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KeepAndBearArms.com — NRA President Charleton Heston has once again done a disservice to defenders of the Real Second Amendment, this time by telling a large drive-time radio audience in Los Angeles that AK-47's and guns like them make him "nervous."
Mr. Heston was interviewed by Los Angeles talkshow host Larry Elder (KABC-AM 790, April 2, 2002 show, 5pm Hour). During the show, Mr. Elder took callers, and one of the callers asked Mr. Heston about his anti-AK47 statements made on California radio back in 1997. We received reports of the statements Mr. Heston made and are waiting for a transcript, and hopefully an audio recording, to archive a record of this latest interview, verbatim.
Following are reports from a listener who heard this report and who also happens to be affiliated with the local NRA Members Council — and from the talkshow host himself, Larry Elder.
NRA Member's Report:
"Mr. Heston stated that such firearms made him nervous, but he was not for barring ownership of them. He essentially said that firearms like the AK-47 scared him."
Larry Elder's Confirmation, sent to me personally:
"He said something to the effect that this kind of firearm makes him nervous when owned by inexperienced people, and that they possess more firepower than he feels necessary for hunting and self-defense. BUT, he would not outlaw them."
If Charleton Heston isn't for outlawing "assault weapons," why didn't he lift a finger in his own home state when they were being banned?
Pay attention to the fact that the President of the National Rifle Association holds that the Second Amendment is about hunting and self defense.
Such talk is not foreign to Mr. Heston's lips. In 1997, he said "private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate." Read that transcript below, along with what passed for a retraction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HESTON's Anti-AK47 COMMENTS FROM 1997 RADIO INTERVIEW
The following transcript is verbatim, without alteration, and includes misspellings.
VMS TRANSCRIPT
Video Monitoring Services of America, L.P.
720 Harrison Street, Suite 320
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415)543-3361
(415)543-6148
DATE May 6, 1997
TIME 8:00 - 9:00 AM (PT)
STATION KGO-AM (ABC)
LOCATION San Francisco
PROGRAM Morning Drive Time
### BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ###
### BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ###
### BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ###
Ted Wygant, anchor: Well this is very appropriate to talk with Moses as we talk about it, at least. Now let's say good morning to the man who played it so well, Charleton Heston. Good morning, sir!
Charleton Heston (Actor/NRA Board Member): And good morning to you, Mister Wygant.
Wygant: Well, we're delighted to have you with us, and we appreciate your time because you have taken on a task that I think a lot of folks might have backed away with because a lot of concern about the National Rifle Association.
Heston: Our country belongs to Hercules, doesn't it?
Wygant: Yeah, right. What made you do it? How come you want to get in the middle of this?
Heston: Well, I've, of course, been- found myself in the arena, if you will, on a number of public sector causes. I suppose starting back when I started demonstrating for civil rights back in 1961. Long before it got fashionable in Hollywood. And then the Screen Actors Guild, and the National Endowment For The Arts, and the Separate Theater Group, and so on- and then the Presidential Task force, and the Arts and Humanities. And I've been a member of- of the National Rifle Association for, oh, twenty years or more. When I was a kid in Michigan, in the Depression, I lived in a little hamlet in Northern Michigan with about, oh, a hundred houses which contained easily two hundred and fifty, three hundred fire arms of various kinds. Mostly being used for hunting, of course- food for the table. But I was asked, as is true with all of the jobs I've done. Somebody asked me.
Wygant: Well, you've got quite a task. And- and you've been named first vice president. You- you're a member of the board at-at one point, and gee, you just zipped right up.
Heston: I just was elected to the board on Saturday.
Wygant: Yeah.
Heston: It's the primary defender of the second amendment of the Bill Of Rights, which is, of course, a core document. The Bill Of Rights is right at the basis of the American idea, those wise old dead white guys that made up the country knew what they were about. And you- it is a mainstream issue. Most Americans, in fact, support the second amendment's right to bear and carry arms, and there are, as you suggest, a few extremists, and some of them are- are on the board. And we have, however, we- they elected- or re-elected in the case of Wayne LaPierre, and elected in my case and Cain Robinson's case- police chief Cain Robinson is now second vice president. We re-elected Marion Hammer as president.
