News Keywords: LIEBERMAN NRA PRO-GUN LOBBY
Source: The Associated Press
Published: 11-02-00 1617EST Author: By BRIGITTE GREENBERG
Posted on 11/02/2000 13:33:21 PST by Free the USA
Lieberman Counters Pro-Gun Lobby
By BRIGITTE GREENBERG
.c The Associated Press
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) - On Charlton Heston's heels, Democrat Joseph Lieberman assured Wisconsin hunters on Thursday that he and Al Gore would not take away their guns if elected to the White House.
Two days ago, movie star-turned-political activist Heston had urged members of the National Rifle Association in Waukesha to ``pull the trigger on tyrants'' and vote for George W. Bush next week. Heston, NRA president, called the Nov. 7 presidential election ``the most important election since the Civil War.''
Lieberman, the first Jewish vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket, asked people not to be ``fooled'' by Heston, the former actor most famous for playing Moses.
``In a manner of speaking I'm familiar with Moses. ... You might consider Moses a friend of mine,'' Lieberman told about 1,000 people packed inside a steamy union hall. ``Charlton Heston is no Moses.''
``Al Gore and I respect the Second Amendment right to bear firearms. That's in the Constitution. No hunter, sportsperson or law abiding citizen will lose any rights they have under our proposals,'' Lieberman said.
Wisconsin is one of several states the NRA is targeting this year with time and money because of a large number of gun owners. State NRA membership has grown by 30,000 in the last year to a high of 110,000, according to the group.
Gore supports licensing future handgun buyers and expanding background checks, while Bush favors fewer restrictions on gun ownership.
Gun control is a sensitive issue for Gore with swing voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where hunting is a popular recreational sport. In recent appearances in those states, Gore has picked his words carefully.
Earlier in the campaign, he would hold aloft his proposal to require photo ID's for new handgun purchases, background checks at gun shows, a ban on junk guns and an increase in the handgun purchase age from 18 to 21. Now, he rarely spells out the restrictions he favors, but emphatically says that nothing he has proposed would interfere with the rights of hunters.
Lieberman told Wisconsin voters Thursday that he and Gore are simply ``trying to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons and stalkers,'' and children who might hurt themselves or others.
Polls in Wisconsin show Gore with either a slight edge or in a statistical tie with Bush.
Earlier Thursday at a community center in University City, Mo., another state where polls show a close race, Lieberman praised the widow of Gov. Mel Carnahan, who died last month in a plane crash. Jean Carnahan has said she will accept appointment to the office in his place if he wins Tuesday's election.
``I have been so moved by Jean's grace and strength at this hour of trial and tragedy, to go on and carry on Mel's legacy, and honestly, there is no one better who understood and shared in his vision and values and his hopes for a better life for all the people of Missouri,'' Lieberman said.
AP-NY-11-02-00 1617EST
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Source: The Associated Press
Published: 11-02-00 1617EST Author: By BRIGITTE GREENBERG
Posted on 11/02/2000 13:33:21 PST by Free the USA
Lieberman Counters Pro-Gun Lobby
By BRIGITTE GREENBERG
.c The Associated Press
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) - On Charlton Heston's heels, Democrat Joseph Lieberman assured Wisconsin hunters on Thursday that he and Al Gore would not take away their guns if elected to the White House.
Two days ago, movie star-turned-political activist Heston had urged members of the National Rifle Association in Waukesha to ``pull the trigger on tyrants'' and vote for George W. Bush next week. Heston, NRA president, called the Nov. 7 presidential election ``the most important election since the Civil War.''
Lieberman, the first Jewish vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket, asked people not to be ``fooled'' by Heston, the former actor most famous for playing Moses.
``In a manner of speaking I'm familiar with Moses. ... You might consider Moses a friend of mine,'' Lieberman told about 1,000 people packed inside a steamy union hall. ``Charlton Heston is no Moses.''
``Al Gore and I respect the Second Amendment right to bear firearms. That's in the Constitution. No hunter, sportsperson or law abiding citizen will lose any rights they have under our proposals,'' Lieberman said.
Wisconsin is one of several states the NRA is targeting this year with time and money because of a large number of gun owners. State NRA membership has grown by 30,000 in the last year to a high of 110,000, according to the group.
Gore supports licensing future handgun buyers and expanding background checks, while Bush favors fewer restrictions on gun ownership.
Gun control is a sensitive issue for Gore with swing voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where hunting is a popular recreational sport. In recent appearances in those states, Gore has picked his words carefully.
Earlier in the campaign, he would hold aloft his proposal to require photo ID's for new handgun purchases, background checks at gun shows, a ban on junk guns and an increase in the handgun purchase age from 18 to 21. Now, he rarely spells out the restrictions he favors, but emphatically says that nothing he has proposed would interfere with the rights of hunters.
Lieberman told Wisconsin voters Thursday that he and Gore are simply ``trying to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons and stalkers,'' and children who might hurt themselves or others.
Polls in Wisconsin show Gore with either a slight edge or in a statistical tie with Bush.
Earlier Thursday at a community center in University City, Mo., another state where polls show a close race, Lieberman praised the widow of Gov. Mel Carnahan, who died last month in a plane crash. Jean Carnahan has said she will accept appointment to the office in his place if he wins Tuesday's election.
``I have been so moved by Jean's grace and strength at this hour of trial and tragedy, to go on and carry on Mel's legacy, and honestly, there is no one better who understood and shared in his vision and values and his hopes for a better life for all the people of Missouri,'' Lieberman said.
AP-NY-11-02-00 1617EST
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