President Joe Biden once again vowed to pass an “assault weapons” ban during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday. The promise comes just weeks ahead of midterm elections.
Biden made the remarks after Tapper pressed Biden on how his age impacts his ability to handle the demands of the White House.
“Look what I’ve gotten done. Name me a president in recent history that’s gotten as much done as I have in the first two years. Not a joke. You may not like what I’ve gotten done, but the vast majority of the American people do like what I got done, and so it’s a matter of can you do the job,” Biden said. “I believe I can do that job. I’ve been able to do the job. I’ve gotten more done. I’ve gotten the Inflation Reduction – I got all of these pieces of legislation passed. And I ran on that. I said this is what I was gonna do.”
“And I’m still getting it done. Dealing with, you know, making sure veterans get compensated for the, for the…,” Biden said, appearing to struggle to make his point before Tapper reminded him about the “burn pits.”
“The burn pits,” Biden continued. “Making sure that we’re in a situation where we finally have action on guns. And by the way, I’m going to get an assault weapons ban. Before this is over, I’m going to get that again. Not a joke, and watch.”
This isn’t the first time Biden has promised to ban “assault weapons.” In August, Biden said he would ban the weapons if Democrats retain control of Congress after the midterm elections in November.
During a Democratic National Committee (DNC) Grassroots Rally in Rockville, Md., Biden said he’s “determined to ban assault weapons in this country.”
“We took on the [National Rifle Association], and we beat them. We just passed the first significant gun safety legislation in 30 years in this country. And I promise you, we’re not stopping here. I’m determined to ban assault weapons in this country,” Biden said.
Biden said he banned “assault weapons” before, 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.
As Biden plans to expand gun control, federal investigators believe they have enough evidence to charge Biden’s son Hunter for lying about his drug use on a federal gun purchase form, according to sources familiar with the investigation who spoke to the Washington Post.
