Was Dem presidential hopeful John Kerry seen this weekend waving a gun which would have been banned if legislation he co-sponsored became law?
Kerry co-sponsored S. 1431 last year (“The Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003) which would have banned a "semiautomatic shotgun that has a pistol grip.”
Opponents of the bill successfully argued how nearly all guns have "pistol grips," inluding millions of Browning Auto-5 shotguns produced since 1903.Photos show Kerry's hand resting on the "pistol grip," as loosely defined in the bill. [Section SEC. 2; (H) (ii) and (b)(42): "The term 'pistol grip' means a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip."] Kerry was presented with the semiautomatic shotgun during a Labor Day stop in Racine, West Virginia."I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me," Kerry told a cheering crowd as he held up the device.But Kerry's gun bill would have also banned any "gift" transaction! [It is not clear if Kerry completed the required paperwork (Form 4473) before he claimed the gun.] from the drudgereport http://www.drudgereport.com/dncg.htmlink to the bill http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:SN01431:@@@Pthe bill istelf http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.1431::
