Mitt Romney argued Wednesday it would take Americans changing their hearts — not gun laws — to prevent deadly mass shootings like the one in Aurora, Colorado last week.
"We can sometimes hope that just changing the law will make all bad things go away. It won't," Romney told NBC's Brian Williams during a sit-down interview in London. "Changing the heart of the American people may well be what's essential, to improve the lots of the American people."
As governor of Massachusetts, Romney enacted an assault weapons ban. When signing the bill into law, he called this style of weapon, like the AR-15 assault rifle used in the Colorado shooting, "instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."
That was 2002. While he indicated the NRA's "agenda is not entirely identical with my own," he did not see the need for changes in legislation now.
That was 2002. While he indicated the NRA's "agenda is not entirely identical with my own," he did not see the need for changes in legislation now.
"I don't happen to believe that America needs new gun laws," Romney told Williams during a discussion of the Aurora shooting. "A lot of what this young man did was clearly against the law. But the fact that it was against the law did not prevent it from happening." He said the political and legal implications “will be sorted out down the road."
All of the guns used in the attack were purchased legally and 12 movie-goers died in the massacre.
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In
Minnesota, I have to show my driver’s license to get a decent allergy medicine
at the pharmacy. No, I cannot buy two packages of them... but I guess I can buy
an infinite amount of ammunition.
The only gun control law we need is the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. Everyone who keeps and bears arms shall register their name, address, quantity and type of arms with the state and shall thus become a member of the WELL REGULATED MILITIA, necessary for the security of a free state.
This would be supplemental to organized military operations such as National Guard, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard - which if members bear arms, those arms are issued to members by the government.
Militia members (citizens) purchase their own arms, can use them for self defense, sport, target practice, hunting. However, any citizen who does own arms, and does not register themselves, or any arms they own, will be in violation of the 2nd Amendment.
Anyone who does not qualify to be a member of the Militia, due to felony conviction, young age, or other reasons as defined by law, could then not keep and bear Arms.
"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."
It isn't so simply as you think. For example, look up the definition of "infringed"!
[... The right ... shall not be infringed.]
Glenn has got it right. The Second Amendment is about Right but it is mostly about Responsibility. The Amendment is a clarification of something in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constituion on the powers of Congress and one of those powers is, "To provide for calling forth the Militia (for 3 purposes), to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections, and repel invasions." This should now be followed by the 2nd Amendment which reads, "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."
In a sense the "idea" of a Militia is now obsolete since we have a well-armed professional military made up of branches of defined areas of service. The National Guard is as close to the "idea" of a Militia that remains. The 2nd Amendment tell all citizens that they have the right to bear arms because they have the responsibility to serve their country if called to do so by Congress. But we are now a Nation able to provide a standing army with the necessary weapons for the defense and security of a free State. Our "militia" is well regulated and well armed but I agree with Glenn that if we are going to keep the 2nd Amendment then we need people to not only register their guns but to register to serve in any branch of the military they may choose should Congress call on them to do so.
The reason we no longer understand the Constitution or the 2nd Amendment is two fold. First it was written at a time when most people did have their own guns (they were necessary to provide food for the table as well as self-protection in a country not yet able to protect it's citizens from criminals or those dreaded native peoples who only wanted to live where they had always lived). So the Country called on them to serve by bringing their own gun to the fight. Unless they took up that responsibility, the country might have remained part of the British Empire.
So, if we keep the 2nd Amendment it only makes sense that those not qualified to be a Member of the Militia, should not keep and bear Arms. The 2nd Amendment defines our Right but mainly our Responsibility to serve our country.
The NRA fear-filled pronostications demean the Constitution as well as the intent of the 2nd Amendment. The NRA lobby's Congress for laws that protect, not gun use, but gun SALES. And the governement, which by the way is US, aids the gun salesmen by not regulating guns and ammunation as they should be regulated. The NRA promotes the "Right" only but ignores and wants you to ignore the "Responsibility" of gun ownership. Your ownership cannot be infringed because of the deep responsibility it lays on that ownership.
The NRA has twisted the meaning for so long that I don't expect you to see it clearly but I hope that you will try for the sake of all of us.
