John Kerry's position on
Gun Control: When in existence, the Assault Weapons Ban prohibited 19 different firearms such as the AK-47, Uzi, Tech 9 and Street Sweepers. On September 13, 2004, the Assault Weapons Ban expired and the Bush Administration has no interest in reinstating the Ban. Also concerning gun control, Senators handed a decisive defeat to S 1805, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which would have sharply limited liability to weapons manufacturers and distributors. The bill's support rapidly began to unravel following the passage of amendments that extended the 1994 ban on 19 semiautomatic weapons and required background checks for those purchasing handguns at gun shows. The vote was 8-90 against the bill. The amendments, initially hailed as a huge victory for gun control advocates, put lawmakers from both parties in conflicted positions.
Description of the Candidate's Position: As an avid hunter, Kerry supports the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, but he realizes that hunters don't need or use assault weapons, noting that criminals and terrorists do use those types of weapons. Kerry was strongly opposed to letting the assault weapons ban expire. Kerry would reauthorize that ban and supports John McCain's legislation to close the gun show loop hole. Kerry also wants to crack down on the illegal trafficking of guns through new federal efforts by enforcing gun laws and creating a new regional task force of U.S. Attorneys to battle the interstate trafficking of guns. Kerry states that Bush has failed to enforce 20 of the 22 federal gun laws. Kerry has proposed a Sportsman's Bill of Rights that would protect hunters' rights to own and bear firearms such as rifles and shotguns.
Quotation from the Candidate: "As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our hunting and fishing tradition. Hunters and anglers are great contributors to our communities as well as our economy. That is why I created a Sportsmen's Bill of Rights which details my commitment to the Second Amendment and to ensuring sportsmen have access to the high-quality habitat and wildlife we need to properly hunt and fish."-Statement from Kerry on National Hunting and Fishing Day.
Assessment of the Proposal:
Positive: The Center for Responsive Politics supports Kerry's views on gun control and believes in the Second Amendment. What they don't believe in is the right to own military-style firearms that are otherwise known as assault weapons. They point to incidents such as the Columbine high school massacre in April 1999 in support of banning assault weapons. They also support measures intended to curb gun-related violence, such as mandatory child safety locks, background checks on those wishing to purchase a gun, limits on the number of guns a person can buy and raising the age limit for gun ownership, all of which Kerry also believes in.
Negative: The National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action believes that Kerry has a hidden agenda behind his firearms voting record. The NRA-ILA states that even though Kerry has set in motion the Sportsman's Bill of Rights and affirms that he believes in the Second Amendment, Kerry believes in nothing of the sort. The site states that Kerry's wife has given a small fortune to the Tides Foundation and their anti-gun rights schemes. Kerry's wife aside, the site argues that his record on words and misdeeds has earned him a key place among the most solid "F" candidates ever rated by the National Rifle Association. "For his long history of anti-gun rights votes and positions, he consistently receives a 100-percent rating from the Brady Campaign (Handgun Control Inc.), the American Bar Association's Special Committee on Gun Violence and from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (formerly the National Coalition to Ban Handguns). All of these groups deny the existence of an individual right to keep and bear arms, and some are actively using the courts in an attempt to destroy Americans` Second Amendment freedoms."
Comparison: Gun control is viewed very differently between the two candidates. Concerning background checks on all gun purchases made at gun shows, Kerry supports while Bush opposes. Bush is sharply opposed to requiring a safety course and license before any gun purchase, an issue Kerry is in support of. While Kerry supports allowing lawsuits against gun manufacturers, Bush strongly opposed the notion. Kerry would like the reimplementation of the Assault Weapons Ban; the same ban President Bush let expire on September 13, 2004.
Sources:
National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action
National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action
Keeping American Families Safe, Getting Tough on Crime (Kerry website)
Jurist: Legal Intelligence for Democracy
Presidential Match Presented by AOL News
Link to Bush's Issue Page