NRA backing Fred Thompson?

Interesting Observation about how the NRA may have a candidate it can back without reservations/doubts

One powerful organization that may breathe easier at news of a Thompson bid is the National Rifle Association. Each of the “big three” Republican presidential frontrunners has a glaring flaw in the eyes of the organization, although the group has not sought to emphasize its disagreements with the trio.

As governor, Mr. Romney pledged to continue his state’s “tough gun laws,” which he praised for providing public safety. As a candidate for Senate in 1994, Mr. Romney supported the Brady bill, which imposes a five-day waiting period on gun sales and a ban on certain assault weapons. And as a gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Mr. Romney received a “B” grade from the organization. He only joined the NRA last year, and as of January, he did not own a gun.

Not to mention his dissembling about being a hunter "all his life" when he went once when he was 15 and once at a fundraiser and thats it.

[The Rest of the Story]

For much of Senator McCain’s career, he accumulated a pro-gun record, but the Arizona lawmaker twice co-sponsored legislation that would regulate gun shows more strictly, which the NRA opposed.

Mayor Giuliani faces the difficult task of overcoming a career-long position favoring various gun control laws. In an early campaign appearance with the radio talk show host Sean Hannity, Mr. Giuliani indicated that he would not support New York City’s gun laws on a national scale: “Yes, I mean, a place like New York that is densely populated or maybe a place that is experiencing a serious crime problem … maybe you have one solution there and in another place, more rural, more suburban, other issues, you have a different set of rules.”

But to the NRA, Mr. Giuliani’s stance means that the Second Amendment can be violated, so long as it is only on the local level — an unacceptable compromise.

By comparison, Mr. Thompson’s relationship with gun-rights groups is sterling. A 2000 report from a campaign-finance watchdog group, Common Cause, found that the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and the Georgia Gun Owners PAC donated $188,954 to Mr. Thompson between 1993 and 1999; the groups donated more only to Dr. Frist. (Mr. Thompson was elected in a special election in 1994.)

Courtesy of Carry On America blog