general statement “I’m not in favor of new pieces of legislation on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal.” Can we take that answer to the bank? Hardly!
Romney’s statements at the debate needed to be questioned and challenged, but the primary role of the Commission on Presidential Debates is to keep candidates other than Republicans and Democrats off the stage, and it does a great job at that. It ensured that my Constitution Party running mate in the presidential race, former Rep. Virgil Goode, was unable to present to the American People a conservative, constitutional perspective on any topic. Fortunately, Virgil Goode and the other candidates for president will be debating on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and the event will be broadcast live on Ora TV.
But at the nationally broadcast debates, both Republicans and Democrats are free to sell out the Constitution with abandon and without challenge. Let me take this opportunity on behalf of our ticket to pose to the governor a question or two – questions we know with certainty will be ignored and never be answered.
Read More at wnd.com . By James N. Clymer.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons)
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Yes Romney DOES understand the second amendment. We, as citizens, have the right to bear arms to protect ourselves from enemies foreign and DOMESTIC. I think we should be able to have any kind of weapons we WANT! The Citizens ARE the Militia no matter how bozo wants to spin it!
Amen, marlio! The NRA has endorsed Governor Romney, and that’s good enough for me. Just who is James N. Clymer, anyway? I gather from the article that he is running for president. Never heard of him. I believe that Mitt had to work with the 87% Democrat majority in the Massachusetts legislature when he was governor, which resulted in the banning of some so-called “assault weapons.” I don’t like it, either, but he had to work with idiots! As president, and especially if he’s got Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, he won’t have to negotiate with the Democrats. He will be a friend of the Second Amendment.
Maybe he’s “trainable” under Ryan’s tutelage? Any weapon you or I want to own as tax-paying, law-abiding citizens is 100% a Okay. We have to pay a $200 “tax stamp” fee for evert full-auto or sound suppressing device we purchase, so Uncle is getting his dirty money out of citizens’ enjoyment of these modifications.
When’s the last time you heard of a sportsman causing harm to several to dozens of innocent victims. Lack of enforcement and liberal excuse-making Judiciary and MSM are to blame for the avg John Q’s fear/hatred of our right to exercise the ability to purchase these “toys”.
The gubermint is probably living in a growing fear since I believe they now realize that the vast majority of gun owners understand that an armed populace can “unseat” the power-crazed tryannts we are faced with dealing with today. That’s IS/WAS & ARE the Founders intentions…just in case of such needs arose. They fully understood the power factor of human greed, corruption and abuses. Isn’t that caused them to flee England/Europe and why they revolted against jolly King George in the 1st place?