Joe Biden is on a fundraising swing through California this week. Tuesday afternoon he spoke to high dollar donors at the Kentfield home of investment banker Mark Robinson and his wife Stephanie attended by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), where he mocked supporters of the Second Amendment while talking about his push to ban AR-15 rifles.
“So what’s the deal with the idea that it’s an absolute — you know, I love these guys who say the Second Amendment is — you know, the tree of liberty is water with the blood of patriots. Well, if want to do that, you want to work against the government, you need an F-16. You need something else than just an AR-15.”
Complete Biden remarks on guns via White House transcript:
…Stephanie and Mark, thanks for welcoming me into your home. And, Gov, I tell you what, we — I tell you what: I — it’s amazing the job you do. I really mean it. And I can’t thank you for your friendship — I can’t thank you enough…
…One is the whole idea of dealing with gun violence. The idea that more children die as a consequence of a gunshot wound of a bullet than any other reason in America is sick. It’s really sick.
And the fact that the NRA has such overwhelming power — you know, the NRA is the only outfit in the nation that we cannot sue as an institution. They got — they — before this — I became president, they passed legislation saying you can’t sue them. Imagine had that been the case with tobacco companies. How many more people would be dead today if we weren’t able to rein in tobacco companies and the use of tobacco? Well, it’s that way now. We can’t.
And — and, by the way, you know one of the reasons why the AR-15 is so strongly supported by so many folks in that — in that industry? Number one, it’s the cheapest weapon to make and it’s the highest profit motive they have for any weapon that is made. It makes more money to sell an AR-15 than any other weapon you can buy.
And so, we have to change — there’s a lot of things we can change, because the American people by and large agree you don’t need a weapon of war. I’m a Second Amendment guy. I taught it for four years, six years in law school. And guess what? It doesn’t say that you can own any weapon you want. It says there are certain weapons that you just can’t own. Even during when it was passed, you couldn’t own a cannon. You can’t own a machine gun. (Laughter.) No, I’m serious.
So what’s the deal with the idea that it’s an absolute — you know, I love these guys who say the Second Amendment is — you know, the tree of liberty is water with the blood of patriots. Well, if want to do that, you want to work against the government, you need an F-16. You need something else than just an AR-15. Anyway.
The generic point — (laughter) — the generic point I want to make is — and I’m going to end this because I’m bored myself now. (Laughter.)
But, you know, we have to make sure that we have some economic freedom, the ability to get a good job. And freedom is really under siege, particularly freedom of choice…
AC