Everyone probably can guess by now that I'm no Rudy fan, but I don't believe he has said that, exactly.
He said some pretty disturbing things in the 1980's through 2000, and is now saying some more positive things, but only some.
He has indicated that his lawsuit against gun makers has "taken some twists and turns" that he did not like. OK, that sounds good. But look a little further. What he does not like is that personal information is being collected and used for private lawsuits. Who could have possibly forseen that in a lawsuit of this nature?
What he has NOT said is most important of all: he has NOT backed off a bit in terms of saying he was wrong to file the lawsuit in the first place. He still agrees with the central premise of the suit: that gun makers and gun stores are responsible for what is done with guns they sell.
Similarly, he proudly points to his use of gun control to control crime in NYC as mayor, and he still believes his gun control efforts there were a major factor in reducing crime. Unlike the position he held for over 20 years, he says that he does not now want to impose NYC levels of gun control (or more) on the rest of the country. He allows that it might not be appropriate in rural Montana. Better late than never, if he can be believed.
But again, what he has NOT said is most important of all. He has not backed off an inch on the idea that his strict gun control in New York was a great and effective idea for New York.