First motocross, now shotguns: Jon Huntsman shows a moderate can be macho

Jon Huntsman meets with voters outside a gun show in Concord, New Hampshire, Sept. 3, 2011.

/ CBS/Lindsey Boerma

CONCORD, N.H. - Jon Huntsman, who has made much of the motorcycles he owns, bragged about his shotgun Saturday as he wooed gun owners in a state where the former Utah governor is counting on a breakout performance to vault him into the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

"I've been shooting guns since I was, I guess, six, when I started with a BB gun, and then a .22 when I was 12, which I still have, by the way. And then I have a shotgun, a 12-gauge shotgun," Huntsman told reporters outside Concord's Everett Ice Arena, where more than 50 gun vendors were gathered for a show and sale.

Casually dressed in a red-and-black plaid flannel shirt, Huntsman playfully emphasized the first syllable in his name as he paid a 30-minute visit to the show. "I like some of the old classics, the 30-30 classics," he said. "That's kind of the gun that won the west, so we saw some of the historic 30-30s, the old Winchesters, and that's kind of an American classic, so that's probably my favorite, coming from the West."

Huntsman may have felt a need to underscore his support for gun rights after a stumble earlier this summer when he first told conservative radio interviewer that he would not veto a ban on assault weapons, and later recanted. In a statement to talk show host Hugh Hewitt, Huntsman said he had "misunderstood the question."

Accompanied by his wife, Mary Kaye, Huntsman arrived 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. None of his supporters were visible in the crowd, but there were some for his rivals: Ron Paul (who had the most, including some members of the Free State Project), Mitt Romney, and Thad McCotter. Huntsman shook hands with them nonetheless, ignoring a handler's effort to herd him back into his SUV, so that he could shake hands with a Paul supporter. "Anytime I can get anyone's consideration, even second billing after Ron, I'll take it," Huntsman quipped.

His visit drew mixed responses. Gun vendor Mike Methe of New Hampshire said Huntsman "has a lot of qualities I'm looking for in a candidate," but Methe added that he hasn't made up his mind about whom he'll support.

Ron Paul supporter Mike Sylvia said he thought Huntsman, who has been highlighting his differences with more conservative rivals on some policy issues, was trying to counter that strategy with his gun show visit.

"I suppose it's an image thing, you know? He's trying to put forward a more conservative edge on his image. I wouldn't think of him naturally as being super-conservative," Sylvia said. "I suppose it doesn't hurt to show up, but you know, it's politics."

16 Photos

Jon Huntsman's political rise

[coin44]

I saw face the nation today. Jon Hunsman wants to close tax loopholes. fairly tax everyone. he might even require people to paying some social security tax on their incomes above $106000. or require a higher medicare tax, so we pay for these dirty entitlements, rather than destroy them.
he wants the REPUBLICAN nomination, his chances are less than OBAMA'S.

but he is a Republican who does not look to the struggling to pay our debts.

[nonpolitico]

You gotta bear in mind that ALL CANDIDATES will be POLITICIANS, and their LIPS WILL BE MOVING!!!
Not much choice for 2012, but citizens will choose low taxes, smaller government this time round!
Go figure!!

[cbsdopes]

Why are you covering this guy Huntsman? Nobody likes him except the CBS news editors! Cover Ron Paul!

[tiredofeverything]

Gotta love America.
Want to get elected as a Republican?
It's simple.
Don't need a pesky platform, just say you're pro gun and anti gay.
You'll win every time.

Anyone unemployed out there looking for work may want to give this a try.

[iamproteus]

Has Huntsman attended a gun show in the past? Last year? The year before? Ever? If not, then he is just another poser, not sincere about the gun issue, only trying to appeal to those who can't see past the end of a gun barrel and think he would be a good president because he likes guns.

[skeezix06]

Giving even a bb gun to a 6 year is a unnecessary accident waiting to happen. Huntsman's parents weren't very smart if this story is true.

[Well_You_Aint_Me]

There is nothing in this story that even hints that there was any type of accident.

Allowing a 6-year-old to practice shooting a BB gun isn't a bad thing. My own kids were taught about safety in handling even a BB gun about the same age. They were hunting with me at age 8. They went through hunter safety courses at age 12 and I hunted with them for two years.

You're just showing off your stupidity. You want to have guns banned? Move to another country. Here the Second Amendment guarantees that a U.S. Citizen who isn't a felon can own a gun.

[Myopinion046]

Don't care until it's my state's turn in the primaries. I'll give Huntsman this, he's the only candidate running that stands a halfway decent chance at getting the evangelicals that went with Obama the last time around to return to the GOP where they belong.

[web6242a]

Huntsman is by far the only GOP candidate who has the courage, and ideas, to actually stand up against the typical Republican Partisan Parroting. He actually offers solutions to problems, instead of just brainlessly demonizing of the opposition, like all the other candidates. The base however would rather elect someone who excels in sound bites and talking points. I think we would be far better served with Huntsman than all the other caricatures combined. Perry took $83,000 in Socialist Farm subsidies --- Bachmann's family got $250,000 --- Newt tried to have Clinton impeached while he was having his own illicit affair. Romney flip flops more than a flounder in a fishing boat. Ron Paul would tell the vicitims of disaster that their on their own. Huntsman however is above the fray.

[cktirumalai]

Nearly all the GOP candidates, given a crowded field, are trying to reposition themselves to stand out from their rivals. It is a tricky affair, for in the course of pleasing some you are bound to displease others. To what extent is politics a matter of inner conviction and to what extent a matter of vote-getting so that you can go on to implement at least some of the policies you believe in?

Candadai Tirumalai