WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani says he reshaped his views on gun ownership after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when Giuliani was mayor of New York, put a "whole different emphasis on what America has to do to protect itself," Giuliani told the National Rifle Association Friday in Washington.
Giuliani, who once likened the NRA to extremists, defended his past advocacy of tougher gun laws while affirming the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Giuliani said he faced different challenges fighting crime in New York City a decade ago and now opposes new restrictions on gun ownership. Giuliani Friday called for a "a renewed emphasis on the Second Amendment," which guarantees the right to bear arms.
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