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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified on Tuesday President Joe Biden’s position on banning gun ownership in the wake of the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, after Canada reacted by freezing the right to bear arms.
When Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Karine Jean-Pierre if President Biden would support a measure similar to Canada’s, the Press Secretary replied that the White House position is against the selling of “assault weapons.”
“He supports a ban on sales of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and expanded background checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands”; “He does not support a ban on the sale of all handguns.”
Biden thinks differently than Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday a legislation to “freeze” the possession, purchase, sale and importation of guns following the massacre in Uvalde, which left 19 children and two educators dead.
Trudeau said that while “the vast majority of gun owners” use their guns safely and legally, “there is no reason anyone in Canada should need guns in their everyday lives.”
Later, President Biden suggested that the sale of high-caliber weapons is “irrational” and should be regulated.
“So the idea of these high-caliber weapons is of — there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of thinking about self-protection, hunting.” The president said after his return to the White House on Monday. “I mean, I just — and remember, the Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed. You couldn’t go out and purchase a lot of weapons.”
In that regard, his press secretary felt the need to clarify that what Biden is seeking is to “ensure that there’s action” in Congress to regulate the use of guns.