Guns laws that are for banning assault rifles will be a good start. Guns are the rights of the American people but we don't need machine guns and we sure don't need guns with magazines full of thousand of bullets. That is what we need to look into seriously because we can hunt and we can protect ourselves without assault rifles.
"...guns with magazines holding thousands of bullets". Can you name one, I'd like to see it!
Assault weapons...12 guage shotguns are considered assault weapons by our Police in every city of our country. That's a common hunting and home defense firearm.
AR-15s, the standard US military long arm fires a 50 oz bullet at high velocity, and is usefull for target shooting, varmint hunting from groundhogs to coyottes, and even small deer and antelope hunting. They also come in 5 round and 10 round clips for sporting and target shooting, besides the standard 20 round clip. It's a very usefull and common long range hunting and target shooting firearm.
Even surplus AK-47s and SKSs rifles from the old Soviet bloc and China that have been known to our soldiers since the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars on the enemies side of the armaments, fires a very inexpensive (comparably) .30 caliber round that roughly approzimates the ballistics of the common .30-30 caliber deer hunting firearms in use in the US for over 120 years. They are being used in deer and wild hog hunting, by citizensof this country, using 5 round magazines, and double as home defense weapons.
Got the picture now, Vicki?
Correction: I see I wrote "50 oz bullet" in regards to the .223 AR-a5 round, I meant .50 grain, of course.
This comment goes out to Lawrence O' Donnell and all of those that made this wonderful news piece. I found your piece on Mitt Romney's gun control disturbing and inaccurate. You call him a Liar and a Hypocrite but the entire segment you oozed of those very things you tried to nail to Mitt Romney. I watched the full segment of the interview and you turn all his words and through fancy editing make him look like a fool. You state things as facts that are easily disputed if you watch the entire segment.
Your segment was so blatantly biased against Mitt Romney it was sickening. Every great reporter would be rolling in their graves of the degradation and bastardization of news casting artform that you degrade daily on your show. An honest reporter would show both sides of the issue in good light and say why they think they our right. This was an awful load of non since that is poisoning the american people and confusing them of what really matters. Talk about someone who talks a lot and says nothing.
Why is the american people in trouble. Its you! The overtly biased media talking heads that fill the American peoples mind with filth, half truths, and blatant lies. I would urge you to cease and abandon this tomfoolery and cheap antics and become real reporters and not try to push your personal agenda. I promise you if you do not it will catch up to you and the American people will demand you to leave or at the least not watch and you can watch your numbers fall and as NBC news lets you go and you wonder why you were let go. You will no why. Cause your a hack of a reporter that doesn't deserve to erode the minds of the american people.
Well said A Wilson42.
Mitt Romney doesn't need anyone to MAKE him look like a fool, he does that all by himself. NO HELP needed.
awilson42, right on and as usual Angela spouts off and confirms how the dull witted MessNBC sheep believe anything the leftists over there spew.
Keep up the good work O'Donnell. With all your ranting on Gun Control and Ammunition control, the good citizens of our country are flocking to the Gun Shops to get their firearms and ammo before the hammer comes down in the way of restictive gun laws). I own stock in several US Firearm manufacturing companies, and one ammuntion manufacturing company, and I see the market has taken note, and the price of those stocks is rising! So keep it up, O'Donnell, you are increasing firearm sales and ammo sales with every word you speak and write on this subject! Thank you for your foolishness! LOL!
The Second Amendment is one of the reasons that the rest of the developed world looks down on the United States as an inferior nation.
Any nation that has a so called "right" to bear arms but does not guarantee health care to all of it's residents deserves to be a pariah in the world, as the United States is and Americans are.
Until the Second Amendment is repealed and replaced with a right to health care, the United States is not even among the free nations of the world, let alone the "leader" Americans falsely claim to be.
We, the people of the nations of the Free World, do not recognize the United States and Americans as being among us.
John Murphy, feel free to stay out of America if you don't like it then...
John Murphy: The falacy in your assine remark is that the Government doesn't supply the guns to its citizenry, they have to earn the money to go out and buy them, just like folks should do for their health insurance or their health care. Charities don't supply firearms, but they do supply health care for those that can't or won't earn the money to buy it for themselves.
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