President Joe Biden renewed his call for the ban of a number of popular semiautomatic weapons this week as a number of Democratic Party-led states push for new gun restrictions.
The president tweeted Sunday that it was “time to finish the job and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
He then asked if there was anyone that “needs a 100-round magazine on a gun? That’s a weapon of war.”
Biden's ATF Director supports an assault weapons ban…
But when asked to define what an "assault weapon" is, says "I'm not a firearms expert" pic.twitter.com/5k0VVOZsSW
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) May 10, 2023
This is not the first time that the president has pushed a sweeping gun ban. Biden previously called for the banning of 9mm pistols, which are common in civilian ownership.
The president said in 2021 that he desired a ban on weapons that can fire a large number of rounds quickly “whether it’s a 9mm pistol or whether it’s a rifle.”
He said that the time that he would continue to “push to eliminate the sale of those things.”
Last year, the president said that a 9mm round would “blow the lung out of the body.” This is not accurate.
Biden’s promise reflects his similar statement during this year’s State of the Union.
The president’s statement also comes as a number of states are considering a ban on a number of semiautomatic firearms. The predominately Democratic-voting states are especially targeting rifles similar to the AR-15.
Last month, the Washington state legislature passed a bill banning dozens of semiautomatic weapons, which was then signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee (D). Inslee briefly ran for president in 2020.
The new law would ban more than 50 types of rifles, including AR-15s and AK-47s. The ban prevents future arms sales to civilians, though for the time being does not bar ownership among those who already possess the weapons.
The state will also allow members of law enforcement to purchase these semiautomatic weapons.
The state legislature also passed a mandatory 10-day waiting period for gun purchases and a provision so that gun manufacturers can be sued in court.
The move makes Washington the 10th state nationwide to issue a ban on the sale of such firearms.
A similar move in Colorado failed last month.
