The Daily Background
| Rudy: 9/11 made me an “extremist” on gun issues
by Arlen Parsa
Today, Rudy went before the NRA and told them that his opinions on “gun rights” issues have been formed by his past experiences. “I would say that my thinking on this as we go forward,” Giuliani said, “is shaped not only by my experiences as a United States Attorney fighting crime, a mayor fighting crime.” (A video of his remarks before the NRA today can be found on YouTube.)
In his speech before the NRA, Giuliani suggested that he felt more favorable towards the NRA’s cause because of his experience as a crime fighting mayor and as a crime fighting US Attorney.
The truth is however, after he was a US Attorney and while Giuliani was mayor of New York, he spoke out against the NRA and called for more gun safety regulations, even calling the NRA a bunch of “extremists.” Watch Giuliani warn about the NRA on the Charlie Rose Show, May 31st, 1995:
Partial transcript:
GIULIANI: The NRA, for some reason, I think goes way overboard. I mean, it’s almost what the extremists on the other side do… I think the NRA is involved in a strategy that I don’t understand. I don’t understand fighting assault weapons– the ban on assault weapons.
So, what’s the difference between then and now? He didn’t really explain it, but mumbled something about (you guessed it) 9/11 changing everything- including, apparently, his views on gun safety. Figures. After all, that’s pretty much what his entire candidacy is based on…
[…] The conservative answer to Myanmar/Burma? Clearly, it never would have happened in the first place had they only had our precious second amendment (which also would have prevented 9/11 if you believe Rudy Giuliani). […]
[…] has been explaining away his flip flopping away invoking 9/11. For example, according to him, 9/11 changed his view that the NRA was an “extremist” […]