Politicians often make sensational remarks to generate headlines, but some are so absurd and provably false that their lies need to be called out. Such are the comments by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D), who recently said that it’s easier to buy a firearm than it is to buy booze.
“If we control guns like we control the sale of liquor and wine, we’d be in much better shape than we are now,” said Kenney. “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous.”
That is quite ridiculous; as in, a ridiculous thing to say. While the sale of alcohol is regulated, it is patently untrue to imply firearm sales are any less regulated. Beer, wine and liquor sales don’t require a federal background check for every purchase from a licensed seller, but firearms do.
He also called Pennsylvania a “gun-crazy state.” He should look at what’s happening under his watch in Philadelphia. Despite his repeated gun-control pushes, the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office “lost” over 200 firearms that were supposed to be in the agency’s possession under Kenney’s leadership.
The mayor needs to also look no further than his city’s soft-on-crime district attorney, Larry Krasner, whose reluctance to prosecute the criminal misuse of firearms has undoubtedly contributed to the city’s uptick in violence.
If Kenney’s comments about how easy it is to purchase a firearm sound familiar, it’s because David Chipman—President Joe Biden’s (D) initial nominee to lead the ATF—made similar ones in 2021. “The reality is in much of America, it’s easier to buy a gun than a beer,” said Chipman in an interview.
With his provably false remarks, Kenney joined the list of anti-freedom politicians who have said it’s easier to buy firearms than a number of other things. This list includes former President Barack Obama (D), who said in 2015 that “it’s easier for you to buy a handgun and clips than it is for you to buy a fresh vegetable.”
As is often the case, gun controllers tend to put their ignorance on full display while failing to address the criminal element of society at the expense of the law-abiding.
