And he complained that President Bush was "making the job of the terrorists easier" by not pushing for a renewal of the sweeping gun control law.

"The 9/11 commission and other reports have shown that al-Qaida wanted to come into America, and in the al-Qaida manual of terror, they were telling people to go out and buy assault weapons," Kerry told a crowd in Missouri.

The top Democrat did not explain why the Assault Weapons Ban failed to protect America against the 9/11 attacks, which were executed by al-Qaida operatives armed with small knives.

Nor did Kerry say how many terrorists had been arrested and charged with violations under the Assault Weapons Ban.

Editor's note: