See This? This is My Boomstick…

U.S. Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry holds up a shotgun presented to him at Labor Day celebrations in Racine, West Virginia, September 6, 2004. REUTERS/Jim Young

Labor Day Weekend. The symbolic end to the summer tourism season, and the symbolic beginning of the last leg of the Presidential campaign.
This past weekend found Democrat nominee John Kerry in West Virginia where he attended a picnic hosted by the United Mine Workers of America. The Senator was presented with a union-made shotgun as a gift and said, “It’s a beautiful piece. It’s a beautiful gift, Cecil, but I can’t take it to the debate with me.”
Lame jokes aside, Kerry accepted as a gift a weapon that he himself opposes. Follow…
The Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003 (S 1431), introduced before the Senate on July 17, 2003. This act, introduced by Frank Lautenberg was co-sponsored by 14 other Senators—all Democrats. S 1431 was also co-sponsored by Massachusetts Senator John Forbes Kennedy. It called for the ban of weapons following the following description. Let’s look at the provision in the bill that applies:
(H) A semiautomatic shotgun that has–
`(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
`(ii) a pistol grip;
`(iii) the ability to accept a detachable magazine; or
`(iv) a fixed magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds.
Well, the weapon Kerry received as a gift surely must not have applied, right? Well…let’s see…

Remington’s 3 ½” 11-87 Super Magnum
“While not lively, the 11-87 has the heft for making smooth, sustained swings on game such as passing geese or for taking steady aim at turkeys. For those seeking the versatility of a semi-automatic 12-ga. shotgun chambered for 3 1/2″ shells and whose loyalties lean toward the generations-old Remington brand name we say, “Your shotgun has arrived.”

More from Remington’s website
Well, that sort of clears that part up. That sucker has a pistol grip and is semi-automatic. John Kerry accepted as a gift a weapon he sought to ban just one short year ago. His campaign is telling a different story, though.
In what has become a broken record of sorts, the Kerry campaign called this revelation a lie. No, really…they did. Look at this press release they issued, courtesy of The Drudge Report:

For Immediate Release
September 7, 2004

FACTS SHOW ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LIE

Charleston, WV-John Kerry West Virginia Communications Director Amy Goodwin made the following statement today in response to misleading claims made by the West Virginia Republican Party and Bush campaign.

“Let’s do some straight shooting on the gun issue. John Kerry’s opponents are worried because he’s the first Democratic candidate to support Second Amendment gun rights and to be an avid hunter.

“The facts are clear. John Kerry opposes banning this gun and always will. John Kerry was proud to receive this union-made gun at the United Mine Workers Labor Day picnic in Racine, West Virginia.

“The Republican Party and George Bush’s campaign will stop at nothing to mislead voters about John Kerry’s record. We challenge Bush to engage in honest debates–West Virginians deserve to hear the truth.”

Well, call me crazy…but…where’s the lie? I’ve got the bill (S 1431) showing the restriction. I’ve got the weapon description showing the fact that the weapon fits the bill, so to speak. I’ve even got the trail showing Kerry as a co-sponsor of 1431.
If they’re going to say that a bunch of us are lying, they ought to at least make a half-hearted attempt to make it look good, don’t you think? I mean, there wasn’t even anything borderline.
They want to do some straight shooting? All right…here it is: The Kerry campaign is in such disarray trying to appeal to every side that it has no single idea what it believes–and neither does their candidate. To win a Presidential election, you have to have one message—and stay on that one message and ride it all the way to the polls.
Here’s the other thing about their press release that fits the pattern: the Kerry campaign doesn’t use any facts to refute the charges. They never do. The only ones misleading anybody are the Kerry campaign and they’re going after the average American voter. Truth and Senate records apparently mean nothing to them. I mean, if I can get the info on the web, anyone can.
The Freedom of Information Act is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
If you’ve noticed that Kerry’s bid for the Presidency is in free-fall, you’re not alone. There is an obvious problem with his campaign, and that’s caused yet another shake up in his staff.
With less than two months to go until the election, Kerry has brought in new staff members again–and this time, they’ve brought in people from the Clinton camp to help out. They have to at this point, because they haven’t got much time left and they’re in real danger of losing.
The President is somewhere between five and eleven points up, depending on where you get your news. The Dems got no real bump after their convention, and are now having to deal with the post-RNC glow. As a result, they’ll make up whatever they can, even when people have the facts on their side.
The actions of the Kerry campaign are those of desperate people and as the number of days draws to a close, it’s only going to get worse.
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com