President Joe Biden took aim at “high-caliber” ammunition on Monday, which he said includes the popular 9mm handgun round, and suggested it should be banned.
After returning to the White House on Monday morning, reporters confronted Biden with questions on gun reform. Biden explained that during his time as a senator, he met with a trauma doctor, who Biden claims told him, “A .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out, may be able to get it, and save the life. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.”
“So the idea of these high-caliber weapons is of — there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of thinking about self-protection, hunting,” Biden said. “And remember, the Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute.”
Rep. Markwayne Mullin responded publicly to Biden’s comments, telling Fox News, “The 9mm is the most popular self-defense round in America, and the caliber of choice for his own Secret Service. Biden’s ignorance is a threat to our constitutional liberties.”
Rep. Austin Scott said Biden’s comments prove that he “has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about,” adding that “9mm handguns are one of the most common used for protection of American homes and families.”
Biden also took aim at guns capable of using “high-capacity” magazines, implying that the gun’s only purpose is mass murder.
“I know that it makes no sense to be able to purchase something that can fire up to 300 rounds,” Biden said.
“The law that got passed … did significantly cut down on mass murders,” Biden said, likely referring to the “assault weapons” ban he championed through its passing in 1994. “And so there’s only one reason for something that can fire, you know, 100 shots.”
It’s at least the second time in the past week that Biden implied AR-15s are only used for killing people.
On Tuesday during a speech in response to the school shooting in Texas, Biden said, “What in God’s name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone?”
He repeated the line in a tweet the following day.
