President Joe Biden made several dubious claims about firearms as he continued his push for tighter gun regulations in the wake of Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
One of the claims he made, speaking to reporters alongside Marine One, was that a 9mm bullet “blows the lung out of the body.”
"The 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body." – President Joe Biden
Will the fact checkers be flagging his comment as misinformation? pic.twitter.com/fFPPf7Cv44
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) May 30, 2022
Shelby Talcott, White House correspondent at The Daily Caller, noted that Biden had been talking about “rational gun laws” and appeared to suggest that a 9 mm was a “high caliber” weapon that should potentially be banned.
Saying that he had consulted experts, Biden claimed that a “9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body” and added, “There’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of self protection, hunting.”
Biden, talking about "rational gun laws," says this morning that a "9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body."
"There’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of self protection, hunting," he added, per pool report.
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) May 30, 2022
“It was never about AR-15s or “assault rifles.” It’s about convincing you to give up your inalienable right to defend yourself,” James Lindsay tweeted.
“So they’re ditching the whole “assault weapon” shtick this time and coming straight for 9mm handguns?” Newsweek’s Josh Hammer added.
Dario Morrow agreed, saying, “And THIS is why people don’t support gun control. It never stops at the AR-15’s. Never. The President of the United States is talking about going after 9mm handguns, the most popular home defense weapon in America. This has never been about ‘doing something’ to protect kids.”
Biden continued with a second claim, saying that the Second Amendment was not meant to be “absolute” and repeating — as he has a number of times in the past — the assertion that when the Bill of Rights was written, citizens could not legally own cannons.
“The Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed,” Biden continued. “I think things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it.”
"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."
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) May 30, 2022
“You could absolutely own a cannon back then. In fact, John Hancock lent 4 of his personal cannon to George Washington and the Colonial Army for the duration. Where the hell do you people think the weapons for the Colonials came from early on?” @PatriotsofMars tweeted.
“Regarding cannons: Yes you could and yes you can,” Emily Zanotti added.
“This has already been debunked,” @RBPundit pointed out. “You could, in fact, buy a cannon when the second amendment was passed and could buy one today if you had enough money.”