President Biden on Tuesday addressed a gun control crowd, calling for an assault weapons ban and other measures to limit access to firearms, but made no mention of his son’s conviction just hours earlier for lying about his drug history when buying a gun.
The president was speaking in Washington, D.C., before the annual training conference of Everytown for Gun Safety, a gathering of gun safety advocates and victims of gun violence. During his speech, Biden praised executive actions taken to reduce gun violence, including addressing so-called “ghost guns” and arms trafficking.
“Folks, we’re not going to stop there. It’s time to do again what I did when I was a senator, and that’s to ban assault weapons,” he said. “Who the hell needs a magazine that holds 200 rounds of ammunition?”
Biden then scolded Republicans for opposing many gun control measures and oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
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President Joe Biden made the gesture after speaking to Everytown at Gun Sense University, hosted by the Gun Safety Action Fund, at the Washington Hilton on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden also disputed the meaning of the Second Amendment.
“There was never a time when you could have anything you wanted,” he said. “In the Civil War, you couldn’t have a cannon.”
Biden has previously said that in the early days of the United States, owning cannons was prohibited.
“There were no federal laws about the types of guns you could own, and no states restricted the types of guns you could own,” David Kopel, director of research at the Independence Institute and director of the Second Amendment Project, told The Washington Post in 2021. “There was no movement to restrict the carrying of concealed weapons until the early 1800s.”
“NRA is a game maker, not a government,” said Randy Kozuk, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA).
“President Biden’s push for a gun and ammunition ban will only result in law-abiding Americans losing their guns to criminals. The Administration should focus on prosecuting and punishing violent criminals, not playing political games. The NRA and its millions of members will continue to oppose misguided proposals that would restrict the rights of lawful gun owners.”
Hours earlier, the president’s son, Hunter Biden, was found guilty of all charges in a historic criminal trial over his 2018 firearm purchase.
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A courtroom sketch depicts Hunter Biden’s federal trial in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, June 10, 2024. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)
“Rather than being disappointed by the outcome, I am grateful for the love and support I have received over the last week from Melissa, my family, friends and community. Recovery is possible by God’s grace, and I am grateful to experience that grace one day at a time,” Hunter Biden said in a statement after the verdict.
Biden’s son was convicted of making a false statement while attempting to purchase a firearm, making a false statement regarding information required to be kept by federally licensed gun dealers, and possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Prosecutors said the defendant made a false statement on a federal firearms declaration in October 2018 by checking a box marked “no” when asked if he was an unlawful firearm user or an addict to controlled substances.
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Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, walk outside a federal courthouse as his trial continues for firearms-related offenses, in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, June 11, 2024. REUTERS/Hannah Beyer (Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen Biden arrive at federal courthouse)
The gun was purchased at a store called StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden is scheduled to visit Wilmington on Tuesday following his son’s conviction.
“The President will depart the Washington Hilton for travel to Joint Base Andrews,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday. “The President will then depart Joint Base Andrews for travel to Wilmington, Delaware,” the White House said in a statement.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
