Speaking on the campus of The College of Charleston in South Carolina on February 24, former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden made this startling statement: “I’ve got news for you gun manufacturers. I’m coming for you and I’m going to take you down.”
It may be a politically risky statement for Biden to make in a generally conservative state that President Trump carried by a margin of 54.94 percent to 40.67 percent over Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, in this Saturday’s Democratic primary, Biden will be courting the vote of only the state’s Democratic voters, who are a more liberal segment of the electorate than those who voted for Trump. A Winthrop University poll conducted last week found that Biden was in the lead among potential primary voters, with 24 percent compared to 19 percent for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Breitbart reported that Biden made his statement targeting gun manufacturers after mentioning the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act passed in 2005. That law is designed to shield gun manufacturers from lawsuits in cases where the guns used in crimes were legally manufactured and legally sold.
Biden has constantly criticized that law while campaigning, most recently in Las Vegas and in New Hampshire this month.
Breitbart cited Biden’s New Hampshire statement in which he said it was a “mistake” to give “gun manufacturers … a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the carnage they are creating.”
“The first thing I’m going to do as president is work to get rid of that, and it’s going to be hard,” he added.
Britain’s Daily Mail noted that in the past, Biden has strongly criticized Sanders for his Senate votes on gun control. Sanders has historically been more moderate on gun control than most other Democrats because he represents Vermont, a state that tends to be liberal, except on gun control. Its state constitution guarantees people the “right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the state.”
Photo: AP Images
Warren Mass has served The New American since its launch in 1985 in several capacities, including marketing, editing, and writing. Since retiring from the staff several years ago, he has been a regular contributor to the magazine. Warren writes from Texas and can be reached at [email protected].
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