Wygant: Mister Heston, could I ask you to stand by here for just a moment? We have to get to traffic, but I- I do want to continue talking with you. Could you hang in for a minute?
Heston: Yeah.
Wygant: Okay, good. Thanks.
****************
Wygant: Okay, right now let's get back to Charleton Heston talking to us from his home in Southern California. Let me ask you, you mentioned that there are some right wing folks- far right wing, still around the NRA. Are you going to try to get them off the board and out of the picture?
Heston: That- that's certainly the intention, and I think it's highly doable. Wayne LaPierre is- is a superb leader, Marion Hammer's a strong president. And I think Cain Robinson and I can provide some useful support there.
Wygant: Now the image of- of the NRA has been an organization that supports the right of people to buy any legal firearms, and, of course, you go to any- any gun store- gun shop and you see things there that are big, and brutal, and deadly, and far more than you need for- for hunting or home protection. Do you stand by- I mean, the image is...
Heston: AK-47's are inappropriate for private ownership, of course.
Wygant: Yeah, but the image is that they're- the fire power of these weapons is far more than a hunter or a homeowner would need. Why is it necessary to have those guns available anyway?
Heston: I just got through telling you. The possession- private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate.
Wygant: Right, but AK-47's one thing, but I've been in a gun shop- I've been in gun shops, and there's fire power there that doest's seem necessary and that people worry about being out there in- in the hands of, you know, potential criminals.
Heston: I'm not certain what you're point is- that there are guns available in gun stores?
Wygant: No, guns that go beyond what a hunter would need. In other words, why does the NRA support guns that have overkill? Let's put it that way. Shouldn't there be some sort of limit?
Heston: Well, for any certain time, AK-47's are entirely inappropriate for private ownership, and the- the problem, of course, is not guns held by private citizens, but guns held by criminals. And where we have failed, where the government has failed is with entirely cosmetic actions like the Brady Bill, which is meaningless. I'm not even- don't even think it should be repealed because it doesn't do anything. and it's been in- on the books for more than two years. In the course of that time, I think it is, nineteen people have been arrested, and two have been imprisoned felons with felony records for trying to purchase a firearm.
Wygant: Well, we've- we gotta- I really appreciate talking with us. It'll be interesting to see- interesting to see how you handle the public image of the National Rifle Association and those in the far right in the group. And if you don't mind, we'd like to talk to you again.
Heston: I hope we can do that.
Wygant: Alright, thanks very much.
Heston: Mister Wygant.
Wygant: Thank you. Charleton Heston from his home in Southern California, and the KGO Radio News time is 8:23.
### END TRANSCRIPT ###
### END TRANSCRIPT ###
### END TRANSCRIPT ###
When NRA members expressed upset over Mr. Heston's anti-second-amendment comments, NRA released a letter Mr. Heston wrote to a Colonel Brown. In case someone attempts to say that Mr. Heston's alleged "clarification" was genuine or even accurate, let's take a look at exactly what he said:
May 12, 1997
Dear Colonel Brown,
Thank you for asking me for a clarification of my comments in an interview on KGO radio. When I spoke of AK-47 firearms on May 6th, I was talking about the Soviet military rifle -- a fully-automatic, not a semiautomatic, firearm -- and what I thought was common knowledge. Namely, that federal law has strictly regulated the private ownership of such fully automatic firearms for 63 years.
I didn't favor a cap put on this procedure in 1986 by the United States Congress because no legally owned fully-automatic firearm has ever been used in a crime.
Regrettably, the distinction between classes of firearms is still not understood thanks to the distortions spread by the media and those who'd destroy the Second Amendment.
That's why I lobbied against the Clinton gun ban as a private citizen in 1994, and that is why I'll be honored to continue defending the Second Amendment as First Vice President of the National Rifle Association.
Sincerely,
(Signed)
Charleton Heston
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.
Compare Mr. Heston's statements, made six (6) days apart, and decide for yourself. Here are the key quotes to ponder:
May 6, 1997: "AK-47's are inappropriate for private ownership, of course. ... The possession- private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate. ... AK-47's are entirely inappropriate for private ownership."
May 12, 1997: "I was talking about the Soviet military rifle..."
Mr. Heston's "clarification" told us that a military rifle, to him, was entirely inappropriate. Now they are just scary.
