On Tuesday (June 20) evening, President Joe Biden made a statement directed toward Second Amendment supporters, suggesting that challenging the U.S. government would “need an F-16.”
Biden made his remarks at a California fundraising event held at a private residence.
During the event, the President mentioned gun violence in the U.S., stressing that Americans have no need for AR-15s.
“We have to change,” Biden insisted, explaining that there were “a lot of things we can change,” pointing to how many Americans believe “you don’t need a weapon of war.”
The President then suggested he is a “Second Amendment guy,” adding that he taught it in law school.
Biden added that the Second Amendment “doesn’t say that you can own any weapon you want,” instead, he insisted that there were “certain weapons that you just can’t own,” noting that it wasn’t possible to “own a cannon,” or machine gun.
Biden added he “love[s] guys” who suggest the Second Amendment, the tree of liberty, is watered by the “blood of patriots.”
He continued that if you wanted “to work against the government, you need an F-16,” and not an AR-15.
Biden also suggested that the AR-15 was popular with gun makers because “it’s the cheapest weapon to make” and has high-profit margins.
He explained that gun manufacturers make “more money” selling AR-15s than any other gun, which fueled the support of those in the industry.
Biden’s Tuesday remarks mimic what he said at a gathering for the National Action Network’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, where he suggested that “you need some F-15s. You don’t need an AR-15.”
