New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie acknowledged Wednesday that he has changed his mind on gun rights, in large part because of his time as a federal prosecutor.
“What I learned in those seven years was that we were spending much too much time talking about guns laws against law-abiding citizens and not nearly enough time talking about enforcing the guns laws strongly against criminals,” Christie said on Fox News’s “Hannity.” (VIDEO: Obama Cites Communist China As The Goal For American Gun Control)
“Let me ask you about your position in New Jersey,” host Sean Hannity asked Christie. “New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. In ’95, you ran on a platform of supporting the assault weapons ban. You said that GOP opponents that wanted to appeal it were dangerous, crazy and radical. And you supported in 2009, you ran against opposing attempts to permit concealed carry laws in New Jersey. Where do you stand now, because you appear to have changed?”
“Well, listen, in 1995, Sean, I was 32 years old, and I’ve changed my mind,” Hannity replied. “And the biggest reason I’ve changed my mind was my seven years as a federal prosecutor.”
“What I learned in those seven years was that we were spending much too much time talking about guns laws against law-abiding citizens and not nearly enough time talking about enforcing the guns laws strongly against criminals,” he continued. “And I saw the difference when I did that for seven years as a federal prosecutor. I learned the difference, and I learned what the limitations are of these laws that people are talking about and how they much, much, much more greatly infringe on law-abiding citizens than they do anything to prevent crime.”
“Having learned that, my position’s changed, and quite frankly, if I had the choice now, I’d make New Jersey a state where you could have a ‘shall issue’ on conceal and carry,” Christie said. “Now our legislature won’t do that, but what I have done recently is to make sure that we’re making it easier for folks to be able to get a permit in New Jersey because they deserve the right to do that as law-abiding citizens.”