Speaking at an event called “Gun Sense University,” which was held by the gun-control group Everytown, President Joe Biden (D) once again displayed his animus towards, and ignorance of, Americans’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
He did so in a manner that, at best, was woefully uninformed and, at worst, was wildly incoherent. Though many of these lines are nothing new, it’s important to call them out each time they are uttered, as it is crucial to push back on the falsehoods perpetuated by Biden and those with his politics.
Here are some of Biden’s biggest lies from that speech.
- “In two weeks, we’ll mark the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act [BSCA]. It’s the most-significant gun legislation in nearly 30 years. … It was designed to reduce gun violence and save lives. And I’m so proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made since then.”
In reality, the BSCA has been used to punish law-abiding gun owners, sellers, and more. It has notably been used to amend the definition of “engaged in the business” to include virtually anyone who transfers a firearm and require them to obtain a federal firearms license.
It 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 proclaims.
At the time it was passed, the NRA warned that the legislation was ripe for abuse, something that has, unfortunately, come to pass.
- “I established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. And I mean it. We got first-rate professionals there and overseen by my incredible Vice President … to drive and coordinate government and nationwide effort to reduce gun violence in America.”
Biden created a federal office in pursuit of his gun-control agenda, and he means it! (More on that later). Predictably, he hired a slew of gun-control activists and put none other than Kamala Harris in charge. The goals of this Orwellian-named office are to punish the law-abiding and ignore the actions of criminals who disregard the laws already in place.
It is also worth noting that Harris, by NBC News polling data, set a record for the lowest rating for a vice president in the history of the poll. Biden has also previously tipped her to be the “leading voice” in his gun-control efforts.
- “Folks, we’re not stopping there. It’s time, once again, to do what I did when I was a senator: ban assault weapons. I mean it.”
As a senator, Biden did vote to ban certain semi-automatic firearms in 1994. This ban, which sunset in 2004, was found to have had little to no effect on crime, in part because “the banned guns were never used in more than a modest fraction of gun murders.”
Polling data shows that the majority of Americans oppose Biden’s proposed ban on semi-automatic firearms.
While Biden wants to ban these firearms, of which there are tens of millions lawfully owned throughout the country, he has also indicated a desire to ban pistols chambered in 9 mm as well.
- “And, by the way, this is the most important: The only industry in America that has immunity are gun dealers. We got to end it, end it now. No, I mean it.”
Biden previously said this is the one thing he would ask God for, despite his immunity claim for gun dealers being patently untrue. America’s 1st Freedom has debunked this claim countless times because Biden reiterates it so often.
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which Biden wants to repeal, protects manufacturers from being held liable for the criminal misuse of their products by third parties. To be clear, as with other industries, firearms manufacturers can still be held liable for a number of other reasons, and they are not granted absolute immunities and exemptions as Biden would have you think. These manufacturers can still be sued should they violate laws surrounding manufacture, sale, and marketing of their products, or if their products are found to be defective. They simply cannot be held liable for the criminal misuse of their firearms.
Though he usually claims that such proposals don’t infringe upon the Second Amendment in any way, he didn’t do so on Tuesday. So when Biden repeatedly says “I mean it,” when speaking about curtailing American freedom, believe him.
- “There’s never been a time that says you can own anything you want. Th— never. You couldn’t own a cannon during the Civil War.”
Biden has made this claim before, sometimes saying the prohibition applied to the Revolutionary War era, and sometimes shortly after. His latest claim regarding the Civil War, is just as false as the others.
“The evidence is clear that ordinary citizens could and did buy cannons; in fact, many Americans own cannons today,” wrote Clayton Cramer for America’s 1st Freedom in a breakdown of why you could, in fact, own a cannon during the founding period of our country. The laws remained the same during the Civil War.
- “And, by the way, if they want to think they—it’s to take on government if we get out of line, which they’re talking again about—well, guess what? They need F-15s. They don’t need a rifle.”
While this may be more a matter of Biden’s personal opinion, rather than a lie, it is troublingly not the first time that Biden has made such a statement about lording the power of government over its citizenry.
“That a prospective president of the United States would talk in this manner is, in and of itself, appalling. But that a man with more than 50 years’ worth of political experience remains unaware of the advantage that private gun ownership confers upon the citizenry is little short of astonishing,” wrote Charles C.W. Cooke for America’s 1st Freedom in reference to nearly identical comments Biden has made before.
All of this came just hours after Biden’s own son, Hunter, was found guilty on charges relating to his 2018 illegal purchase of a handgun. The younger Biden was found guilty of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Although Biden declined to speak on the guilty verdict, he did release a statement.
Biden’s latest laundry list of lies stands in direct contrast to former President Donald Trump (R), who recently spoke at the 2024 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas, Texas, last month.
“We will never give in. We will never give up ... . The great silent majority is rising like never before … . Thank you very much to the NRA,” said Trump to a packed room of NRA members.
Trump was also officially endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund (PVF) at the event in Dallas.
“On behalf of NRA members, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund is proud to endorse President Donald J. Trump’s reelection campaign,” said Randy Kozuch, Chairman of NRA-PVF. “A second term for President Trump is a victory for the Second Amendment. NRA members recognize that we are the torchbearers for liberty, and we are in a generational fight for freedom. With President Trump, we had a powerful champion in the White House who always fought for our constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and come November, we will return him to the Oval Office.”
