Newt on Guns.

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

We have a Ron Paul and Mitt Romney thread, I'd like to see what you guys think of Gingrich. I have not much heard his record on RBKA, does anybody know?

 

[XD 45acp]

Here's from his website;

Newt has been long recognized as a strong defender of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms. Newt is a recipient of the National Rifle Association’s Defender of the Second Amendment Award. His legislative voting record was consistently scored by the NRA as either an A or A+ all 20 years that he served in Congress. Furthermore, Newt is the only candidate in the GOP race who has spoken out about the threat to the second amendment from the United Nations and other global governance organizations, and on the first day, he will instruct the Department of Justice and State Department to defend American sovereignty and block all international treaties that infringe on Second Amendment rights.

can be seen for self at http://www.newt.org/answers#Second

 

[mljdeckard]

(This is why I snicker when people try to say that Ron Paul is the only one who supports gun rights.)

The only thing that comes to mind that Newt had a piece of was the '94 AWB, His opposition set up the upheaval in the midterm elections that gave him the majority.

Anyone else?

 

[henschman]

When Gingrich got elected Speaker, he said "as long as I am Speaker of this House, no gun control legislation is going to move in committee or on the floor of this House and there will be no further erosion of their rights."

He then proceeded to vote for and help pass the Lautenberg Amendment and the Gun Free School Zones Act (laws that Ron Paul has authored legislation to repeal). He called the Lautenberg Amendment "a very reasonable position."
http://gunowners.org/newtgingrich-2012.htm

He also had this to say back in 1997:

"I think we prefer to go to instant check on an immediate basis and try to accelerate implementing instant checks so that you could literally check by thumbprint... Instant check is a much better system than the Brady process." -- June 27, 1997

You really need to look further than a politician's own campaign website to see what they are truly made of. As they say, "past performance is the best indicator of future performance." And like the GOA says, he definitely has a mixed record on this issue.

 

[mljdeckard]

But it's not the ONLY indicator. This is a much different climate than when he was in the house before. What I have to ask myself is; "Is he likely to vote that way NOW?" Ronald Reagan signed the ban on guns in national parks. doesn't mean I wouldn't cut off a finger to get him back.

I don't like Mitt's "Born again gun person" attitudes either. In 2008, he was confronted with the issue, and he gave a response so forced and wooden, I cringed as he was saying it. Something like; "Of course I'm a gun person. At my brother's cabin in Park City, we do in fact keep a Glock pistol and i enjoy shooting it from time to time." Painful. But that doesn't mean I don't believe he hasn't become sufficiently conditioned to vote correctly now. There's no such thing as a perfect candidate. That includes Ron Paul. Another relevant question is; "Which candidate has enough political capital to use to make sure they don't get cornered with an anti-gun rider on a critical bill when they are out of favors and leverage?" You can pretend that the politics game doesn't matter. you can pretend Ron Paul doesn't play it. Doesn't match reality.

I'll say it again. I trust ANY of the republican candidates more than I would like to see what Obama will to to BATFE in a lame duck term. I would support any of them, and I would particularly love to see Gingerich debate Obama.

 

[henschman]

But it's not the ONLY indicator. This is a much different climate than when he was in the house before. What I have to ask myself is; "Is he likely to vote that way NOW?"

Nobody knows what political "climate" we will have in the future... a politician who changes his beliefs depending on the "climate" is dangerous. That is exactly what I'm tired of in politics. And if you aren't considering their past performance, all you have to go on to determine future performance is their word -- and the word of a career politician doesn't hold much water with me.

Thanks, but no thanks -- I will take the guy with the record of being consistently pro-gun and pro-liberty for 30+ years, regardless of what "political climate" he has been in.

 

[cbrgator]

While Ron Paul certainly has maintained the most consistent positions over the longest period of time, let's face reality. He isn't going to win.

Newt may not be as strong or consistent a 2A supporter as Ron Paul, but I don't think our gun rights would be in danger with him in the White House. He may not be the ideal 2A president, but I don't see him as a threat. Plus, I have no doubt that given the opportunity to appoint a new justice to the Supreme Court, his nominee would be pro 2A. (I do have serious concerns with Newt outside 2A issues, but that's off topic here)

 

[Double Vision]

IMHO Newt is the candidate that is best suited to the job.

