A coalition of 15 Republican attorneys general sent a letter to President Joe Biden Wednesday calling out his stance on so-called “assault weapons” and pledging to oppose his plan to target gun rights.
The coalition, led by Republican Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, questioned Biden’s definition of so-called “assault weapons,” further saying that his call for Congress to ban “assault weapons” is both “irresponsible and unconstitutional,” according to the letter. The letter specifically responded to Biden’s State of The Union Address and his comments about assault weapons and semi-automatic handguns, saying they were “astonishing,” as there are over 100 million semi-automatic handguns and 45 million semi-automatic rifles in the United States possessed by law-abiding Americans.
The coalition also questioned Biden’s “assault weapon” designation, saying it is a “misleading label” and an attempt to scare Americans and criminalize law-abiding gun owners.
“The right to keep and bear arms in self-defense guards and protects the right to life, the first and most fundamental God-given right recognized in the Declaration of Independence. And, needless to say, your repeated attempts to deprive law-abiding Americans of guns that are in common and widespread use for self-defense are patently unconstitutional,” Knudsen wrote in the letter.
The letter further condemned Biden’s decision to use Monterey Park hero Brandon Tsay to call for a nationwide ban on “assault weapons” during his State of the Union Address. Biden referenced Tsay while calling for the ban, saying, “He saved lives. It’s time we do the same as well.” (RELATED: Biden Admin Sends Over $200 Million To States For Gun Crackdown)
Tsay, 26, took down the Monterey Park gunman who killed 11 people following a Chinese Lunar New Year dance festival.
“Knowing how radical your proposed policy is, you attempted to assuage Americans’ legitimate concerns about self-defense by invoking the example of Brandon Tsay, a heroic young man who wrestled a firearm away from an active shooter in Monterey Park, California,” the letter said. “Your reliance on Mr. Tsay’s heroics, however, is both cynical and self-defeating.”
Biden has a record of calling for “assault weapon” bans, and most recently pledged to push for a ban in January. Following multiple mass shootings, Biden said that there is no “social redeeming value” to owning “assault weapons” because deer do not wear “Kevlar vests,” according to the president’s remarks at the National Action Network’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day breakfast.
Referencing the Second Amendment as a means for private citizens to defend themselves against the government, Biden also said that it would take a lot more firepower than an AR-15 to take down the government.
“I love my right-wing friends who’ll talk about the tree of liberty is watered with the blood of patriots. If you need to worry about taking on the federal government, you need some F-15s you don’t need an AR-15,” Biden continued.
“In a letter sent to President Biden, 15 other state attorneys general joined Attorney General Knudsen in highlighting the many flaws of his reasons for banning his personal, broad definition of ‘assault weapons,’ as well as the dangers of doing so.” https://t.co/BDG48A4Ihd
— FPC Action Foundation (@FPCAction) February 15, 2023
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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