MODERATE MITT ROMNEY RAISED TAXES ON MASSACHUSETTTS GUN OWNERS

Updated: January 15, 2012

TOP LINE POINTS

In 1994 Senate Race, Romney Backed Brady Bill And Assault Weapons Ban, Saying I Dont Line Up With The NRA As Governor, Romney Quadrupled Gun Licensing Fees And Vowed Not To Chip Away At Tough Gun Laws Romneys 2003 Proposal To Divert Hunting Fees To General Fund Angered Hunters, Jeopardized Federal Aid In 1994 Senate Race, Romney Backed Brady Bill And Assault Weapons Ban, Saying I Dont Line Up With The NRA
In 1994, Romney Backed the Brady Bill. [Romney] said he will take stands that put him at odds with some traditional ultra-conservative groups, and cited his support for the assault rifle ban and the Brady gun control law. Thats not going to make me the hero of the NRA, he said. I dont line up with a lot of special interest groups. (Andrew Miga, Mitt
Rejects Right-Wing Aid, Boston Herald, 9/23/94)

Romney, In 1994: I Dont Line Up With The NRA.

Gun Control, The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)

(Scott Helman, Romney Retreats On

Romney Called Clinton Crime Bill A Big Step Forward. Correction: Because of a reporting error, a story in yesterdays Metro/Region section about the taping of a debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates incorrectly attributed to John Lakian a quote about the federal crime bill. It was Mitt Romney who said: This legislation isnt perfect. But if we think were going to go to Washington and only vote for things that are perfect, I think wed be making a big mistake. This bill is a big step forward. (Correction, The Boston
Globe, 8/28/94)

Romney Said He Supports The Ban On 19 Assault Weapons Included In The

Bill...
(Scot Lehigh, Kennedys Rivals Say Crime Bill Was Too Weak For Them, The Boston Globe, 8/13/94)

Romney Criticized Republican Opponent, Defended Ted Kennedys Support For Crime Bill. Lakian, who denounced the crime law as ineffective and costly to local communities, criticized Romneys support for the measure. But Romney countered, There is nothing dishonorable or un-Republican to vote for that just because Ted Kennedy supports it. (Scot Lehigh and Frank Phillips, Romney, Lakian Debate Crime, Tax And Abortion, The Boston Globe,
9/7/94)

 Romney Later Blamed Kennedy For Watering Down A Perfectly Good Bill.

Mitt Romney charged that Kennedy had helped water down a tough [crime] bill to the point where it should not have been passed. I think the House did the right thing in saying, Lets fix this bill, Romney said of the Houses 225-210 decision not to bring the $33 billion conference committee bill to the floor for a vote. ... Romney blamed Kennedy for what he saw as flaws in the bill. What was a perfectly good bill when it came out of the Senate was taken into the conference committee and, behind closed doors, Ted Kennedy made some big mistakes, Romney said.
(Scot Lehigh, Kennedys Rivals Say Crime Bill Was Too Weak For Them, The Boston Globe, 8/13/94)

In 1994, Romney Backed Assault Weapons Ban And Brady Bill, Boasting Thats Not Going To Make Me The Hero Of The NRA. [Romney] said he will take stands that put him at odds with some traditional ultra- conservative groups, and cited his support for the assault rifle ban and the Brady gun control law. Thats not going to make me the hero of the NRA, he said. I dont line up with a lot of special interest groups.
(Andrew Miga, Mitt Rejects Right-Wing Aid, Boston Herald, 9/23/94)

Romney In 1994: 5-Day Waiting Period Wont Have Massive Effect On

Crime But ... Will Have A Positive Effect. The candidate reiterated his support for an assault weapons ban contained in Congress crime bill, and the Brady law which imposes a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases. I dont think (the waiting period) will have a massive effect on crime but I think it will have a positive effect, Romney said. (Joe Battenfeld, Herald Panel Grills Romney On Crime, Boston Herald,
8/1/94)