 

[bigfatdave]

is it that hard to look stuff up on votesmart?
http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/26821/newt-gingrich?categoryId=37

 

[alsaqr]

Thanks Dave.

i watched the US house vote to repeal the AWB. US Reps Solomon of NY gave Kennedy of Rhode Island a wonderful tougue lashing.

Lots of folks have forgotten that 38 members of Gingrich's party voted for the so called "assault weapons ban". They have also forgotten that 76 members of the other party voted against the AWB.

The AWB passed the US house by one vote. At the last moment the retiring house minority leader flip-flopped and voted for the AWB. Two other members of Gingrich's party voted for the AWB after Ronald Reagan made his appeal for its passage.

When the US house passed the repeal of the AWB, 42 members of speaker Gingrich's party voted against the measure.

But opponents of the assault-weapons ban--a 1994 law that prohibits the manufacture and importation of 19 types of semiautomatic assault-style weapons--insisted that it is not a partisan issue. Indeed, 56 Democrats cast votes for repealing the ban and 42 Republicans opposed repeal. "A majority of the members of the 104th Congress are not interested in gun control. They are not interested in government control. They are interested in crime control," said Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), leading proponent of the repeal bill, which included an amendment increasing prison sentences for crimes committed with a gun.

http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-23/news/mn-50373_1_weapons-ban

 

[esquare]

http://gunowners.org/gingrich-mixed-record.htm

We have gun free school zones thanks to newt. Those on this board that believe he is a friend of the 2a in any way, shape or form are highly mistaken or naive. I won't get into Newt's problems in other areas, but based on the 2A, newt is horrible, horrible, horrible. Frankly, he's worse than most Democrats in congress and the fact that he lies outright about this is just the icing on the cake.

Folks, don't be duped by the newt - he's a professional con artist.

 

[razorback2003]

Wasn't Newt Speaker of the House when the 'Assault Weapon Ban' was passed? What was his vote/position at that time?

 

[alsaqr]

Newt may be the lesser of two evils. i will vote for no evil, lesser or otherwise. Newt will not have my vote.

 

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

Newt Voted against tbe "Assualt Rifle" Ban and then tried to repeal it http://articles.nydailynews.com/1995-12-05/news/17975015_1_assault-weapons-weapons-ban-newt-gingrich

While Ron Paul is a little bit stronger on the 2A, he has some other views that I think are insane!(I wont go in to them due to the forum rules)

With Gingrich in the white house we will have a pro gun president, if Ron Paul runs third Party we are going to be facing a Barak Obama who does not have to worry about reelection.

 

[esquare]

With Gingrich in the white house we will have a pro gun president

No, with Gingrich in the white house, we will have a seemingly pro-gun president that may very well sign an anti-gun bill if he thinks it would benefit him in any way.

 

[henschman]

No, with Gingrich in the white house, we will have a seemingly pro-gun president that may very well sign an anti-gun bill if he thinks it would benefit him in any way.

Or if he thinks it is "reasonable" gun control like forever barring people from possessing firearms because a judge issued a restraining order against them (which judges give out dime a dozen); or making it a federal felony with mandatory prison time to possess a firearm within 1000 feet of a school, even if you're just driving by on a public street and have a gun in your trunk; or requiring people to give their fingerprints when they buy guns. If he thinks those things are "reasonable gun control," it scares me to think what else he might think is "reasonable."

As far as Ron Paul goes, people who don't want to see him elected keep repeating the line that he won't be able to win, but yet his numbers just keep going up and up in the polls, after all the establishment media hacks proclaim time and again that he has reached his ceiling of support. The latest polls show him in 2nd place in Iowa, ahead of Romney. If anyone else hit 2nd place the media would treat them as a serious contender; but even if Paul hits first he will continue to be ignored and labeled "unelectable" or whatever else they come up with by the press, because he is such a threat to their beloved establishment. There is truly no one else in modern politics that inspires such venomous hatred from the establishment, whether it is in the media or in the establishment circles of both parties. Who a man's enemies are tells you as much about him as who his friends are.

