Actually, Romney has never banned guns. He was not yet in office and so did not sign the permanent 1998 MA AWB into law.
If you actually examine his record it is clear Romney signed no anti-gun bills while he was Gov. of MA 2002-2006.
What is known today as the highly restrictive gun control laws in MA were passed in 1998 by the Massachusetts legislature. It included MA’s assault weapons ban (MGL Chapter 140, Section 131M) that was more restrictive than the 1994 Fed AWB.
Here’s the entire 1998 CHAPTER 180 AN ACT RELATIVE TO GUN CONTROL IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MA
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/1998/Chapter180
If you actually read the law it is clear that this ban did not rely on the federal language, was not tied to the federal AWB and contained no sunset clause. The expiration of the Fed AWB in 2004 did not get rid of, or affect, MA's own permanent AWB.
MA Gun owners wanted to get rid of the ban in 2004, but did not have the votes in the state Legislature (over 85% anti-gun Democrat). When the Fed ban expired in 2004, Gun Owners’ Action League (the MA based pro-2A group) and Romney used the opportunity to amend the MA AWB by including the federal exemptions and a few other improvements that were not in the state law.
CHAPTER 150 AN ACT FURTHER REGULATING CERTAIN WEAPONS
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2004/Chapter150
If Romney did not sign that bill, the more restrictive AWB would still be in place today.
So the actual truth is, in 2004, Romney signed a bill that amended the permanent AWB and made it less strict. Some folks are misrepresenting his record and claiming that Romney signed the AWB permanently into effect and that our AWB was set to expire in 2004.
Let's look at the rest of Romney's record:
During the Romney Administration he made some early pro-gun control statements but met and worked with Gun Owners’ Action League (the Mass. based pro-2A group) and no anti-second amendment or anti-sportsmen legislation made its way to the Governor’s desk. In addition, he removed any anti-second amendment language from the Gang Violence bill passed in 2006, and signed five pro-second amendment bills into law.
Romney‘s entire record:
http://www.goal.org/newspages/romney.html
If you think Romney is the same as Obama than you must really like Obama's Fast and Furious and the subsequent cover-up (the biggest criminal political scandal in American history), registering gun purchases in the four southern border states, promoting the UN Gun Ban Treaty, appointing two anti-RKBA Supreme Court Justices and appointing 125 anti-RKBA liberals to federal judgeships, including 25 to appellate courts.
If this is "avoiding gun control in order to get re-elected" than imagine what he'll do if he gets a second term. In the very least, more regulations and executive orders governing every aspect of gun and ammo ownership and commerce. In addition, a Democrat Senate would likely sign on to the UN Gun Ban Treaty, lots more proposed gun control legislation and anti-gun judges and up to four more anti-gun Supreme Court justices.
Romney earned a B from the NRA and Obama an F. Romney's record and position on the RKBA is much better than Obama.