March 8, 2024
In Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7, 2024, he renewed his call for sweeping gun control measures, focusing particularly on the ban of so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” magazines, alongside tightening background checks.
While the narrative pushed by the administration and anti-gun politicians seeks to paint these measures as common-sense steps towards curbing gun violence, a closer examination reveals a fundamentally flawed approach that disproportionately affects law-abiding citizens while doing little to address the root causes of crime.
Central to Biden’s agenda is the demonization of semi-automatic firearms, misleadingly labeled as “assault weapons.” This term, however, is a broad and inaccurate classification that encompasses the majority of American-owned firearms, including not just AR-15 rifles but also many handguns and shotguns.
Legislation like the GoSafe Act targets these semi-automatic firearms, not just AR-15s as often portrayed by media and anti-gun politicians. Such measures ignore the reality that, according to FBI crime statistics, an individual is statistically more likely to be killed by hands or fists than by an AR-15 rifle.
The administration’s focus on “high-capacity” magazines is another misnomer, as the magazines in question are standard 30-round magazines for many firearms, not the outliers they are made out to be. Proposed legislation seeks to limit Americans to firearms that hold no more than 10 rounds, a restriction that would invalidate the majority of 9mm handguns, demonstrating an all-out war on gun owners.
Furthermore, Biden’s recent directive to the ATF to expand the definition of a “dealer in firearms” to include virtually all private gun sales is a perilous step towards universal gun registration.
This maneuver not only infringes upon Americans’ Second Amendment rights but sets the stage for potential confiscation should any future semi-auto ban pass. It’s a blatant attempt to catalog every gun owner in America, laying the groundwork for a system where government oversight extends into the private lives of its citizens.
Throughout his presidency, Biden has consistently advocated for these measures in the aftermath of mass shootings, pulling on the heart-strings of Americans and exploiting their grief to position himself as a proactive force against the NRA’s influence.
During his SOTU speech, he stated “We must beat the NRA again.” His repeated exhortation, “Stop it. Stop it. Stop it,” echoed throughout his address, as he called on both lawmakers to pass his extreme gun control measures.
However, while Biden and many others often cast the NRA as the primary obstacle to gun control legislation, the reality is that a coalition of hard-line, no-compromise gun rights organizations — such as the National Association for Gun Rights, Texas Gun Rights, and Gun Owners of America — play a significant role in opposing such measures.
These groups, more uncompromising and to the “right” of the NRA, have consistently mobilized its members to thwart legislative attempts at gun control, underscoring a deeply rooted belief in the protection of Second Amendment rights without concession.
Texas Gun Rights has been vocal in their opposition to these policies both federally and at the state level, recognizing them as part of a broader assault on gun ownership. They are sounding the alarm, particularly this election cycle, to educate Texans on where their candidates stand on Second Amendment rights.
The narrative pushed by Biden and his supporters fails to recognize that gun control measures, particularly those targeting so-called “assault weapons” and standard-capacity magazines, will not deter crime but rather penalize the vast majority of gun owners who abide by the law. The focus ought to be on addressing the underlying causes of violence without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens.
As history has shown, gun registration and excessive control measures are the hallmarks of tyrannical governments, not free societies.
