With Hillary Clinton’s campaign continuing to struggle amid serious accusations of illegal actions concerning classified emails, other Democrats are weighing the possibility of entering the wide-open 2016 presidential race.
In the same week that a new Quinnipiac poll reported that the top three words that come to people’s mind when they think of Clinton are “liar,” “dishonest” and “untrustworthy,” President Barack Obama has given Vice President Joe Biden his “blessing” to enter the race.
While it remains to be seen whether America’s “Crazy Uncle Joe” will enter the race, his doing so would be little consolation to American gun owners. He’s just as anti-gun as Clinton, Martin O’Malley and any of the other top Democrat candidates.
Most will remember Biden’s advice given during a Q&A video for Parents magazine.
“If you want to protect yourself, get a double-barrel shotgun,” Biden said, in an answer trying to discourage a mother from buying an AR-15-type modern sporting rifle.
But he didn’t stop there. Biden went on to say he had given his wife similar advice, then continued to lecture the questioner.
“I said, ‘Jill, if there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, put that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house,’” he said. “I promise you, whoever’s coming in is not gonna.
“You don’t need an AR-15. It’s harder to aim. It’s harder to use. And, in fact, you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun. Buy a shotgun.”
Of course, we all know how bad the advice of firing shots off your balcony truly is. Yet at least one American heeded Biden’s advice—after all, he is the vice president of the United States—and ended up in court for doing so. In truth, it’s easy to look at Biden’s kooky advice and outlandish statements and write him off as a simple-minded buffoon who poses little threat to the Second Amendment. That would be a big mistake.
Jeffrey Barton of Clark County, Wash., took Biden’s advice seriously. Consequently, he was prosecuted for firing his shotgun into the air to deter some men trying to steal his car.
“I did what Joe Biden told me to do,” Barton told reporters. “I went outside and fired my shotgun in the air.”
Unfortunately for Barton, the Washington court system apparently doesn’t recognize the vice president as a legitimate dispenser of firearm or self-defense advice. Barton was later convicted of obstructing a police officer.
Of course, that’s not the worst advice Biden has given when it comes to shotguns and self-defense. In an early 2013 interview with Field & Stream magazine, Biden stated, “[If] you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door.”
In truth, it’s easy to look at Biden’s kooky advice and outlandish statements and write him off as a simple-minded buffoon who poses little threat to the Second Amendment. That would be a big mistake.
Biden is as anti-gun as they come, earning an “F” ranking from NRA’s Political Victory Fund. He is outspoken in his support for a ban on so-called “high-capacity” magazines (actually regular capacity), a semi-auto rifle ban, and instituting so-called “universal” background checks, the precursor to a national gun registry.
As a U.S. senator, he opposed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (aimed at preventing frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers for acts committed by criminals), while voting for legislation banning semi-automatic firearms; banning hunting, sporting and self-defense ammunition; banning magazines holding more than 10 rounds; and imposing a waiting period on handgun sales. If Biden does enter the race, we’ll likely soon be hearing about how he is a gun owner, and how he “supports the Second Amendment, but …”
And in a Democratic presidential debate during the 2008 election season, Biden even claimed: “I'm the guy who originally wrote the assault weapons ban.”
If Biden does enter the race, we’ll likely soon be hearing about how he is a gun owner, and how he “supports the Second Amendment, but …” While he might own some guns, we know any claim to support the right to keep and bear arms is utter nonsense.
Following the terrible shooting in Newtown, Conn., President Obama put Biden in charge of the administration’s efforts to institute new gun-control measures. And as the administration’s hapless point man, Biden nearly succeeded. Had it not been for millions of NRA members throughout the nation recognizing his hidden agenda and alerting their representatives to oppose the legislation, many of the anti-gun measures might have been passed and signed into law by President Obama.
Additionally, is there any reason to believe that Biden, like his predecessor Obama, would be reluctant to go around Congress to curtail Americans’ right to keep and bear arms? The answer is no.
In 2014, Obama, frustrated by not getting his anti-gun measures through Congress, put Biden in charge of a task force dedicated to identifying steps that could be taken without congressional action. Ultimately, the group came up with more than 20 proposals.
To which Biden proudly stated: “And so even after a minority of senators blocked common-sense legislation to reduce gun violence this spring, we’re pushing forward.”
As the Clinton campaign faces some tough days over the next few weeks relating to the classified email scandal, Biden will likely be weighing his options. And he’ll probably make an announcement soon—one way, or the other.
In the meantime, one thing is certain. Replacing a vehemently anti-gun President Barack Obama with an equally anti-gun President Hillary Clinton, President Martin O’Malley or President Joe Biden is an option that might just mean the end of the Second Amendment as we know it.