Does it make sense to have the President of the largest "defender of the Second Amendment" in America talking about being afraid of firearms?
Mr. Heston was interviewed by Los Angeles talkshow host Larry Elder (KABC-AM 790, April 2, 2002 show, 5pm Hour). During the show, Mr. Elder took callers, and one of the callers asked Mr. Heston about his anti-AK47 statements made on California radio back in 1997. We received reports of the statements Mr. Heston made and are waiting for a transcript, and hopefully an audio recording, to archive a record of this latest interview, verbatim.
Following are reports from a listener who heard this report and who also happens to be affiliated with the local NRA Members Council — and from the talkshow host himself, Larry Elder.
NRA Member's Report:
"Mr. Heston stated that such firearms made him nervous, but he was not for barring ownership of them. He essentially said that firearms like the AK-47 scared him."
Larry Elder's Confirmation, sent to me personally:
"He said something to the effect that this kind of firearm makes him nervous when owned by inexperienced people, and that they possess more firepower than he feels necessary for hunting and self-defense. BUT, he would not outlaw them."
If Charleton Heston isn't for outlawing "assault weapons," why didn't he lift a finger in his own home state when they were being banned?
Pay attention to the fact that the President of the National Rifle Association holds that the Second Amendment is about hunting and self defense.
Such talk is not foreign to Mr. Heston's lips. In 1997, he said "private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate." Read that transcript below, along with what passed for a retraction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HESTON's Anti-AK47 COMMENTS FROM 1997 RADIO INTERVIEW
The following transcript is verbatim, without alteration, and includes misspellings.
VMS TRANSCRIPT
Video Monitoring Services of America, L.P.
720 Harrison Street, Suite 320
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415)543-3361
(415)543-6148
DATE May 6, 1997
TIME 8:00 - 9:00 AM (PT)
STATION KGO-AM (ABC)
LOCATION San Francisco
PROGRAM Morning Drive Time
### BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ###
### BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ###
### BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ###
Ted Wygant, anchor: Well this is very appropriate to talk with Moses as we talk about it, at least. Now let's say good morning to the man who played it so well, Charleton Heston. Good morning, sir!
Charleton Heston (Actor/NRA Board Member): And good morning to you, Mister Wygant.
Wygant: Well, we're delighted to have you with us, and we appreciate your time because you have taken on a task that I think a lot of folks might have backed away with because a lot of concern about the National Rifle Association.
Heston: Our country belongs to Hercules, doesn't it?
Wygant: Yeah, right. What made you do it? How come you want to get in the middle of this?
Heston: Well, I've, of course, been- found myself in the arena, if you will, on a number of public sector causes. I suppose starting back when I started demonstrating for civil rights back in 1961. Long before it got fashionable in Hollywood. And then the Screen Actors Guild, and the National Endowment For The Arts, and the Separate Theater Group, and so on- and then the Presidential Task force, and the Arts and Humanities. And I've been a member of- of the National Rifle Association for, oh, twenty years or more. When I was a kid in Michigan, in the Depression, I lived in a little hamlet in Northern Michigan with about, oh, a hundred houses which contained easily two hundred and fifty, three hundred fire arms of various kinds. Mostly being used for hunting, of course- food for the table. But I was asked, as is true with all of the jobs I've done. Somebody asked me.
Wygant: Well, you've got quite a task. And- and you've been named first vice president. You- you're a member of the board at-at one point, and gee, you just zipped right up.
Heston: I just was elected to the board on Saturday.
Wygant: Yeah.
Heston: It's the primary defender of the second amendment of the Bill Of Rights, which is, of course, a core document. The Bill Of Rights is right at the basis of the American idea, those wise old dead white guys that made up the country knew what they were about. And you- it is a mainstream issue. Most Americans, in fact, support the second amendment's right to bear and carry arms, and there are, as you suggest, a few extremists, and some of them are- are on the board. And we have, however, we- they elected- or re-elected in the case of Wayne LaPierre, and elected in my case and Cain Robinson's case- police chief Cain Robinson is now second vice president. We re-elected Marion Hammer as president.
Wygant: Mister Heston, could I ask you to stand by here for just a moment? We have to get to traffic, but I- I do want to continue talking with you. Could you hang in for a minute?
