Biden Outright Says He Wants to Ban Handguns

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President Joe Biden says he is “continuing to push to eliminate” the sale of pistols and rifles that fire “20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots,” an apparent reference to semi and fully automatic weapons.

So what

Gun owners have been on high alert since before the Biden presidency, fearing how having a pro gun-control Democrat in the White House would affect their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The moment

Biden made the remarks in response to a question at a live CNN town hall on Wednesday night.

The question: “So how will you address gun violence from a federal point of view to actually bring about change and make our local cities safer?”

The answer: “I’m the only guy that ever got passed, legislation when I was a senator, to make sure we eliminated assault weapons. The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon, whether it’s a 9mm pistol, or whether it’s a rifle, is ridiculous,” the president said. “I’m continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things. But I’m not likely to get that done in the near term.”

how not to assuage gun owners’ fears

In newly resurfaced remarks taken from a April 2020 interview, David Chipman – Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – stereotypes first time gun buyers as “Tiger Kings” prepping for a zombie apocalypse.

Not a good look: “They might think that they’re die-hard, ready to go, but unfortunately they’re more like Tiger King and they’re putting themselves and their family in danger,” Chipman told the news network Cheddar last year. “What I would suggest​: If they did go out and buy a gun, I would secure that gun, locked and unloaded, and hide it behind the cans of tuna and beef jerky that you’ve stor​e​d in the cabinet, and only bring that out if the zombies start to appear​.”

By We'll Do It Live