On Wisconsin trip, Cheney blasts Kerry's guns record
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. - In a state where guns and hunting matter, Vice President Dick Cheney chastised Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Thursday as a phony hunter who pulled an "October disguise" to try to hide his record on gun owner rights.
Kerry, locked in a close race with President Bush in Wisconsin, went hunting Thursday morning in Ohio and said he shot a Canadian goose.
"The senator bought a new camouflage jacket for the occasion, which makes you wonder how often does he go hunting," Cheney told a rally of more than 500 sign- and flag-waving supporters, who roared with laughter.
The vice president called Kerry's new hunting jacket an "October disguise" in an effort to hide "that he votes against gun owner rights every chance he gets."
"My fellow sportsmen, this cover-up is not going to work. You and I know that the Second Amendment is more than just a photo opportunity," said Cheney, referring to the amendment's right to bear arms.
Wisconsin is about four weeks away from its nine-day deer hunting season, a deep tradition that attracts some 700,000 hunters into the fields and woods during the opening weekend.
As Republicans and Democrats vie for Wisconsin's crucial 10 electoral votes, candidates have peppered the state with visits.
