President Biden on Monday protested against ownership of what he calls a “high-capacity weapon” – suggesting that the most popular handgun in America, the 9mm pistol, should be banned, and reiterating a previously dismissed claim That the Second Amendment restricts ownership. cannons
Speaking to reporters outside the White House after returning to Washington from a weekend that included a visit to the site of last week’s mass shooting in Texas, Biden visited a trauma hospital in New York, where he said doctors He was shown X- Rays of gunshot wounds caused by various firearms.
“They said the .22-caliber bullet would hit the lung, and we could probably take it out — might be able to get it and save lives,” Biden said. “The 9mm bullet blows the lungs out of the body.
“So the idea of these high-capacity weapons, uh, self-protection, has no rational basis in terms of hunting,” the president said.
Later in his remarks, Biden ruled out the possibility of major executive action on guns, saying: “I can’t dictate this stuff. I can do what I have done and I will continue to do whatever executive action I can. But I cannot outlaw a weapon. I can’t change background check. I cannot do that.”
Biden’s statements regarding the 9mm pistol are in line with his rhetoric before entering the White House. For example, at a 2019 fundraiser in Seattle, then-candidate Biden asked his audience: “Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons, including pistols with 9mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds.” Huh?”
According to Shooting Industry magazine, 9mm pistols accounted for 56.8% of all handguns made in the US during 2019. In total, over 15.1 million 9mm guns were made in this country during 2010. The prospect of such weapons being illegal or otherwise regulated is likely to be a non-starter among conservatives and gun rights advocates.
“Remember, the Constitution, the Second Amendment, was never perfect,” Biden said. “You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed.”
Biden has made this claim before, most recently when he announced new rules to curb the spread of so-called “ghost guns,” and he was repeatedly declared false by fact-checkers.
“The Second Amendment placed no limits on individual ownership of guns,” PolitiFact said in April when it falsified its claim.
The website pointed to the text of the constitution: “A well-regulated militia, being essential to the security of a free state, shall not infringe the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”
Despite widespread public outcry over Tuesday’s massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and the racially motivated May 14 mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store, Biden said he has yet to make any informed decisions about a potential gun control law. Haven’t even spoken with Republicans, but have expressed hope. for an agreement.
“I think things have gotten so bad that everyone is getting more rational about it,” he said.
Asked whether Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) authorizing Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to work with Democrats could yield results, he said, “I don’t. Know.”
“McConnell is a rational Republican. Cornyn is too,” he said.
Without Republican support, Democrats are 50-50 powerless to pass any gun legislation in the Senate unless they manage to temporarily set aside Filbuster’s 60-vote limit to pass most bills. Huh.
