I found out yesterday at the county convention that Sportsmen for Bush (the subgroup, not the stickers) is starting up.

Kerry has support from 42 percent of gun owners

That's bad. Real bad. Gore got about 40%, and he was better than Kerry. This assclown voted to ban .30-30 ammunition for God's sake.

John Kerry on Gun Control

Gun owner & hunter, but rights come with responsibility

John Kerry is a gun owner and hunter, and he believes that law-abiding American adults have the right to own guns. But like all of our rights, gun rights come with responsibilities, and those rights allow for reasonable restrictions to keep guns out of the wrong hands. John Kerry strongly supports all of the federal gun laws on the books, and he would take steps to ensure that they are vigorously enforced, cracking down hard on the gun runners, corrupt dealers, straw buyers, and thieves that are putting guns into the hands of criminals in the first place. He will also close the gun show loophole, which is allowing criminals to get access to guns at gun shows without background checks, fix the background check system, which is in a serious state of disrepair, and require that all handguns be sold with a child safety lock. Source: Campaign website, JohnKerry.com, "Issues" Mar 21, 2004

Democratic Party shouldn't be for the NRA

Q: Do you find it necessary to kill animals for photo-ops?

A: I don't think the Democratic Party should be the candidacy of the NRA. And when I was fighting to ban assault weapons in 1992 and 1993, Dean was appealing to the NRA for their endorsement, and he got it. I believe it's important for us to have somebody who is going to stand up for gun safety in America and make certain that we make our streets safe, our children safe, and not allow people to get assault weapons in America.

Source: CNN "Rock The Vote" Democratic Debate Nov 5, 2003

Supports assault weapons ban & Brady Bill

Q: Your views on gun safety.

KERRY: There's a story in today's Washington Post that says that Democrats are going to run away from the issue of gun safety. I don't think that we can get elected nationally if we are not prepared to stand up against powerful special interests. Too many die each year from guns. I am for the assault weapons ban. I'm for the Brady Bill.

Source: Democratic Presidential 2004 Primary Debate in Detroit Oct 27, 2003

Voted NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence.

Vote to pass a bill that would block certain civil lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors, dealers and importers of firearms and ammunition, mainly those lawsuits aimed at making them liable for gun violence. In this bill, trade groups would also be protected The bill would call for the dismissal of pending lawsuits against the gun industry. The exception would be lawsuits regarding a defect in a weapon or ammunition. It also would provide a 10-year reauthorization of the assault weapons ban which is set to expire in September 2004. The bill would increase the penalties for gun-related violent or drug trafficking crimes which have not resulted in death, to a minimum of 15 years imprisonment. The bill calls for criminal background checks on all firearm transactions at gun shows where at least 75 guns are sold. Exemptions would be made available for dealers selling guns from their homes as well as members-only gun swaps and meets carried out by nonprofit hunting clubs. Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S.1805/H.R.1036 ; vote number 2004-30 on Mar 2, 2004

Voted YES on background checks at gun shows.

Require background checks on all firearm sales at gun shows.
Status: Amdt Agreed to Y)50; N)50; VP decided YES Reference: Lautenberg Amdt #362; Bill S. 254 ; vote number 1999-134 on May 20, 1999

Voted NO on more penalties for gun & drug violations.

The Hatch amdt would increase mandatory penalties for the illegal transfer or use of firearms, fund additional drug case prosecutors, and require background check on purchasers at gun shows. [A YES vote supports stricter penalties].
Status: Amdt Agreed to Y)48; N)47; NV)5 Reference: Hatch Amendment #344; Bill S. 254 ; vote number 1999-118 on May 14, 1999

Voted NO on loosening license & background checks at gun shows.

Vote to table or kill a motion to require that all gun sales at gun shows be completed by federally licensed gun dealers. Also requires background checks to be completed on buyers and requires gun show promoters to register with the Treasury. Bill S.254 ; vote number 1999-111 on May 11, 1999

Voted NO on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks.

Vote to table [kill] an amendment to make it unlawful for gun dealers to sell handguns without providing trigger locks. Violation of the law would result in civil penalties, such as suspension or revocation of the dealer's license, or a fine. Bill S 2260 ; vote number 1998-216 on Jul 21, 1998

Prevent unauthorized firearm use with "smart gun" technology.

Kerry signed the manifesto, "A New Agenda for the New Decade":

Make America the ?Safest Big Country? in the World
After climbing relentlessly for three decades, crime rates started to fall in the 1990s. Nonetheless, the public remains deeply concerned about the prevalence of gun violence, especially among juveniles, and Americans still avoid public spaces like downtown retail areas, parks, and even sports facilities.

We need to keep policing ?smart? and community-friendly, prohibiting unjust and counterproductive tactics such as racial profiling; focus on preventing as well as punishing crime; pay attention to what happens to inmates and their families after sentencing; use mandatory testing and treatment to break the cycle of drugs and crime; and enforce and strengthen laws against unsafe or illegal guns. Moreover, we need a renewed commitment to equal justice for all, and we must reject a false choice between justice and safety.

Technology can help in many areas: giving police more information on criminal suspects so they do not rely on slipshod, random stop-and-search methods; allowing lower-cost supervision of people on probation or parole; and making it possible to disable and/or trace guns used by unauthorized persons.

