Saturday,
April 17th, 2004. Vice President Dick Cheney addressed members
of the NRA at the organization's 133rd annual convention in Pittsburgh.
Speaking for about 25 minutes, and interrupted
by standing ovations and chants of "four more years,"
Vice President Cheney sought to emphasize the distinction between
the Bush Administration's stance on the Second Amendment and that
of Democrat hopeful John Kerry.
"John Kerry's approach to the Second
Amendment has been to regulate, regulate and then regulate some
more," Cheney said, citing John Kerry's votes against the
Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act, a bill that would have stopped
frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers, and Kerry's vote
in favor of allowing federal authorities to randomly inspect gun
dealers without notice.
Cheney emphasized the Bush Administration's
position that the solution to gun crime is to enforce the laws
already on the books. He noted that federal prosecution of criminals
who use guns had increased 68% under President Bush.
Cheney said the Bush Administration "understands
that the Second Amendment affirms more than a symbolic principle."
President Bush, he continued, "has shown you respect, earned
your vote, and appreciates your support."
Many NRA members are concerned about the
possibility of the renewal of the 1994 Clinton "assault weapons"
ban, an issue that Mr. Cheney did not adddress. While President
Bush said during his 2000 campaign that he would sign a renewal
of the ban "if it reached his desk," most in Washington
expect congressional Republicans to keep any bill renewing the
ban from coming up for a vote.
Meanwhile, John Kerry's campaign shot
back, saying that Kerry ""is a lifelong hunter, supports
the Second Amendment and will defend hunting rights." Kerry
campaign officials, however, were unable to point to any part
of the Second Amendment that mentions hunting.
The Kerry campaign further stated that
Bush and Cheney were "breaking their promise to renew the
assault weapons ban." The Kerry press release went on to
say that "most voters don't know that (Bush and Cheney) are
standing against major police organizations and breaking their
promise to renew the assault weapons ban - which helps keep military-style
assault weapons out of the hands of criminals and terrorists."
The Senate voted March 2, the day of the
Super Tuesday primaries, to extend the ban by 10 years, and to
add more restrictions and ban more guns than the original 1994
law. Kerry left the campaign trail to return to Washington to
vote for the extension, one of the few times he has shown up in
the senate to vote since announcing his candidacy. Because of
the attachment of the assault weapons ban to S 1805, the Lawful
Commerce in Firearms Act, supporters of S 1805 were forced to
kill the bill entirely.
In a telephone interview with the
Washington Post, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said
that while the organization has differences with Bush, most members
"still consider him a friend." The Post further reported
that LaPierre said Senator John Kerry is "probably the most
anti-Second Amendment candidate in the country's history,"
and would "go after every semi-automatic firearm in the country."
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