NRA takes aim at Kerry

The National Rifle Association yesterday unleashed a fierce and wide-ranging attack on Senator John Kerry, the likely Democratic candidate for US president, saying he would undermine the war on terrorism and push for restrictions on gun rights in the Supreme Court and on Capitol Hill.

At the same time, leaders of the association used their annual convention to praise President George W. Bush, calling him "a shooter and a hunter" who was sympathetic to the concerns of gun owners.

In a keynote speech before thousands of cheering NRA members, Vice-President Dick Cheney drew a sharp contrast between Bush and Kerry, saying the Democrats' approach to gun ownership was "to regulate, regulate and then regulate some more".