Heston Campaigns for Gun Candidates (good photo)

AP ^ | Oct 23, 2002 | AP

[jern]

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Aging and suffering from Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites), National Rifle Association president and actor Charlton Heston launched a two-week campaign tour for candidates who support gun rights.

AP Photo

Heston spoke Monday to a crowd of about 700 in New Hampshire as part of the NRA's "Vote Freedom First" campaign.

He held a rifle in front of him, then uttered to the roaring crowd his famous line, "From my cold dead hands."

Heston, president of the NRA since 1998, announced in August that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His speech in Manchester on Monday was one of 12 scheduled campaign stops in key states in the next two weeks.

"It is an honor to me to stand here in front of you all and be received as generously as you have done not only tonight but through the years," Heston said.

On Tuesday, Heston held a similar rally in Joplin, Mo.

The 78-year-old actor is urging his audience to vote for candidates who support Second Amendment rights and to persuade others to vote for those candidates as well.

Many in the audience cried during Heston's speech in New Hampshire.

The actor announced in a taped message in August that his doctors had diagnosed symptoms of the neurological disease, which causes memory loss so severe in advanced cases that people can no longer recognize close friends or loved ones.

His most prominent role recently has been as president of the NRA. His term ends in April 2003.

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On the Net:

Alzheimer's Association: http://www.alz.org

National Rifle Association: http://www.nra.org

[ConservativeDude]

Please God bless your servant, Charlton Heston.

[PISANO]

Chuck Heston.....last of the BEST of Hollywood conservatives, God Bless you!

[cthusker77]

Good for Chuck! I recently read his biography ("In the Arena") which proved what I believed about him in the first place. I do admire him even more than I used to in part due to his stand on the issues. I admire him more for his grace and determination during this rough time in his life. Talk about class! He's one "star" I would love to meet. He is so down-to-earth and decent. He doesn't think of himself as a "star" though. He's just a good guy!

[Ronaldus Magnus]

I saw him last night at the Milwaukee rally. The man is truly an American hero.

[RicocheT]

Ditto on the Milwaukee rally. He is a great man, but now very frail. God bless him and his family.

[Defiant]

Heston ought to go to New Jersey and tell the voters there that he is still sharper than Lautenberg.

[no dems]

What percentage of votes for conservative, 2nd Amendment candidates do you think his appearances are good for? In these close elections even 1 or 2 percent increase as a result of this tour by Mr. Heston could be the deciding factor.

[no dems]

What percentage of votes for conservative, 2nd Amendment candidates do you think his appearances are good for? In these close elections even 1 or 2 percent increase as a result of this tour by Mr. Heston could be the deciding factor.

[Vic3O3]

Chuck ping!

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Since Tommy Thompson is a no-show here in Wisconsin, Charleton's appearance was critical. This is going to be a low voter turn out election due to the ongoing caucus scandal so energizing the true believers is critical for victory. I think that there were well over a thousand people there last night (WISN-TV 12 claimed only a few hundred) so I anticipate some significant carry over. The real problem is the bias in our media. If Barbara Streisand came to speak for Doyle it would be on the front page of every newspaper, but Charleton's visit only made B3.

[glc1173@aol.com]

"If Barbara Streisand came to speak for Doyle it would be on the front page of every newspaper, but Charleton's visit only made B3."

Doesn't matter. Antigun politics just isn't resonating this election. Has been zero gun-related letters to the editor in area "mainstream" daily (Greensboro News & Record) here in North Carolina, only 300 miles and light-years from Washington, since the "snipers" started doing their thing.

HCI is getting nowhere in its attempts to exploit what most all Americans more than 150 miles from the Washington Monument see as a purely faraway true-crime story of weirdo crime in a weirdo place that might as well be Pluto - just like the Hillside Strangler was in Kalifornia to the average North Carolinian at that time.

GUN REVIEWS free from ad-money bias - emphasizing woman-friendliness of tested guns!

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Doesn't matter. Antigun politics just isn't resonating this election.

I hope you are right. I'm just worried that this extreme anti-gun politician is going to get away his pre-election claims of being gun friendly.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Doesn't matter. Antigun politics just isn't resonating this election.

I hope you are right. I'm just worried that Jim Doyle, an extreme anti-gun politician, is going to get away his pre-election claims of being gun friendly and be elected as Wisconsin's governor.