Jon E. Dougherty, NewsMax.com
Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004

Whether it is a picture of him toting an M-16 assault rifle in Vietnam, or whether he's armed with a shotgun playing the avid hunter in Rural Somewhere, U.S.A., this is one Democrat who isn't afraid to lock and load.

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But what's all this gunplay about? Left-wing Democrats aren't known for their love of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And although Kerry hasn't been the biggest foe of gun rights, he hasn't been a friend either.

What's in a picture?

"At the Gunslick Trap Club in Wisconsin last month, the Massachusetts Democrat blew away 17 of 25 clay targets. On a recent flier put out by the Laborers' International Union, he's depicted as a 'lifelong hunter.' And in one of his own campaign commercials, he's pictured toting a shotgun," Washington Post columnist Jeffrey H. Birnbaum wrote Monday.

The strategy is simple enough. If you're weak on an issue, champion it – or, at a minimum, at least look as if you're its champion.

"As a life-long hunter and fisherman, I am proud to be among the millions of American sportsmen and sportswomen who are dedicated to conserving fish and wildlife and passing along the American hunting and fishing heritage to the next generation," Kerry says on his campaign's Web site. "I think I do a better job of fighting for the rights of sportsmen than George Bush does."

Not Fooled

But the nation's premier gun rights group, National Rifle Association, isn't fooled. And that's not good news for Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

In 2000, NRA got out the gun-rights vote against Al Gore and helped defeat him in such states as West Virginia, New Hampshire, Missouri, Arkansas and, most humiliatingly, Tennessee.

And its president, Wayne LaPierre, says this time around NRA is planning to be a bigger player.

"We're going to be very active," he told the Post.

LaPierre says the group will spend about $20 million this election cycle. That's about the same amount of money as four years ago, but NRA's chief says much of the money this time around will go toward targeted races and campaigns.

Also, it will be supplemented by a vast network of volunteer activists.

"Over the past two years, the NRA has recruited its most energetic members and directed them to organize voters in more than 400 congressional districts nationwide," said Birnbaum.

LaPierre warns everyone not to be fooled by Kerry's gunslinger image.

He says Kerry has consistently voted against gun rights over his decades on Capitol Hill, a point the NRA is making in newspaper, radio and television ads around the country.

In one commercial that is already airing in toss-up states, La Pierre asks, "Senator, how can you talk out of both sides of your mouth and keep a straight face?"

Kerry's strategy has two risks: