The stage is set from presumptive presidential nominees Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D) to face off in the first presidential debate on Thursday.
Hosted by CNN, the debate will be held in Atlanta, Ga., and is scheduled to run roughly 90 minutes. While there are many issues at hand as we barrel toward November’s election, the stark contrast between the candidates’ views on our right to keep and bear arms should be brought up and examined in depth.
A Fox News Poll found that roughly 45% of those surveyed said the issue of guns was “extremely important” in determining who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election. A further 25% said it was “very important.” It did, however, rank behind seven other issues listed in the survey in terms of importance.
Here are some potential questions that could be asked of Biden to illustrate just how far apart these two candidates are on this critical issue.
- President Biden, in your first term, you signed the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” (BSCA) and established an “Office of Gun Violence Prevention” to directly employ gun-control advocates in the White House. What specifically have these acts done to make Americans safer? And why is it that you think these attacks on an individual right are not pushing unconstitutional infringements?
The BSCA has not made Americans safer but has, instead, been used to punish law-abiding gun owners, sellers, and more. Perhaps most-notably, it has been interpreted by unelected bureaucrats to amend the definition of “engaged in the business” to include virtually anyone who transfers a firearm in order to require them to obtain a federal firearms license. The BSCA has also been used in an attempt to withhold federal funding from schools that have archery and hunting programs, amongst other things that do not “reduce gun violence and save lives” as Biden says.
At the time it was passed, the NRA warned that the legislation was ripe for abuse; this, unfortunately, has come to pass.
- The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was passed in 2005 to protect the firearms industry from being held liable for the criminal misuse of its products. It does not protect this industry from any standard product-liability claims or violations of the law. Still, you have repeatedly claimed the firearms industry is the “only industry in America that has immunity.” Can you explain what you mean when you say this?
The PLCAA is designed to protect firearms manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits that would effectively bankrupt the industry. Biden, as a senator in 2005, voted against the PLCAA and even attacked Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary for voting in favor of it at the time.
Biden has repeatedly called for the PLCAA’s repeal, including before he took office and many more times since he was elected. He even said it was the one thing he’d “ask God for.”
Donald Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly reaffirmed his support for firearms manufacturers. During the outset of the COVID pandemic, he declared manufacturers and gun stores as essential businesses so that they were able to remain open.
- The Federal Assault Weapons Ban sunset two decades ago, and a congressionally mandated study found that it had virtually no effect on crime; however, you continue to call for a renewed ban on “assault weapons.” Why, given that the data shows it had little to no effect?
As we’ve reported many times at America’s 1st Freedom, “assault weapon” is a politically manufactured term designed to portray commonly owned firearms in the worst-possible light. Biden continues to call for banning semi-automatic firearms, just as he voted to do so in 1994 when he was a senator.
A majority of Americans oppose his proposed ban. Beyond this, Biden wants to ban more than just commonly owned semi-automatic rifles. He has also indicated his desire to ban pistols chambered in 9 mm.
As their freedom hangs in the balance, Americans deserve answers on Thursday night.
