OPINION: This article contains commentary which may reflect the author’s opinion
Democrat Joe Biden made promises last week that he would ban “assault weapons” if Democrats pulled off a miracle and were about to retain control of Congress after the midterm elections in November.
That should give Americans another reason to get out to their voting places to vote against every Democrat they can find. The idea of an assault weapons ban is not favorable to American voters, according to polling.
In June Fox News reported that polling showed support for an “assault weapons” ban in the United States hit an all-time low despite calls from Democrats to implement a ban following a deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“In a Quinnipiac University poll, conducted last week and published on Tuesday, 50 percent of registered voters support a nationwide ban on semi-automatic long guns compared to 45% who oppose which represents the lowest level of support since February 2013 when Quinnipiac began asking that question.
The highest level of support for the ban was 67% in February 2018, days after the Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead,” Fox reported.
“Nearly a decade after the school shooting at Sandy Hook and in the midst of a raging partisan and emotional debate, the assault weapon maintains a foothold, as calls for outlawing ownership hit their lowest level,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said.
But Biden is counting on the assault ban messaging to help him keep his power.
During a Democratic National Committee (DNC) Grassroots Rally in Rockville, Md., Biden told his supporters that he is “determined to ban assault weapons in this country.”
“We took on the NRA, and we beat them. We just passed the first significant gun safety legislation in 30 years in this country. And I promise you, we’re not stopping here. I’m determined to ban assault weapons in this country,” Biden said at the rally.
“Biden said he banned “assault weapons” before, referring to the 1994 “assault weapons” ban, which he spearheaded during his career as a Senator. When the ban expired in 2004, the Department of Justice National Institute of Justice issued a report stating that the ban did not actually reduce crime.
We just passed the first significant new gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years in this country.
We took on the NRA—and beat them. But we are not stopping here.
I am determined to ban assault weapons in this country. I did it once before, and we are going to do it again.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 28, 2022
“We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence,” the report stated, according to a copy of the report viewed by The Washington Times at the time.
The report also noted that “assault weapons” were “rarely used in gun crimes before the ban,” Liz George wrote for American Military Times.
“Should it be renewed, the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement,” the report continued, later stating, “The ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”
“FactCheck.org also maintains that the ban’s impact is unclear. Biden doubled down on his vow to ban “assault weapons” in a tweet on Sunday night,” George reported.
“If we elect more Democrats to the Senate and keep the House Democratic, imagine the possibilities,” Biden said in the tweet. “We’ll ban assault weapons, saving countless lives.”
If we elect more Democrats to the Senate and keep the House Democratic, imagine the possibilities.
We’ll codify Roe v. Wade, protecting a woman’s right to choose.
We’ll ban assault weapons, saving countless lives.
We’ll protect voting rights.
Let’s get it done.
If we elect more Democrats to the Senate and keep the House Democratic, imagine the possibilities.
We’ll codify Roe v. Wade, protecting a woman’s right to choose.
We’ll ban assault weapons, saving countless lives.
We’ll protect voting rights.
Let’s get it done. pic.twitter.com/QpVj0GzYVP
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 28, 2022
During his speech last week, Biden asserted that he would facilitate the “assault weapons” ban for “those families in Buffalo, Uvalde, Newtown, El Paso, Parkland, Charleston, Las Vegas, Orlando.”
“We’re going to do it for all our kids gunned down on our streets every single day — every day that never make the national news. Folks, we’re going to do it for your kids who are learning how to read and write in school instead of learning how to duck and cover,” Biden continued. “So this November — this November, you have to ask every candidate, ‘Are you for banning assault weapons or not?’ And if you’re not, we’re not going to vote for you. Period.”
In July, the House of Representatives voted to pass sweeping “assault weapons” ban legislation in a narrow 217-213 vote, which aims to “regulate assault weapons” by banning the sale, manufacture, or transfer of a wide range of rifles commonly used by Americans. The bill is unlikely to pass the Senate.
However, what Americans want, according to that polling, is to raise the age of purchase:
The Quinnipiac polling does show that Americans do support some forms of gun control, including 74% of poll respondents signaling support for raising the minimum age to buy any gun from 18 to 21.
According to the poll, 57% of Americans support stricter gun laws in the United States, which is an increase from a Quinnipiac poll in November that showed 45% support.
The Democrats are totally out of touch with what Americans want.
Source: The Republic Brief