Apparently, if you think your Second Amendment rights are at risk under Biden, you’re a “phony.” That’s according to Joe Biden, at least.
Gun Control Falsehoods Abound.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks Thursday on proposed gun control measures.
Seemingly to clear the air, Biden opened with, “Nothing—nothing I’m about to recommend in any way impinges on the Second Amendment. They’re phony, arguments suggesting that these are Second Amendment rights at stake from what we’re talking about.”
He immediately added, “But no amendment—no amendment to the Constitution is absolute. You can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded movie theater and call it freedom of speech.”
The remarks that followed, detailing actions also published in a White House fact sheet on Wednesday, contained false and doubtful supporting claims, which were identified by FactCheck,org, Politifact.com, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
- On background checks: “You go to a gun show, you can buy whatever you want and no background check.” (False; this is not the case for federal firearms dealers.)
- On red flag laws: “States that have red flag laws have seen a reduction in the number of suicides in their states.” (The evidence for this claim is inconclusive.)
- On gun manufacturer immunity: “The only industry in America—a billion-dollar industry—that can’t be sued—has exempt from being sued—are gun manufacturers. (There are exceptions to gun manufacturers’ protections from civil lawsuits.)
Biden’s comments led to a confusing attempt at clarification between press secretary Jen Psaki and reporters.
Q: Is it the President’s belief that you do not have to undergo a background check when you are at a gun show?
PSAKI: No, it’s not his belief. He believes that gun—that background checks should be universal.
Q: Right. But he says, “no background check.”
PSAKI: Well, we know what his position is—right? –so let me reiterate that—which is that background checks are something that should be universal. They’re supported by more than 80 percent of the public. He supported legislation, advocated for that, and advocated against loopholes as well.
CBP Shares Spiking Border Numbers.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a graph Thursday depicting the surge in the encounters with migrants attempting illegal entry to the United States via the southwest border.
The March 2021 spike far exceeds the May 2019 spike to which it has been compared, and the visual sheds further light on Biden’s misleading statement that a surge in illegal crossings “happens every year.”
In March, CBP encountered over 172,000 persons attempting entry along the SW border. This FY, CBP has already had over 569,800 encounters.
Press release: https://t.co/s6pObvhmjQ
Enforcement stats: https://t.co/AcdShCXjDS
SW Land Border Encounters: https://t.co/i3vbVkLjpB pic.twitter.com/v3doyPecnX— CBP (@CBP) April 8, 2021
The Vice President, who was at one point supposedly tasked with reducing illegal immigration by addressing the root causes, has not visited the border, but has visited a Chicago bakery for a slice of German chocolate cake. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made a closed-press trip to the border region on Thursday.
Mayorkas reportedly met with sheriffs in El Paso, Texas, who requested regular meetings on the situation.
