Calling the fact that the U.S. permits the ownership of semi-automatic weapons “sick,” President Joe Biden on Thanksgiving renewed his demand to ban so-called assault weapons.
The recent shootings at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub and by a manager at a Virginia Walmart led to the president’s declaration.
He further disparaged purchases of these guns by asserting they have “no social redeeming value. Zero. None.” At the same time, he claimed that red-flag laws go unenforced. Biden added that there is no reason for these weapons to be allowed “except profit for the gun manufacturers.”
And, of course, the 2nd Amendment.
The Democratic president does not limit his call for a ban to rifles. Speaking at a CNN town hall last summer, he criticized the notion that anyone needs a firearm that can fire “20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots.” He added this applies “whether it is a 9mm pistol or its a rifle.”
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BIDEN: “The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick.” pic.twitter.com/pFyQcNXklW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 24, 2022
Biden’s desire to prohibit gun clips would act as a ban on almost all semi-automatic weapons.
The president has also suggested that multiple-round magazines are unnecessary due to deer not wearing Kevlar vests.
The ban on the manufacture and sales of so-called assault weapons endorsed by the White House was enacted by a Democratic Congress in 1994 with Biden’s support. A decade later, however, opposition from Republicans and conservative groups led to the restrictions expiring.
This administration already signed a sweeping gun control law in June, and Biden wants to add even more. Whether that will be possible with a Republican-controlled House next year is another issue.
The partisanship of the issue could hardly be more clear. A poll conducted for the Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago highlighted the divide between the political parties.
Roughly nine in 10 Democrats seek more restrictive gun laws compared to only three out of 10 Republicans. About half of the GOP respondents want gun restrictions to remain as they are.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) expressed the views of most Democrats when he declared there is a “thirst from voters” to hear candidates address gun violence. What he ignored is that Republicans want the same thing, but their emphasis is on personal responsibility, not the inanimate weapon.
