On Tuesday, Mitt Romney was the headline as he addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. And he also took a moment to address last week's headline...the tragic theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
"The loss of four Americans who served our country only adds to the tragedy of that day," he said to the crowd of nearly 6,000. "All Americans are grateful for their service. We mourn them and we will remember them."
During a one-on-one interview with Romney after the speech, he addressed the topic of gun control head on.
"I think people will politicize what happened in Colorado, but a law won't change the outcome there," he said. "But we all know a law won't change the outcome there. There was a shooter there who had ..in his apartment, bombs which is illegal. But the fact is that that's illegal. A law doesn't keep deranged people from doing those things."
"Will it open the debate for the election?" I asked.
"For me, I'm a strong believer in the second amendment. I don't believe new laws are needed. I think we need better efforts to identify and deter people who are deranged."
I also talked with him about the close voter registration in Washoe County, which could easily swing the state of Nevada.
"What I would tell people in this county, in Reno, in this state and all across the country is that you've had four years of President Obama. He'd made a lot of promises to get the economy going, to put people to work, and to cut the deficit. But they haven't happened. If I am president of the United States, given my background in the private sector and working in government with people on both sides of the aisle I will get America working again!"
He spoke to our unemployment rate.
"We need to make sure we have programs for economic freedom, like keeping our taxes competitive, holding down the burden of regulation and getting healthcare costs down. Obamacare is just too expensive!," he said. "If we do those things you're gonna see this economy come raring back."
And he spoke to the gridlock in Washington, saying he has the experience to change that.
"I think I have to change it. You know, I was elected Governor in a state that was 87% Democratic in my legislature and we worked together to find common ground. And that HAS to happen in Washington."
Written by Erin Breen
