|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 12 September 2004 |
 |
|
 |
World |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Kerry tells Bush : 'get real,' extend weapon ban ST. LOUIS, Sept 11 (Reuters) Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said on Friday U.S. President George W. Bush's failure to fight for a renewal of a ban on assault weapons would make it easier for groups like al Qaeda to get the lethal guns. Campaigning in Missouri, where he trails Bush in opinion polls less than two months before the Nov. 2 election, Kerry said as a hunter and outdoorsman he would never try to change the Second Amendment to the Constitution giving Americans the right to bear arms. Under a 10-year ban enacted in 1994, weapons such as AK-47s, TEC-9s, and Uzis were outlawed, as were high capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. That law expires on Monday and Congress does not plan to extend it. Kerry rebuked Bush and others for "talking about the war on terror, trying to scare Americans." Vice President Dick Cheney said this week if the Democrat were elected the United States could be hit by another attack like the on one Sept. 11, 2001. Citing the 9/11 commission and other reports, Kerry said an al Qaeda training manual recovered in Afghanistan included a chapter urging followers to "come to America and buy assault weapons." "I don't think we need to make the job of terrorists any easier," the Massachusetts senator said. "But George Bush who says 'Oh, I'm for that' never asked the Congress to pass it, never pushed the Congress to pass it, never stood up, caves into the NRA (National Rifle Association), gives into the special interests and America's streets will not be as safe because of the choice George Bush is making." Kerry, a New England blueblood who served 20 years in the Senate after decorated service in the Vietnam War, has tried to appeal to the more conservative voters in important battleground states by presenting himself as a lifelong outdoorsman. In the past week, he has been photographed trap shooting in Ohio and holding a gun given to him by a supporter at a rally in West Virginia. "I mean, heavens to Betsy folks, we've had that law on the books for the last 10 years and there's not a gun owner in America who can stand up and say they tried to take my guns away," he told a town hall meeting in St. Louis. "I mean, let's get real. Let's get real." He told several hundred supporters about his pheasant hunting trip in Iowa earlier this year when he was trailing in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. "I am a hunter and I'm a gun owner and I have hunted since I was about a teen-ager and I respect it," he said. "And I'll tell you this, as a hunter, I've never ever thought about going hunting with an AK-47 or an Uzi or anything else. Never." Bush has said he would sign an extension of the assault weapons ban but he did not push for its renewal by Congress. The NRA has made killing it a top priority, and some lawmakers are fearful of crossing the politically powerful gun lobby before congressional elections. Polls show a majority of Americans support renewing the ban. "The president's position on the assault weapons ban is clear," Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said. "His (Kerry's) implication that the president is helping terrorists is just another example of a candidate who is behind in the polls and lashing out with flailing personal attacks." The NRA has not yet formally endorsed Bush's re-election bid. A Kerry aide said the senator had never been a member of the NRA because he did not agree with its policies. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