Heston: Yeah.
Wygant: Okay, good. Thanks.
****************
Wygant: Okay, right now let's get back to Charleton Heston talking to us from his home in Southern California. Let me ask you, you mentioned that there are some right wing folks- far right wing, still around the NRA. Are you going to try to get them off the board and out of the picture?
Heston: That- that's certainly the intention, and I think it's highly doable. Wayne LaPierre is- is a superb leader, Marion Hammer's a strong president. And I think Cain Robinson and I can provide some useful support there.
Wygant: Now the image of- of the NRA has been an organization that supports the right of people to buy any legal firearms, and, of course, you go to any- any gun store- gun shop and you see things there that are big, and brutal, and deadly, and far more than you need for- for hunting or home protection. Do you stand by- I mean, the image is...
Heston: AK-47's are inappropriate for private ownership, of course.
Wygant: Yeah, but the image is that they're- the fire power of these weapons is far more than a hunter or a homeowner would need. Why is it necessary to have those guns available anyway?
Heston: I just got through telling you. The possession- private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate.
Wygant: Right, but AK-47's one thing, but I've been in a gun shop- I've been in gun shops, and there's fire power there that doest's seem necessary and that people worry about being out there in- in the hands of, you know, potential criminals.
Heston: I'm not certain what you're point is- that there are guns available in gun stores?
Wygant: No, guns that go beyond what a hunter would need. In other words, why does the NRA support guns that have overkill? Let's put it that way. Shouldn't there be some sort of limit?
Heston: Well, for any certain time, AK-47's are entirely inappropriate for private ownership, and the- the problem, of course, is not guns held by private citizens, but guns held by criminals. And where we have failed, where the government has failed is with entirely cosmetic actions like the Brady Bill, which is meaningless. I'm not even- don't even think it should be repealed because it doesn't do anything. and it's been in- on the books for more than two years. In the course of that time, I think it is, nineteen people have been arrested, and two have been imprisoned felons with felony records for trying to purchase a firearm.
Wygant: Well, we've- we gotta- I really appreciate talking with us. It'll be interesting to see- interesting to see how you handle the public image of the National Rifle Association and those in the far right in the group. And if you don't mind, we'd like to talk to you again.
Heston: I hope we can do that.
Wygant: Alright, thanks very much.
Heston: Mister Wygant.
Wygant: Thank you. Charleton Heston from his home in Southern California, and the KGO Radio News time is 8:23.
### END TRANSCRIPT ###
### END TRANSCRIPT ###
### END TRANSCRIPT ###
When NRA members expressed upset over Mr. Heston's anti-second-amendment comments, NRA released a letter Mr. Heston wrote to a Colonel Brown. In case someone attempts to say that Mr. Heston's alleged "clarification" was genuine or even accurate, let's take a look at exactly what he said:
May 12, 1997
Dear Colonel Brown,
Thank you for asking me for a clarification of my comments in an interview on KGO radio. When I spoke of AK-47 firearms on May 6th, I was talking about the Soviet military rifle -- a fully-automatic, not a semiautomatic, firearm -- and what I thought was common knowledge. Namely, that federal law has strictly regulated the private ownership of such fully automatic firearms for 63 years.
I didn't favor a cap put on this procedure in 1986 by the United States Congress because no legally owned fully-automatic firearm has ever been used in a crime.
Regrettably, the distinction between classes of firearms is still not understood thanks to the distortions spread by the media and those who'd destroy the Second Amendment.
That's why I lobbied against the Clinton gun ban as a private citizen in 1994, and that is why I'll be honored to continue defending the Second Amendment as First Vice President of the National Rifle Association.
Sincerely,
(Signed)
Charleton Heston
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.
Compare Mr. Heston's statements, made six (6) days apart, and decide for yourself. Here are the key quotes to ponder:
May 6, 1997: "AK-47's are inappropriate for private ownership, of course. ... The possession- private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate. ... AK-47's are entirely inappropriate for private ownership."
May 12, 1997: "I was talking about the Soviet military rifle..."
Mr. Heston's "clarification" told us that a military rifle, to him, was entirely inappropriate. Now they are just scary.
Does it make sense to have the President of the largest "defender of the Second Amendment" in America talking about being afraid of firearms?