Today, Romney Maintains Support For Assault Weapons Ban. I know the NRA does not support an assault weapon ban, so I dont line up on that particular issue with the NRA, neither does President Bush. He likewise says he supported an assault weapon ban. (ABCs
This Week, 2/18/07)

Romney Says Because Of Instant Background Checks, Brady Bill Not

Week, 2/18/07)

Needed. Today we dont have the Brady Bill because we have instantaneous background checks, thats no longer an operative or needed measure. (ABCs This

As Governor, Romney Quadrupled Gun Licensing Fees And Vowed Not To Chip Away At Tough Gun Laws
Romney, In 2002: We Do Have Tough Gun Laws In Massachusetts. I Support Them. I Wont Chip Away At Them. I Believe They Help Protect Us And Provide For Our Safety. (Gubernatorial Candidates Debate, Springfield, MA, 9/24/02) Gun Owners Action Leagues James Wallace Called Romneys Action A Tax On All Gun Owners. James Wallace, spokesman for the Gun Owners Action League, said his organization considers the state firearm registration fee which Romney proposes raising ... to be a tax on the 200,000 state residents who hold firearm identification cards.
(Joanna Weiss, Romney Proposals On Fees Draw Fire, The Boston Globe, 2/28/03)

Wallace: Its a tax on an individuals right to bear arms in Massachusetts ...

Basically, were being robbed.
Taxes, The Associated Press, 2/27/03) (Ken Maguire, Governor Says Proposed New, Higher Fees Are Not

Gun Fees During Romneys Tenure As Governor Skyrocketed From $25 To $100. Also drawing criticism is quadrupling of fees charged to gun owners this year. Under the budget, fees will rise from $25 to $100 for both a firearms identification card and a license to carry firearms, which are required by state law. (Casey Ross, Fee Hikes More
Than Nickels And Dimes, The Patriot Ledger, 7/9/03)

The Fee Increases, Will Make Massachusetts One Of The Most Expensive Places In The Nation To Own A Gun (Casey Ross, Fee Hikes More Than Nickels And Dimes, The Patriot Ledger,
7/9/03)

The Romney Gun Fee. Lawmakers, besides approving about $80 million in fee hikes proposed by the governor -- including the gun fee, which they raised from the $75 floated by the governor -- tacked on another $74 million of their own. (Shaun Sutner, Fee Foes
Begin Giant-Sized Fight In Legislature, Telegram & Gazette, 7/29/03)

Romney Raised Gun Licensing Fee By 400 Percent. Gun owners [are] upset that the cash-strapped Legislature and Romney administration raised the [firearms license] renewal fee from $25 to $100 in this years budget. (Lane Lambert, Gun Permit Renewal Delays
Frequent, The Patriot Ledger [Quincy, MA], 9/17/03)

In 2004, Romney Signed Permanent State-Level Ban On Assault Weapons Romney Signed State-Level Assault Weapons Ban That Was Mirrored After Federal Assault Weapons Ban. [P]erhaps the most significant gun legislation Romney signed as governor was a 2004 measure instituting a permanent ban on assault weapons. The Legislature mirrored the law after the federal assault weapons ban, which was set to expire. According to activists at the time, the bill made Massachusetts the first state to enact its own such ban, and Romney hailed the move. ... [T]he NRA and many local affiliates do not support assault weapons bans, arguing that the arms are rarely used in crimes and have a legitimate purpose in hunting, target shooting, and self-protection.
(Scott Helman, Romney Retreats On Gun Control, The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)

Romney: These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense ... They are
instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people. (Scott Helman, Romney Retreats On Gun Control, The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)

Gun Owners Of Americas Erich Pratt: Romneys Assault Weapons Ban Was Draconian. [Romney] signed a draconian ban on common, household firearms that are owned by millions of americans across the nation. (Erich Pratt, Will The Real Romney Please Stand
Up? Human Events Online, www.humanevents.com, 1/22/07)

