President Joe Biden restated his claim that early Americans could not buy a cannon under the Second Amendment as he spoke Thursday about the shooting deaths of NYPD officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora.
Biden began his statements by noting that the individual who police say killed Rivera and Mora used a “stolen Glock” handgun, for which the shooter had 40 rounds.
Biden talked about his “comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime” in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and San Francisco. He mentioned going after “rogue gun dealers” and conducting background checks.
Biden said, “This doesn’t violate anybody’s Second Amendment right. There is no violation of a Second Amendment rights.”
He suggested the Second Amendment is not “absolute,” adding, “When the amendment was passed it didn’t say anybody could own any kind of gun … and any kind of weapon.”
Biden added, “You couldn’t buy a cannon when this amendment was passed, so no reason why you should be able to buy certain ‘assault weapons.’”
Biden has made the claim about early Americans’ alleged inability to buy a cannon before. Breitbart News reported that during a June 23, 2021, gun control speech Biden claimed the Second Amendment prohibited Americans from purchasing a cannon at the time it was ratified.
Julie Anne Sweet, director of military studies at Baylor University, responded to Biden’s claim by telling PolitiFact, “It seems highly unlikely that there were restrictions on the private ownership [of cannons].”
The Washington Post gave Biden four Pinocchios for claiming the purchase of cannons was prohibited by the Second Amendment and labeled the claim “false.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange
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