When Governor Chris Christie was running for his current position in New Jersey, he was labeled as a friend of the National Rifle Association, and a proponent of armor-piercing bullets. In response, Christie's campaign sent out news releases claiming Governor Christie "supports the assault weapons ban and all current gun laws" and that he would "toughen gun laws to fight criminals and make New Jersey safer." However, as a presidential candidate, Christie's positions seemed to have changed. Facing an increasingly conservative Republican base, Christie has made a conscious effort to shift to the right in his views on gun control measures.
"When these things involve public safety, I'm for public safety," Mr. Christie said on CBS's Face The Nation. "But if they're laws that are just going to make legislatures and governors feel better, they shouldn't be put in place and infringe Second Amendment rights."
According to the New York Times, Christie claims he's become more "aware" of the Second Amendment by traveling through the country during his campaign for the presidency. He says he has learned from the stories he has heard, and changed his beliefs over the amendment's meaning.
"He's done exactly what we hope people do when they're given the facts, and that's become more aware of the Second Amendment and more aware of people's rights," said Bob Clegg, former state senator from New Hampshire. He is in charge of the Pro-Gun New Hampshire group.
Some doubt Christie's ability to pass legislation, if elected, to ensure greater rights for gun owners. In New Jersey, after failure to pass such measures in the state legislature, Christie had to rely on executive actions. "He can't pass legislation, because you need a legislature to do that," said Senator Loretta Weinberg, a Bergen County Democrat. "Did he do an executive order and create a commission, and announce the attorney general to implement it? Oh, yeah."
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