Washington – Rudy Giuliani will go before the rank and file of the National Rifle Association today, seeking support for his Republican presidential campaign from a group he once likened to “extremists” for its efforts to repeal the ban on assault weapons.
But even as the former New York mayor strives to burnish his Second Amendment credentials at the gathering in Washington, a panel of federal judges in his home town will be hearing arguments on the lawsuit Giuliani filed seven years ago aimed at punishing the nation’s gun manufacturers for violent crimes involving firearms.
Announcing the lawsuit in 2000, then-Mayor Giuliani wrote in his weekly column about issues facing the city that “this is an industry which profits from the suffering of innocent people. The lawsuit is intended to end the free pass that the gun industry has enjoyed for a very long time, which has resulted in too many avoidable deaths.”
He called the lawsuit “an aggressive step towards restoring accountability to an industry that profits from the suffering of others.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit will decide whether the lawsuit – against Colt, Glock, Smith & Wesson and others – can move forward despite federal legislation that attempted to grant immunity to the companies.
A spokeswoman for Giuliani’s presidential campaign declined to say whether he still supports the suit or the goals he laid out in 2000.
“Mayor Giuliani successfully worked to get illegal guns out of the hands of criminals in order to transform a city out of control,” said spokeswoman Maria Comella. “By being tough on gun crimes and enforcing the laws on the books, New York City’s murder rate was cut by 66 percent. The bottom line: The best way to deal with gun-related crime is to prosecute the criminals and enforce the laws already on the books.”
Like his support for abortion rights, the mayor’s earlier words on guns are likely to haunt his presidential campaign as he tries to court Republican primary voters. A recent Washington Post poll found that 57 percent of Republicans oppose stricter gun-control laws.
In a 1995 interview with PBS’s Charlie Rose, Giuliani said the NRA goes “overboard.” “The extremists on the left and the extremists on the right have essentially the same tactic,” he said.
Giuliani has worked to gradually soften his stance on guns and has sought to focus discussion of firearms laws by declaring himself dedicated to upholding the right of individuals to own weapons. But it remains unclear whether those words will be enough to win over gun-rights advocates.
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A healthy debate Five Democratic presidential candidates pledged during an AARP forum Thursday night in Davenport, Iowa, to spend more on health care and bolster retirement programs crucial to politically potent seniors.
All five pledged to protect Social Security, revamp Medicare’s prescription drug program and expand home health care programs.
Former Sen. John Edwards sounded his theme that lobbying by big drug and insurance companies has blocked efforts to expand health coverage, a dig at rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom he has accused of taking campaign money from those industries.
Clinton did not respond directly but touted her experience on working throughout her career to expand health care.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said he’d focus on preventive health care and building new efficiencies into the system.
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said he has demonstrated the ability to stand up to insurance companies.
All major candidates except Barack Obama participated in the forum before an audience of 2,300.
Organizers did not invite Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Though both are candidates, neither has an active campaign in Iowa.
