Kerry Questioned About His 'Chinese Assault Rifle'

CNSNews ^ | September 17, 2004 | Susan Jones, CNSNews.com Morning Editor

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CNSNews.com) - Does Sen. John F. Kerry really own a "Communist Chinese assault rifle," as he suggested in an interview in the latest edition of Outdoor Life magazine?

The Second Amendment Foundation says if the senator does own such a rifle, it wants to know where Kerry keeps it, if it is legally registered, and how he got it into the United States.

"Senator Kerry's own words once again trip him up in an apparent hypocrisy," SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb said in a press release.

"Responding to a question from Outdoor Life about whether he is a gun owner, and if so, what's his favorite gun, Kerry strongly intimates he has an assault rifle, which is illegal to own both in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C."

The Kerry quote appears on Page 82 of the October issue of Outdoor Life. He told the magazine, "My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam. I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."

Gottlieb called it another example of Kerry running on his Vietnam service history: "Now he's talking as if he's got an assault rifle stashed somewhere, while he's been railing against their ownership by other law-abiding American citizens," Gottlieb added.

Kerry supported an extension of the so-called assault weapons ban, which expired on Monday. Last week, at a campaign stop in St. Louis, he said, "As a hunter, I have never ever thought about going hunting with an AK-47 or an Uzi or anything else."

"Senator Kerry, where's the rifle?" Gottlieb asked. "In which one of your mansions are you hiding that gun? Why should it be okay for you to have a Communist Chinese assault rifle when you think nobody else should have one? And if you don't have one, why would you intimate to Outdoor Life that you do?"

Kerry has made it a point to appeal to gun owners by staging a number of gun-friendly photo-ops on the campaign trail.

[niteowl77]

I'm not sure anymore myself... I think a "one-shot and you toss it" item like an old spent LAWS tube would be OK, but - IIRC - the old bazooka (or anything else that was good for more than one go) would have to be demilled.

[Little Ray]

Buck shot doesn't have 100+ small pellets. Wouldn't get the penetration needed to kill a buck. 00 Buck has about a dozen pellets, each one about .35" in diameter - even one can inflict a non-trivial wound!
Shotgun slugs have a single projectile that weighs over an ounce!
Both slugs and buckshot are used to hunt deer.

[Kenton]

Is it really a CHICOM assault rifle, and if it is, is Kerry properly licensed to hold a class III weapon? For all we know he picked up some $100 SKS at a gun show to lie about to his friends.

If he brought a select-fire AK home and it wasn't properly licensed, that's a felony...

[fightinJAG]

Another punch line for Bush's stump speech!

[Tribune7]

ping

[fightinJAG]

Not to mention that he may be in violation og "war trophies" laws/servgice regulations. Oh, and import laws.

[Condor51]

You're correct about Deer Hunting and shotguns, however...

With all due respect, I think you 'pulled the trigger' a tad to quick on #4. Here is Kerry's quote on Deer Hunting;

"I go out with my trusty 12-gauge double-barrel, crawl around on my stomach ... That's hunting."

Now I ask, what brand of double barrel 12ga shotgun, has rifled barrels for Deer Slugs? All brands that I've seen on Davidson's Gallery of Guns are pump action or semi-auto. I could be wrong but I think Kerry's being a poser.

And if he does go crawling around on his stomach with a LOADED double-barrel 12 ga., he ain't hunting Deer - more likely for Bugs Bunny^©.

[Free Trapper]

IIRC,a grenade launcher on an AR15 is legal,you just can't have any grenades to blow gophers and prairie dogs. ;o(

[<1/1,000,000th%]

kerry has a .22 cal Winchester???

[stocksthatgoup]

A gift from chairwoman Bihn

[Free Trapper]

I think Kerry's a poser too but slugs for shotguns were around long before rifled barrels for shotguns were made.

Many slugs were shaped so the lead would contact the barrel to give it a spin somewhat like being shot out of a rifled barrel for added accuracy.

