President Joe Biden again warned “right-wing Americans” who support the Second Amendment on Tuesday, asserting they would “need an F-15” to take on the government. Biden then appeared to accuse the same Americans of “shooting at” police.
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“And for those brave right-wing Americans who say [the Second Amendment] is all about keeping America independent and safe, if you want to fight against the country, you need an F-15. You need something more than a gun,” Biden said, mocking Second Amendment advocates while speaking to a crowd in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
“I’m not joking. Think about this. Think about the rationale we use, that’s used to provide this. And who are they shooting at? They’re shooting at these guys behind me,” he added, apparently referencing a line of police officers standing behind him.
Biden also said he is “determined” to ban “assault weapons” in the United States.
“I did it once before and I’ll do it again. For many of you [at] home, I want to be clear: it’s not about taking away anybody’s guns,” Biden said. “In fact, we should be treating responsible gun owners as examples. How every gun owner should behave.”
“I have two shotguns at home, it’s a long story, but I’m not opposed to guns. But I support the Second Amendment. I support the Second Amendment. But the Second Amendment, as one of the most conservative justices in history, Justice Scalia, once wrote, ‘Like most rights, the rights granted by the Second Amendment are not unlimited,’” Biden continued. “They’re not unlimited. Right now, you can’t go out and buy an automatic weapon. You can’t go out and buy a cannon.”
On Twitter, Biden reiterated his plans to ban “assault weapons … again,” referring to the 1994 “assault weapons” ban, which he spearheaded during his career as a senator. When the ban expired in 2004, the Department of Justice National Institute of Justice issued a report stating that the ban did not actually reduce crime.
“We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence,” the report stated, according to a copy of the report viewed by The Washington Times at the time.
The report also noted that “assault weapons” were “rarely used in gun crimes before the ban.”
“Should it be renewed, the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement,” the report continued, later stating, “The ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”
FactCheck.org also maintains that the ban’s impact is unclear.
Gun Owners of America (GOA), a popular Second Amendment advocacy group, pushed back on Biden’s desire to ban “assault weapons.”
“The Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 didn’t reduce the number of ‘assault weapons’ in the United States and any subsequent legislation will fail as well,” GOA tweeted. “The Right to Keep and Bear Arms transcends any government law and we will fight to protect our rights.”
Biden’s attack against right-wing Americans comes just days after the president called supporters of former President Donald Trump a “threat” to democracy and accused them of engaging in “semi-fascism.” Biden also said he doesn’t “respect” Trump supporters. More than 70 million Americans voted for Trump in 2020.
“What’s happened is there are not many real Republicans anymore … I respect conservative Republicans, I don’t respect these MAGA Republicans,” Biden said. “What we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy. It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the — I’m going to say something — it’s like semi-fascism.”