Sure Gingrich wouldn't be as anti-gun as Obama; but "better than Obama" isn't the standard I am going by when selecting who to support in the GOP primary. I just can't see supporting a guy with such a mixed record when there is someone who is so much better. I mean who would you rather have -- a guy who believes in "reasonable" gun control, or a guy who thinks that NO federal gun control is "reasonable," and wants to repeal it all?

 

[Paladin7]

Personally, I don't think Newt is very consistent on 2A...best bet would be to follow his historical voting record on project vote smart to tell the tale.

As to Ron Paul, I cannot vote for him because of his Foreign Policy. Sorry, but anyone who says America was responsible for 9/11 and mimicks George McGovern's foreign policy is a NO GO for me.

I'm voting for true movement conservatives in this primary, ie. Bachman or Santorum. If they lose, I will vote for anyone against Obama.

 

[bigfatdave]

I believe any of the GOP candidates now running will be a much safer bet.

THAT'S a good way to get the GOP to field good candidates!
If you keep voting for the turd sandwiches the GOP puts up, they will just keep putting up their turd sandwiches as candidates.

 

[henschman]

THAT'S a good way to get the GOP to field good candidates!
If you keep voting for the turd sandwiches the GOP puts up, they will just keep putting up their turd sandwiches as candidates.

So true. Some people only think as far forward as the next election. We need to be thinking long-term, and we need to recognize where we will end up if we keep voting for the "lesser evil." At some point the GOP base has to cut its losses and make it clear that flip-flopping RINOs are UNELECTABLE in this party, even if it means taking a couple of elections on the chin in the near term because we abstain from voting for our party's turdburger nominee in the general election. When you are caught in a destructive cycle, it is HARD and PAINFUL to break the cycle, but ultimately it is better for you in the end than if you stayed in the slow spiral toward destruction.

Of course we could eliminate the hard decision of whether or not to vote for the turdburger if we would just nominate a principled individual as our candidate. For me it's either that, or abstaining.

 

[Twmaster]

Of course we could eliminate the hard decision of whether or not to vote for the turdburger if we would just nominate a principled individual as our candidate. For me it's either that, or abstaining.

This.

I have not cast my vote for President in a few cycles. I'm not excited by any of the candidates offered by any party recently. Rather than throwing my vote away on a choice between the least evil of two lessers I'll just keep my vote until somebody worthy comes along.

Newt is not in my opinion as strong a 2A supporter has some of you think he is.

 

[KodiakBeer]

I'm voting for true movement conservatives in this primary, ie. Bachman or Santorum. If they lose, I will vote for anyone against Obama.

Santorum? The same Santorum that has stood with Boxer, Lautenberg and Feinstein on most of the anti-gun legislation over the last 20 years?

One of the questions asked whether or not the candidate would “sign or veto legislation to remove the so-called ‘gun free school zones’ ban.”

Senator Santorum said that he would veto this legislation – thereby continuing the legislative regulations that have created hundreds of thousands of “victim zones” across the country.

On November 10, 1993, Senator Santorum voted to approve the NICS Act. This federal law began the national program to mandate background checks for most all gun sales.

On July, 28, 2005, Senator Santorum stood with incredibly anti-gun politicians like Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, and Frank Lautenberg to mandate trigger locks on the transfer of all handguns.

http://stevedeace.com/news/iowa-politics/iowa-gun-owners-calls-out-two-gop-candidates/

 

[Peace Frog]

Newt is not a true friend of gun owners. I don't trust him at all!

RonPaul 2012

 

[lobo9er]

Better, or as good a question is how Newt feels about the UN. UN is a big theat to 2A.

 

[essayons21]

A fairly recent, short interview with him on the subject.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog...-newt-gingrich-dc-deliberately-undermining-s/

Take what you will from his past voting record. He is a politician, and what would be considered a politicially pro-2A vote in the early-90s would be considered anti-2A in todays political climate. Times have changed.

I like the bit about him saying the 2A simply affirms a pre-existing right, gun ownership is not a privilege granted by the government.

Oh and if you haven't read the "Emily gets her gun" series, get to it.

 

[BaltimoreBoy]

Don't waste a vote on anyone whom you don't trust implicitly to do the right thing.

Doing so is the reason that the country is in the pickle it is in.

Better than 'so and so', not as likely to double-cross us as 'so and so' is just not good enough.