[reagandemo]

While I will agree with you on the lack of sincerity and knowledge that Kerry shows on guns and hunting in general. I must disagree with your statement on not being able to deer hunt with a shotgun. Here is Ky you are allowed to use shotguns when using slug ammunition. This is a large sabot which is very effective in close in shots 50 yards or shorter.

[FRMAG]

Just after Viet Nam I worked as a US Army Customs Inspector. At the time (circa 74/75/76) guns could be shipped back to the united states legaly if the appropriate paperwork was filed with ATF and verified by inspectors like me.

There was and I assume still is an exception for "war trophies" the major provision was that the firearm be rendered completely inoperable (Barrel welded etc)to outward appearance it was the real article only useful for the mantel.

That the firearm was inop was generaly certified by a military armorer. I saw many AK47s and related hardawre during my tour.

[R. Scott]

I never considered the SKS an “assault rifle” because it was not the weapon commonly used by assault troops.

[johnb838]

I'm curious about the deer hunting with a shotgun thing. When I was a kid I thought that was how people hunted deer. I mean isn't that why they call it "buckshot?" I remember being told, at my first meal of venison, to be a little careful so as not to bite down on a piece of shot, sort of like watching out for fishbones.

[johnb838]

Where's Theresa been lately?

Where's Tizzy been lately?

"Let'em all go naked for a while, at least the children."

[johnb838]

I thought full automatic weapons were outlawed (by Congress) in the 1930s, in one of the initial impositions of gun control, to control the gang violence of the time. Think Valentines Day Massacre.

The media relies on people not knowing the difference between full auto and semi-auto when they demagogue the RKBA issue.

It should be noted that there are kits to convert semi-auto versions into full-auto, and if the media would report the whole story clearly I would accept this as a valid counterargument.

[Condor51]

"isn't it illegal to even HAVE a functional machine gun in your house? ("assault weapon" is just a fast rifle with a long clip, while an AK-47 IS a machine gun, right?)"

No offense ok..

1. No, it's not illegal to have a functional 'machine gun' in your house in some states. However...

2. You need a Class III license, FBI background check AND the ok from your local PD chief and the transfer cost for each weapon is pretty steep IIRC. It's been this way since 1934.

3. Also there's BIG difference between a 'machine gun' and a 'submachine gun'.
   A Machine Gun would be like the Browning M2 .50 Caliber 'Ma Duce'
   A Submachine Gun would be like the Thompson 1927A-1 which fires the .45ACP or the new HK MP5 which fires a .9mm or like the UZI.

4. True 'Assault Rifles' are fully auto 'submachine' guns. They fire 'smaller' caliber bullets than 'machine guns'. (the M-16 is not a 'machine' gun, an M-60 would be as it uses a larger .308 rifle cartridge)

5. Germany invented the first true 'assault rifle' during WWII. The first one IIRC used their standard 8mm Mauser round but was uncontrollable on full auto, so they downsized the caliber.

6. The Browning BAR (30-06) is something different as it uses a standard Rifle round which 'submachine' guns typically don't. (it was Clyde Barrow's favorite weapon)

   There's also some other 'tweener's' like the M-14, it fires the .308 but in full auto is an 'assualt rifle'.

7. In any case The AK-47 IS NOT a 'Machine Gun' as it uses the 7.62x39mm cartridge. The standard Russian Battle Rifle was the Mosin-Nagant and used the big 7.62x54mm bullet

I tried keeping this short, but I think you get the gist.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Worth playing games with the story - looking up real details, or inconsistencies, etc) - as far as making fun of Kerry in the national news?

Or would the demo's merely play word games around it?

(Obviously, they are ignoring it to date!)

[Sooth2222]

I am certainly no expert, but I thought that under Federal law it (was) possible to purchase a US-built fully-automatic weapon with the payment a $500 tax (obviously more significant in the 1930s) and the recommendation of one's local chief of police. Many STATE laws additionally prohibit the ownership of fully-automatic weapons. The AK47 is full-fire only, and is NOT US-built, so an AK47 could and can NOT be owned legally anywhere in the US. If Mr. Kerry owns such a weapon he is likely in violation of a variety of state and Federal laws.