Monday, September 27, 2004
Kerry's Chinese Assault Rifle
"My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam," Kerry tells Outdoor Life in its October issue. "I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."
NewsMax
Kerry: I Love My Illegal Chinese Assault Rifle
John Kerry blasted President Bush two weeks ago for failing to push for an extension of the assault weapons ban, saying he's never met anyone who wanted to use an AK-47 to shoot a deer.
But that was before Kerry admitted in a magazine interview that he owns a Chinese assault rifle.
The Kerry campaign stonewalled questions on their candidate's illegal gun stash, with spokesman Michael Meehan telling the New York Times only that his boss was a registered gun owner in Massachusetts.
Meehan said that Kerry had been unable to respond to questions about his banned weapon because his voice was too hoarse. The Kerry aide refused to return follow-up calls.
"It's O.K. for John Kerry to own these kinds of firearms, but it's not O.K. for John Q. Public?" complained National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.
"He certainly owes people an explanation as to why there's a double standard," Arulanandam added, noting that if the top Democrat brought his illegal assault rifle home from the war as a souvenir he could be subject to court-martial.
Kerry Blames Aides in Assault Rifle Flap
John Kerry is denying he ever told a magazine interviewer that he owned a Communist Chinese assault rifle, blaming the comment instead on campaign aides who, he insists, made the story up.
It turns out, however, that the gun quotes weren't Kerry's at all - or so he maintains, claiming now that those words were actually written by his staff, who never checked with him.
Kerry aide Michael Meehan explained to the New York Times that his boss's interview with the sports magazine consisted of a four-page written account of his hunting experience, which, the Times noted, included "long conversational answers using first-person pronouns."
Meehan said Kerry's Chinese assault rifle was actually a single-bolt-action military rifle that he "keeps as a relic" and has never fired.
If it's a relic he took home from Vietnam, however, the top Democrat may still not be off the hook.
"If Kerry brought the gun home from the war as a souvenir he could be subject to court-martial," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told the Times.
So, why did Kerry staffers impersonate Kerry for the interview? And how did they know that he had saved a gun - relic or no - from his Vietnam days?
"My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam," Kerry tells Outdoor Life in its October issue. "I don't own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle."
NewsMax
Kerry: I Love My Illegal Chinese Assault Rifle
John Kerry blasted President Bush two weeks ago for failing to push for an extension of the assault weapons ban, saying he's never met anyone who wanted to use an AK-47 to shoot a deer.
But that was before Kerry admitted in a magazine interview that he owns a Chinese assault rifle.
The Kerry campaign stonewalled questions on their candidate's illegal gun stash, with spokesman Michael Meehan telling the New York Times only that his boss was a registered gun owner in Massachusetts.
Meehan said that Kerry had been unable to respond to questions about his banned weapon because his voice was too hoarse. The Kerry aide refused to return follow-up calls.
"It's O.K. for John Kerry to own these kinds of firearms, but it's not O.K. for John Q. Public?" complained National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.
"He certainly owes people an explanation as to why there's a double standard," Arulanandam added, noting that if the top Democrat brought his illegal assault rifle home from the war as a souvenir he could be subject to court-martial.
Kerry Blames Aides in Assault Rifle Flap
John Kerry is denying he ever told a magazine interviewer that he owned a Communist Chinese assault rifle, blaming the comment instead on campaign aides who, he insists, made the story up.
It turns out, however, that the gun quotes weren't Kerry's at all - or so he maintains, claiming now that those words were actually written by his staff, who never checked with him.
Kerry aide Michael Meehan explained to the New York Times that his boss's interview with the sports magazine consisted of a four-page written account of his hunting experience, which, the Times noted, included "long conversational answers using first-person pronouns."
Meehan said Kerry's Chinese assault rifle was actually a single-bolt-action military rifle that he "keeps as a relic" and has never fired.
If it's a relic he took home from Vietnam, however, the top Democrat may still not be off the hook.
"If Kerry brought the gun home from the war as a souvenir he could be subject to court-martial," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told the Times.
So, why did Kerry staffers impersonate Kerry for the interview? And how did they know that he had saved a gun - relic or no - from his Vietnam days?