In April 2007, Romney Said He Would Consider Supporting Renewal Of Federal Assault Weapons Ban. TOWNHALL.COMs MARY KATHERINE HAM: [Y]ou supported an assault weapons ban in Massachusetts. This [Virginia Tech] tragedy is being used to push the renewal of the federal assault weapons ban. What would your stance be if that comes up again? ROMNEY: Well, you know, the weapon used here was not an assault weapon, so Im not sure what the relevance is. ... You know, if theres a weapon that puts our police at risk, like machine guns, of course, then thats something I would, of course, consider.
(Mary Katherine Ham, Townhall.com Sits Down With Gov. Romney, TownHall.com Blog, 4/20/07)

Romneys 2003 Proposal To Divert Hunting Fees To General Fund Angered Hunters, Jeopardized Federal Aid
3

Hunters Banded Together To Oppose Romney Proposal To Divert Fees From Wildlife To General Fund. Men and women who hunt and fish in the region are banding together to oppose a proposal by Governor Mitt Romney to use money raised by hunting and fishing licenses for the states general fund. Historically, the money raised by sporting fees - what amounts to more than $8 million each year statewide - is deposited into a fund dedicated to preserving wildlife. ... Romney, however, has proposed a budget for 2004 that calls for the environmental money to be consolidated into the general fund to reduce the deficit. (Trudy Tynan, Proposal To Divert Hunting And Fishing License Fees Could Prove Costly, The Associated
Press, 2/4/03)

League Of Essex County Sportsmens Clubs Tom Walsh: This money is being
raised by us, not the general taxpayers. Its a lot of money, money we raise. It should be going right back into wildlife. (Trudy Tynan, Proposal To Divert Hunting And Fishing
License Fees Could Prove Costly, The Associated Press, 2/4/03)

Romney Proposal Jeopardized Federal Aid For Wildlife. A proposal by Gov. Mitt Romney to divert more than $1.3 million in hunting and fishing license fees and federal wildlife funds into the cash-strapped states general fund could cost Massachusetts millions of dollars in federal aid, U.S. wildlife officials said. (Trudy Tynan, Proposal To Divert Hunting
And Fishing License Fees Could Prove Costly, The Associated Press, 2/4/03)

Federal Aid Requires State License Fees To Be Used Solely For Fish And Wildlife Agency. The federal money comes from the states share of federal excise taxes on guns, fishing tackle and motorboat fuels ... Under the programs, which date back to the 1930s, states must agree to use hunting and fishing license revenue solely for their fish and wildlife agency ... States are also prohibited from using the lands acquired for wildlife protection for other purposes... (Trudy Tynan, Proposal To Divert Hunting And Fishing License Fees Could
Prove Costly, The Associated Press, 2/4/03)

Romney Forced To Correct Record that He Hunted Only Two Times In His Life And Does Not Own A Gun
In January 2006, Romney Said He Owned A Gun, Then Two Days Later Admitted He Did Not Romney Told Conservative Glenn And Helen Show That He Owned A Gun. I have a gun of my own, I go hunting myself... (Glenn And Helen Show,
glennandhelenshow.com, 1/10/07)

Romney Appealed To Gun Owners For Support, Claiming To Be One Of

Them. [Romney said] he hopes states would continue to ease regulations on gun owners, and he expressed enthusiasm for guns and hunting. I have a gun of my own. I go hunting myself. Im a member of the NRA and believe firmly in the right to bear arms, Romney said. ... He now touts his work as governor to ease restrictions on gun owners. He proudly describes himself as a member of the NRA though his campaign wont say when he joined. (Scott Helman, Romney Retreats On Gun Control, The Boston
Globe, 1/14/07)

