John Kerry Takes Aim At The Second Amendment
By Ron Marr (09/13/04)
If one were to believe the most recent hyperbola emanating from the mouth of John Kerry, you would receive the impression that he is a cross between Wyatt Earp and Buffalo Bill. In an effort to further show us he is a “guy’s guy,” and the “friend of the sportsman,” the Senator from Massachusetts has taken to expounding on his lifelong adoration of firearms and his prowess as a hunter.
This cloud of hot air is really not surprising, coming as it does from a man who has reversed his position on American involvement in Iraq half a dozen times in six months. The truth of the matter, as reflected in his voting record, is that John Forbes Kerry is one of America’s foremost advocates of the most draconian sort of gun control and confiscation. When it comes to support of Second Amendment rights, Kerry is far more akin to Rosie O’Donnell than he is Annie Oakley.
Before we get into facts, let’s allow Kerry to speak for himself. Wishing to endear himself to Pennsylvania hunters – and hopefully con them into voting Democrat – Kerry told a post-convention audience that "I've been a hunter since I was about 12 years old, and I went through the whole progression, you know, BB gun to 22s to 30-30, you name it."
In addition, this past Labor Day, Kerry addressed a Racine, W. Va. audience while waving about a Remington 11-87 shotgun that was a gift from a representative of the Mine Worker’s Union. “I thank you for the gift, but I can’t take it to the debate with me,” joked Kerry.
Apparently Kerry conveniently forgot that the shotgun he held over his head would have been banned under a bill he co-sponsored just last year. Senate Bill 1431 (“The Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003”) would have banned a "semiautomatic shotgun that has a pistol grip.” That Remington which Kerry treated as a cherished friend would have been illegal in America had his beloved bill become law.
Under S. 1431, almost all shotguns would be banned, due to the vague language of “pistol grip” which was purposely included in the bill’s wording. According to S. 1431, “pistol grip” is loosely defined as “a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip."
In other words...every gun in America.
Worse, in their ardor to help put a liberal in the Oval Office, even the Union of Mine Workers conveniently ignored the following historical tidbit of the Kerry record. In 2003, the UMW pleaded with Kerry to support Senate Bill 659, which would have put an end to frivolous lawsuits against gun makers. They knew, if the bill was defeated, manufacturing jobs would be lost all over America.
Kerry was not such a lover of firearms back then. He wholly ignored the wishes of the Mine Workers and voted against the bill. Are voters to believe that, in 2004, Kerry experienced an epiphany, undergoing a philosophical 180 and tossing away the anti-gun voting record and public pronouncements of two decades?
If so, would they like to buy a bridge in Brooklyn?
There should be no doubt in the minds of firearms owners that John Kerry will say anything to get a vote. He may support your gun rights today, but if elected President you can bet your 12 gauge he would betray them tomorrow. Kerry is both anti-gun and anti-hunting; his claims of empathy and kinship with supporters of the Second Amendment are out and out lies. The truth is this:
• John Kerry has the highest rating on the Humane Scorecards sponsored jointly by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Fund for Animals. Radically against ALL hunting, the “HSUS” has written that “sport hunting – the killing of wild animals as recreation – is fundamentally at odds with the values of a humane, just and caring society.”
• John Kerry has pontificated that the Second Amendment applies only to state sponsored militias. In a press release he supported the view that “There is no personal constitutional right, under the Second Amendment, to own or use a gun.” Kerry has further stated that he is in favor of federal gun control. He has supported 14 day waiting periods, has called for “strict licensing” on both the federal and state level, and offers stringent cries for closing the fictional “gun show loophole.”
The latter, under Kerry’s hue and cry against gun ownership, would have prevented him from accepting the “gift” of the Remington 11-87 he so proudly wielded in West Virginia.
• John Kerry was awarded an “F” rating by the NRA, and won a “0%” rating from Gun Owners of America. Happy with this position. Kerry stated “I don’t want to be the candidate of the NRA in this country.” (note to the candidate...don’t worry, you won’t be).
• John Kerry is the preferred candidate of billionaire Andrew McKelvey's “Americans for Gun Safety.” Having been stopped at the polls in 2000, Americans for Gun Safety opted for the new strategy of confusion and obfuscation. They have supported candidates who publicly embrace the Second Amendment, but renege on their forked-tongue promises immediately upon gaining office.
The methodology of McKelvey’s group have seemingly been adopted across the board by radicals of the far left. The candidates championed by the fringe groups are afraid to state their own positions for all to hear, for they know such views would strike the average American as a heinous abuse of power and a confiscation of their Constitutionally protected liberties. Nowhere is this back-door strategy more evident than in the battle against law-abiding gun owners.
The unsavory, bedrock reality of the 2004 Presidential election is this. John Kerry wants to outlaw and confiscate your guns.
Have no doubt that rest of your rights won’t be far behind.
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