In a letter to the many prominent Americans put on the NRA’s publicly advertised “anti-gun” list, Kerry said,  “The NRA’s blacklist is the modern day equivalent of Richard Nixon’s enemies list. This blacklist is precisely the politics of division and distortion that have turned too many people away from participating in the process. We can’t let the NRA scare people into silence.  I know what it’s like to be targeted by the NRA, and I refuse to sit idly by during my campaign for the presidency while they push their divisive agenda on America and slander those who stand up for gun safety.”

Kerry also promised to continue his fight for gun safety during his campaign for the presidency: “Why should those on the NRA blacklist courageously risk their livelihoods when Democratic candidates for President aren’t willing to stand up against powerful interests and risk their political capital? I believe that standing up for gun safety is important, and I refuse to be a candidate who retreats from the issue out of political fear or one who tries to have it both ways.  I’m a hunter and a gun owner, but I’ve never gone hunting with an AK-47.  I’ll stand up to the NRA when they call law enforcement officers ‘jackbooted thugs’ or stand in the way of common sense efforts to keep the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of felons and children. The Democratic Party will never be the choice of the NRA—and I’m not looking to be the candidate of the NRA.”

The full list of individuals being blacklisted by the NRA can be found on the website www.stopthenra.com  The Kerry campaign is also asking Americans to sign the petition started by the Brady Campaign and the Million Mom march and join the NRA’s blacklist. 

Here is an example of the letter:

October 30, 2003

Jerry Seinfeld
Shapira/West Associates
141 El Camino Drive, #205
Beverly Hills, 90212

Dear Jerry Seinfeld,

As I scanned the pages of the New York Times this morning, I couldn’t help but notice the new ads taken out by the Brady Campaign and the Million Mom March to stop the NRA’s assaults on mainstream American values.  As you may know, the latest of these attacks features a blacklist with your name on it.

Though it is not surprising that the NRA would publicly advertise a 19-page list of individuals, celebrities, authors, religious organizations, and businesses it describes as “anti-gun,” it certainly is infuriating.  The NRA’s blacklist is the modern day equivalent of Richard Nixon’s enemies list. This blacklist is precisely the politics of division and distortion that have turned too many people away from participating in the process. We can’t let the NRA scare people into silence. 

I know what it’s like to be targeted by the NRA, and I refuse to sit idly by during my campaign for the presidency while they push their divisive agenda on America and slander those who stand up for gun safety.

Why should those on the NRA blacklist courageously risk their livelihoods when Democratic candidates for President aren’t willing to stand up against powerful interests and risk their political capital? I believe that standing up for gun safety is important, and I refuse to be a candidate who retreats from the issue out of political fear or one who tries to have it both ways.  I’m a hunter and a gun owner, but I’ve never gone hunting with an AK-47.  I’ll stand up to the NRA when they call law enforcement officers ‘jackbooted thugs’ or stand in the way of common sense efforts to keep the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of felons and children. The Democratic Party will never be the choice of the NRA—and I’m not looking to be the candidate of the NRA.

We can stand up for safety in America and keep guns out of the hands of children and felons and still respect the Second Amendment of our nation—and if the NRA wants to blacklist us for that position, then I am ready to wear it as a badge of honor. 

If you share my feelings, I ask you to join me in my campaign for the presidency, as I stand up for the values we hold dear, and a politics that elevates—not denigrates—the public discourse in America.

Warm Regards,

John Kerry