April 17, 2007 - Yesterday, Republican Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani held a fundraiser in Denver.

Hosted at the mansion/home of former Denver Nuggets star Kiki Van De Weghe, the event was meant as a strict money gatherer for Giuliani's frontrunner campaign.

Only one problem: Giuliani is adamantly anti-gun, with a record to prove it.

Being the first in a series of collaborative efforts between Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and the National Association for Gun Rights, we wanted this one to be a surprise (to both the organizers of the event and the attendees). Rest assured we'll let you know when there is another event.

A small number of hardcore RMGO activists met outside the Cheeseman Park mansion, where valet attendants waited for the rich (tickets were $4000+ apiece for the personal discussion) to meet with the former New York mayor.

Dressed in nice clothes, with smiles on our faces, we handed out this flyer (http://www.nagr.org/Giuliani.pdf) to the fatcats as they walked in.

Thinking we were part of the event staff, they happily took the flyer as we said "If you care about your right to own firearms you'll want to see the incredible anti-gun record of Mayor Giuliani's."

Responses always vary, but few refused the flyer.  Even John Elway read it, and seemed to be shocked by the label of "Liberal" on a Republican.

Friends, this kind of thing hurts politicians. It's extremely demoralizing to a politician and their staff when people aren't fawning all over them, trying to shake their hand, get a picture with them, and "get access" to someone with the kind of star power a frontrunner for president generates.

Even more effective is the affect this kind of activity has on politicians and political operatives who attend these events. They see an organized group going after someone who could become the next President of the United States. If a group has the guts to go after someone with that kind of power, they certainly will go after a State Legislator who votes wrong. It can do nothing but improve their behavior.

I like to call these events "Accountability Activities". Hold politicians accountable, and it's remarkable what we can accomplish.

Undoubtedly, this pressure (remember, they are in a battle to secure the Republican nomination, where being a conservative is the only thing that counts) will make them lie. Hours after the Virginia Tech shooting, Sen. John McCain (who may be more anti-gun than Giuliani) issued a statement saying this tragedy had not changed his mind on guns. Clearly, his campaign people saw the tragedy as a way to position McCain closer to gun owners, who can have an inordinate sway over who becomes the GOP nominee. But it's all a farce, as McCain's long record on guns reveals.

Of course, there are groups out there who will provide cover for these politicians. We'll try to tell you when that happens, but you'll need to apply a lot of your own discernment.

This election season you're going to be told a lot of things that simply aren't true.

One thing you're sure to hear from every Republican candidate is "I support the Second Amendment."  Don't let that statement stand on face value.