Talking again about guns at a Democratic fundraiser on Tuesday evening, President Biden gave another stunning demonstration of not knowing what he’s talking about. This time he was speaking about “assault weapons,” F-16s, and cannons.

Biden’s remarks at a fundraising event in a private residence in California came as he discussed gun violence in America and stressed the notion that Americans do not need AR-15s.

“We have to change,” Biden said. “There’s a lot of things we can change, because the American people by and large agree you don’t need a weapon of war. I’m a Second Amendment guy. I taught it for four years, six years in law school. And guess what? It doesn’t say that you can own any weapon you want. It says there are certain weapons that you just can’t own. Even during when it was passed, you couldn’t own a cannon. You can’t own a machine gun.… No, I’m serious.”

There are several falsehoods in that statement. Let’s break them down.

1. Joe Biden, far from being a “Second Amendment guy,” has been the most anti-Second Amendment President in history, save perhaps Barack Obama. He constantly rails for “assault weapon” bans without even being able to define what an “assault weapon” is. He is in favor of universal background checks, magazine bans, waiting periods, and pretty much any other law proposed to restrict Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
2. When the Second Amendment was ratified, civilians could and did own cannons. They owned warships. The U.S. government, and before it, the Continental Congress, issued Letters of Marque, which authorized owners of privately owned and armed ships to pursue and capture or destroy enemy shipping in times of war. These ships and their crews were called “privateers.”
3. You can own a machine gun. Many Americans do legally own machine guns. There is a process; it’s onerous, but you can do it. Machine guns and other fully-automatic firearms are controlled under the 1934 National Firearms Act. Transferring one involves a transfer tax and a background check, and since the law now prohibits the manufacture of fully-auto firearms for private sale, the guns themselves are very, very expensive. But they are not illegal to own if you go through the process.

President Biden has been called out on this time and again. He doesn’t care. You will note that when he repeats these falsehoods, he’s always talking to a friendly audience, as he was Tuesday night. He often goes on, as he did Tuesday, to mock the Second Amendment community and the fact that the Second Amendment represents an insurance policy against tyranny. He continued:

You know, I love these guys who say the Second Amendment is — you know, the tree of liberty is water with the blood of patriots. Well, if [you] want to do that, you want to work against the government, you need an F-16. You need something else than just an AR-15.

And again, Joe gets it wrong. The quote is incorrect; the actual statement is that “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants,” which is quite a different rhetorical kettle of fish. And if you think you need a fully modern military with an air force and the entire logistics train that goes with it to win a civil conflict, I suggest you have a word with Ho Chi Minh – or the Taliban.

The anti-gun crowd likes to point at questionable polls and claim that American support for gun control is rising, but even if this is true, it doesn’t matter. Constitutional rights are not dependent upon public approval. The Supreme Court has upheld the Second Amendment as guaranteeing an individual right to keep and bear arms, most recently in the Bruen case. President Biden’s repeated falsehoods aside, gun ownership is a right, not a privilege bestowed upon us by government — and just as easily taken away. Joe gets that part wrong, too.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to put a pistol brace on my Crosman air pistol and go elephant hunting.

BIDEN: "Put a pistol on a brace, it turns into a gun — makes it more — you can have a higher-caliber weapon, higher-caliber bullet coming out of that gun!" pic.twitter.com/kVIguUATau

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 17, 2023