Above all, we need to remember that public safety is the ultimate goal of crime policy. Until Americans feel safe enough to walk their neighborhood streets, enjoy public spaces, and send their children to school without fear of violence, we have not achieved public safety.

Goals for 2010

Reduce violent crime rates another 25 percent.
Cut the rate of repeat offenses in half.
Develop and require ?smart gun? technology to prevent use of firearms by unauthorized persons and implement sensible gun control measures.
Ban racial profiling by police but encourage criminal targeting through better information on actual suspects.
Require in-prison and post-prison drug testing and treatment of all drug offenders.

Source: The Hyde Park Declaration 00-DLC11 on Aug 1, 2000

Click here for definitions & background information on Gun Control.
Click here for policy papers on Gun Control.
Click here for a profile of John Kerry.
Click here for VoteMatch responses by John Kerry.
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"A flier from the Laborers' International Union describes the candidate as a hunter."

Oh Please this is supposed to be a serious endorsement? Any demonrat running for national office, with the exception of a very few (mostly Texan) congressmen, is pro gun control. Fact of life, end of story, stick a fork in it their done.

Well, kerry could start with providing his target (sorry for the pun) voters with lifetime supply of ammo...

They didn't even mention the .30-30 there(and almost all centerfire ammo).

S AMDT 2619 - written by Kennedy - or Kennedy's speech against the .30-30 when he introduced that.(Found at Thomas.loc.gov)

Any supporter of gun rights who votes for Kerry deserves to be disqualified from sufferage on the basis of mental incapacity.

Don't be fooled. Democrats are and will always be anti-gun. Kerry will tell every audience he faces just exactly what they want to hear.

Any nitwit who thinks a Kerry presidency would allow them to legally retain their guns is too damned stupid to be trusted with a gun.

Another ad, currently airing in the key states of Tennessee, Arkansas, West Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania. and Iowa shows Kerry appearing to doubletalk on the issue.

"There are hundreds of thousands of gun owners and hunters in those states and the gun issue is worth several percentage points on Election Day," LaPierre said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gun owners in Alabama alone would add several percentage points. We are fierce about our rights.

When younger,my kids would use the child safety locks that came with their handguns for zipper pulls and such. :)

Giving kids knowledge about firearms is the real way to keep them safe.

Let's see...lifelong gungrabbing urban politican with "F" rating from the NRA runs for a higher office and shows up in rural areas and suddenly proclaims he's an avid "sportsman" who loves to hunt. Gee, where have I seen this before?

Blagojevich may try to run, but he cannot hide from a record that qualifies him as the most ardent "gun grabber" in the U.S. House. As a congressman, Blagojevich has been relentless in his attacks on law abiding firearm owners. A review of Blagojevich's legislative record shows that a full 50 percent of the bills he sponsored were gun control bills. Few, if any of those bills targeted criminal gun use. Rather, they were aimed specifically at restricting the rights of hunters, sportsmen, and other law-abiding citizens.

Among the extremist gun control bills introduced by Blagojevich was a proposal to register ammunition sales. Another proposal would ban ownership of most of the deer rifles used by Illinois hunters. Yet another would provide federal tax dollar assistance to persons or municipalities who wished to drive gun shops and gun makers out of business by filing federal lawsuits against them. Blagojevich has stated that he is opposed to passage of a concealed carry law here in Illinois. In his arrogance, Blagojevich has attempted to impose his views on concealed carry on the 40-plus states where concealed carry is permitted. As a member of the U.S. House, Blagojevich introduced legislation that would place a federal ban on ownership of all concealable handguns -- effectively overturning state laws that allow citizens to carry defensive firearms.

On the campaign trail, candidate Blagojevich has been frantic in his efforts to paint a pretty face on his dismal gun control record. Blagojevich has even gone so far as to twist the arms of prominent, pro-gun downstate Democratic legislators into forming a bogus "sportsmen's" organization. Known as the "Illinois Democratic Sportsmen's Alliance," the organization recently distributed a campaign piece that grossly distorted the Blagojevich record on private gun ownership.

http://www.wolfhollow.org/law.html

I see Lurch has been studying Rod "I got 52% of the statewide vote in the worst GOP year ever" Blagojevich's playbook closely.

Any gun owner that would support a socialist like Kerry should ask downstaters Illinois gunowners if they regret buying the Blago kool-aid.

You know what I think of Blah-Gotch-a-Bitch.

Went out this morning (beautiful day in AL) and shot my .30-30. (Marlin 336A)...

...as well as the pre-ban M1A, Winchester Models 88 and 12, the Remington riot gun, the .38, .357, .45, and .38 Super.

Met a couple fine citizens in the process, and all-in-all enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Kerry ain't squat when it comes to defending any of our freedoms.

Semper Fi,

A few days ago someone posted a story that Ol' Horseface told. Seems he was remembering those wistful days of lying face-down in the mud on cold mornings, hunting bear with his scatter-gun. I've never hunted bear myself, but from comments I read it seems he was lying in a big pile of what them bears left in the woods.

John Kerry is promoting himself as a "lifelong hunter" and Second Amendment supporter

Second amendment supporters, especially those who have missed more votes this year than they've made by a large factor, don't drop everything on the campaign trail and rush back to DC to vote to continue infringing on the right to keep and bear arms. They also know that the Second Amendment is not primarily about killing pheasants or busting clays, although those are certainly wholesome pastimes.