The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence endorsed U.S. Sen. John Kerry in his race against Republican challenger Jeff Beatty Wednesday evening and took a swipe at Beatty for suggesting college students should be able to carry firearms on college campuses.

[img_assist|nid=30|title=U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston)|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=123|height=180]"Senator John Kerry has consistently supported sensible gun laws throughout his career in public service, and we're proud to urge his re-election to the Senate," Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign, said in a statement. "As a prosecutor and as a legislator he has been a leader, working with law enforcement officials on efforts to reduce gun violence."

The Brady Campaign, named for Jim Brady, a former aide to President Ronald Reagan who was shot in an attempt to assassinate the president, seeks to increase gun control by requiring background checks, cracking down on illegal gun sales and restricting civilian access to military-style assault weapons.

"I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence," Kerry, a Boston Democrat, said. "The key to stopping gun violence isn't a secret. Fewer guns ending up in the hands of children and criminals means fewer incidents of gun violence, fewer neighborhoods held hostage and fewer families losing a loved one."

The Brady Campaign also pointed to statements Beatty made speaking to Framingham State Community College students in April that suggested he supports allowing students to carry firearms on campus for self defense in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

According to news reports, Beatty did not specifically say he endorsed such measures, but he did sign a petition circulated by a conservative student group that supports that position. The petition called for legislating to allow students to carry "lawful defense tools" on campus.

John Walsh, the chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, also pointed to those remarks in commenting on the endorsement.

"[Beatty] has supported extremist positions on guns, some of which would force colleges and universities in the state to allow students to bring loaded, hidden handguns into classrooms," Walsh said in a statement. "That is not the kind of sensible gun policy Massachusetts voters expect in their U.S. Senators. The Beatty gun policy is really no policy at all: it's a little whacky to just let students have hidden guns in classrooms. That is among the many reasons we need John Kerry back in the U.S. Senate."

The Beatty campaign refuted that charge and said that Beatty does not endorse allowing students to carry firearms. See the campaign's response here.