President Biden raised eyebrows on Monday when he spoke about what he considers sensible restrictions on "high-caliber weapons" in the wake of the horrific mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last week.
The president recalled visiting a trauma hospital in New York, where he explained doctors showed him X-rays of gunshot wounds that were caused by different firearms.
“They said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life,” Biden told reporters outside of the White House. “A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body."
He went on to claim "there's simply no rational basis for [high-caliber weapons] in terms of thinking about self-protection, hunting."
So while most Democrats have targeted what they call "assault weapons" in the wake of the mass shooting, Biden appears to be setting his sights on handguns, too, which isn't the first time he's singled out one of the most popular firearms in America.
"A 9MM bullet blows the lung out of the body" has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Joe Biden is an imbecile. Why do the people who know the least about guns want to yap their gums the most about guns? What part of "Shall NOT be infringed" do they not get? pic.twitter.com/sWUqxdNYEn
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) May 30, 2022
Going after 9mm means going after hand guns. Not just rifles. Have fun. https://t.co/nB4wd1YKVG
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 30, 2022
So they’re ditching the whole “assault weapon” shtick this time and coming straight for 9mm handguns? https://t.co/g1W9R3RHo0
— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) May 30, 2022
Of course he's coming for handguns, too. https://t.co/Wnr1K2bxIU
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 30, 2022
So they’re ditching the whole “assault weapon” shtick this time and coming straight for 9mm handguns? https://t.co/g1W9R3RHo0
— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) May 30, 2022
"The 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body." - President Joe Biden
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) May 30, 2022
Will the fact checkers be flagging his comment as misinformation? pic.twitter.com/fFPPf7Cv44
Holy moly. The 9mm is *by far* the most popular caliber ammunition in America. Created for self-defense and the standard for most basic handguns. If you're against 9mm, you're against private gun ownership writ large. https://t.co/QXN8oUsLVo
— EJ (@Ejmiller25) May 30, 2022
Eventually most gun-control activists, lefty pundits will admit this is the endgame. You just have to ask them enough questions. Oh, so you just wanna ban semi-auto long guns? What about handguns, which account for more crimes? Oh, ban semi-auto handguns, too? I see.
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) May 30, 2022
He also repeated a false claim about the Second Amendment and cannons.
"The Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed," Biden said. "I think things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it."
He keeps repeating this lie about Americans not being able to buy cannons. https://t.co/cz8HZUO8WM
— Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) May 30, 2022
The Washington Post has previously given him four Pinocchios for this claim, noting that no federal law existed about which types of weapons private citizens could own.
“Some readers might think this is a relatively inconsequential flub. But we disagree,” The Washington Post wrote last year. “Every U.S. president has a responsibility to get American history correct, especially when he’s using a supposed history lesson in service of a political objective. The president’s push for more gun restrictions is an important part of his political platform, so he undercuts his cause when he cites faux facts.
"Moreover, Biden has already been fact-checked on this claim — and it’s been deemed false," fact checker Glenn Kessler continued. "We have no idea where he conjured up this notion about a ban on cannon ownership in the early days of the Republic, but he needs to stop making this claim.