Two Days Later, Romney Admitted That He Did Not Own A Gun. On Wednesday, Romney said on an Internet podcast, The Glenn and Helen Show, that he hopes states would continue to ease regulations on gun owners, and he expressed enthusiasm for guns and hunting. I have a gun of my own. I go hunting myself. Im a member of the NRA and

believe firmly in the right to bear arms, Romney said. Asked by reporters at the gun show Friday whether he personally owned the gun, Romney said he did not. He said one of his sons, Josh, keeps two guns at the family vacation home in Utah, and he uses them from time to time. (Scott Helman, Romney Retreats On Gun Control, The Boston Globe, 1/14/07) Romney Declined Comment On Whether Or Not He Still Supports Tough Gun Laws In January 2007, Romney Refused To Say If He Still Supports Gun Control Laws. Romney says he still backs the ban on assault weapons, but he wont say whether he stands by the Brady Bill. And after the gun show tour, his campaign declined to say whether he would still describe himself as a supporter of tough gun laws. (Scott Helman,
Romney Retreats On Gun Control, The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)

Romney Later Admitted He Has Been Hunting Only Twice In His Life Once Nearly Fifty Years Ago, Once At Fenced Game Preserve On 2006 Retreat For Political Donors. [T]he former Massachusetts governors hunting experience is limited to two trips at the bookends of his 60 years: as a 15-year-old, when he hunted rabbits with his cousins on a ranch in Idaho, and last year, when he shot quail on a fenced game preserve in Georgia. Last years trip was an outing with major donors to the Republican Governors Association, which Romney headed at the time. (Glen Johnson, Romney Calls Himself A
Longtime Hunter, The Associated Press, 4/5/07)

Romneys Recent Hunting Experience: RGA Quail Hunt In Sea Island,

Georgia. According to his campaign, Romney spent a summer as a 15-year-old hunting rabbits in Idaho and didnt hunt again until last year, when he attended a quail hunt in Sea Island, Ga., sponsored by the Republican Governors Association.
(Scott Helman, Romneys Record On Guns Questioned, The Boston Globe, 4/5/07)

After Professing He Owned A Gun, Romney Admitted The Gun Was Not His But Maintained He Went Hunting From Time To Time. Asked by reporters at the gun show Friday whether he personally owned the gun, Romney said he did not. He said one of his sons, Josh, keeps two guns at the family vacation home in Utah, and he uses them from time to time. (Scott Helman, Romney Retreats On Gun Control, The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)

Even Romney Acknowledges That The Single Gun In One Of His Homes
Isnt His; It Belongs To His Son.
(Editorial, Modified Mitt, Lowell Sun, 2/22/07)

[Romney] Does Not Own A Firearm, Despite Claiming To Earlier This Year.
(Glen Johnson, Romney Defends Lack Of Hunting License, The Associated Press, 4/7/07)

Romney Joined NRA For A Few Months Before Forming Presidential Exploratory Committee
Romney Brags About NRA Membership But Didnt Join Until August 2006 Romney Bragged About Being Member Of The NRA. Im a member of the NRA and believe firmly in the right to bear arms. (Glenn And Helen Radio Show, www.glennandhelenshow.com,
1/10/07)

Romney Later Revealed He Didnt Join NRA Until Last August, Just Before Presidential Campaign Began.

Mitt Romney, who has touted his support of gun owners since launching his presidential campaign, yesterday acknowledged he did not become a member of the National Rifle Association until last August, campaign officials said. (David Abel, Romney Joined NRA In August, The
Boston Globe, 2/19/07)

Romney Explains He Signed Up For Lifetime NRA Membership In August 2006 Because Im After The NRAs Endorsement. ... If Im Going To Ask For Their Endorsement, Theyre Going To Ask For Mine. Expressing familiarity with and support for gun rights is key among Republican presidential contenders ... It helps explain why Romney joined the NRA last August, signing up not just as a supporter but a designated Lifetime member ... Romney told a Derry, N.H., audience, Im after the NRAs endorsement. Im not sure theyll give it to me. I hope they will. I also joined because if Im going to ask for their endorsement, theyre going to ask for mine. (Glen Johnson, Romney Calls
Himself A Longtime Hunter, The Associated Press, 4/5/07)

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