Fred fires off at opponents on guns
Posted: Saturday, November 24, 2007 8:22 AM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-TreworgyLACONIA, NH -- Fred
Thompson kicked off what he called the “fourth
quarter” of his campaign on Friday with a stop at Skip’s Gun &
Sport Shop in Bristol, NH. Combined with his visit to the Thompson
Center gun factory on his last trip to the Granite State earlier this
month, Thompson has now held two gun-related events in New Hampshire
since announcing his candidacy for president, which he admitted
yesterday was not an accident.
“I’ve had some good relationships with gun-owner organizations over the
years and supported [them] when I was in the congress,” Thompson said,
“and I think it’s kind of a forgotten issue right now. In this primary
we need to remember that those [second amendment] rights are always an
issue, and some of my opponents have bad records and no records, and I
have a solid record in support of the second amendment, and I’m not
embarrassed to remind anybody of that.”
Thompson was also not afraid to point out which of his opponents he
feels are especially weak on gun owners’ rights, saying that the
starkest difference exists between himself and
Giuliani.
“[Giuliani] simply supported just about every gun control legislation that came down the pipe, and I just disagree with him on that,” Thompson said. “I saw he was at bill signing ceremonies with Chuck Schumer and President Clinton and others for gun control legislation over the years and was very outspoken about it. Of course, he’s not as outspoken about it anymore. But it’s a major differentiation.
“He relates everything to New York City, well New York City is not emblematic of the rest of the country, I don’t think, and I think the sentiments of those people in the rest of the country are in strong support of the second amendment. It’s where I’ve always been, and I don’t think he’s ever been.”
Thompson also said he was confident that the Supreme Court would decide in favor of gun owners when they hear a case regarding Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban early next year. The case has huge implications for gun owners across the country and Thompson said he believed the court would “once and for all make it clear to everybody that the second amendment means what it says and that people have the right to carry firearms.”
In repeating his call for increased defense spending and a “million member ground force” Thompson also added a new line today about the weakening defense systems of many of our allies. At an afternoon appearance at the Laconia, N.H., VFW hall, Thompson said that in Europe, “some of these countries are spending like one percent or one and half percent of their economy on their own defense,” leaving the United States with virtually no allies to turn to if attacked again.
“[Europe] couldn’t defend themselves if they were called upon to defend themselves today,” Thompson said. “Guess who they’d turn to -- the people that they criticize, you know, about ever 48 hours one way or another. Well who have we got to turn to? Nobody, except ourselves.”
European Union defense spending is difficult to quantify precisely due currency fluctuations and vast disparities between defense budgets within the EU, but according to a
2005 study released by the EU, in 2004 the United States spent more than twice as much on defense as the 25 European nations combined.
*** UPDATE *** The Giuliani campaign responds: "Coming from a man who lives in the Beltway, who is a Washington insider and lobbyist and who played the role Rudy Giuliani actually lived on a television series, I am not sure what to make of the Senator's comments except to say results are results,” writes Katie Levinson, Giuliani’s communications director. “Time and again as US Attorney, the third ranking official in the Reagan Justice Department and as Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani delivered, and no amount of political posturing will change that. Mayor Giuliani is a strong supporter of the second amendment and believes our focus should be on making sure criminals are the ones who can't get guns. It's the same tough on crime approach Rudy took as Mayor, which reduced the number of murders by 66 percent and the number of shootings by 70 percent in New York City.”
