June 12, 2024
Washington, D.C. — Just hours after Hunter Biden was convicted on three counts of falsifying a federal background check form when purchasing a handgun, Joe Biden delivered a speech at Everytown for Gun Safety’s “Gun Sense University” in Washington, D.C.
Joe’s remarks echoed his familiar calls for stricter gun control measures, but this time included a controversial warning to law-abiding gun owners about the futility of opposing the government.
In his speech, Biden reiterated his stance that Americans need more than rifles to defend against a tyrannical government, suggesting they would need F-15 fighter jets instead. “If they want to take on the government if we get out of line, guess what, they need F-15s. They don’t need a rifle,” Biden said.
Biden’s remarks were in reference to his calls for an “assault weapons” ban, recalling his efforts as a senator. “It’s time, once again, to do what I did when I was senator. Ban assault weapons,” Biden said. “Who, in God’s name, needs a magazine that can hold 200 shells? Nobody. That’s right. Think about it. They’re weapons of war.”
The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Biden referenced from his days in the Senate expired in 2004 and was found to have little impact on gun violence.
Biden also repeated his oft-cited claim that there has never been a time when citizens could own cannons, a statement that has been consistently debunked.
Historical evidence shows no restrictions on owning cannons during the Revolutionary or Civil Wars, and private ownership of cannons remains legal today.
The Supreme Court’s Heller decision further protects the ownership of firearms commonly used for lawful purposes, and the recent Bruen decision emphasized that modern regulations must align with historical traditions of gun rights.
Biden’s remarks ignore the fact that the Bill of Rights isn’t contingent upon government beliefs about what citizens “need.”
The Second Amendment enshrines the right to keep and bear arms, irrespective of government opinion. The Supreme Court’s rulings, including Heller and Bruen, reinforce that bans on commonly owned firearms are unconstitutional.
