Giuliani woos 'overboard' NRA for support

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is seeking support from the National Rifle Association, whom he once described as "overboard."

The former mayor of New York whose lawsuit challenging gun manufacturers about their liability is still before the courts is to speak Friday to an NRA meeting in Washington, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

In a 1995 interview with PBS, Giuliani said the NRA goes "overboard and "the NRA's, in essence, defense of assault weapons and their unwillingness to deal with some of the realities here that we face in our cities is a terrible, terrible mistake."

In 2000 while mayor, he filed liability lawsuits against gun makers Colt, Glock, Smith & Wesson and others, which is still before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, the report said.

Giuliani campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella told the newspaper Giuliani's record as mayor speaks for itself.

"By being tough on gun crimes and enforcing the laws on the books, New York City's murder rate was cut by 66 percent," Comella said.