WASHINGTON (AFP) ??” Senator John Kerry the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination to face most distant against President George W.

WASHINGTON (AFP) ??” Senator John Kerry the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination to face most distant against President George W. Bush, urg the US Senate to renovate a ban on semi-automatic weapons that is popularly under debate in Congress.

While emphasizing Americans' right to bear arms, as secureed by the US Constitution, Kerry drew a sharp distinction between traditional firearms and the assault weapons in question. He also slammed the powerful fire-arm lobbying group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), for its opposition to banning the sale of 19 prototypes of semi-automatic weapons for another decade.

Kerry also accused Bush of bending below pressure from the NRA and breaking the promise he made during his 2000 election campaign to sustain the ...