Biden: "No Rational Basis" For 9mm Ammo In Self-Defense
In spontaneous remarks on the White House lawn Sunday morning, President Joe Biden pointed his shaky gun control sights at the most popular self-defense cartridge in America.
Recalling a trip to a New York trauma center, Biden said:
“They said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out—may be able to get it and save the life. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body. So the idea of these high-caliber weapons is, uh, there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of...self-protection, hunting.”
It's not the first time Biden has condemned 9mm weapons. In 2019, Biden noted that Americans aren't allowed to own machine guns or bazookas before asking, “Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons including pistols with 9mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?”
As the New York Post notes, 9mm pistols dominate Americans' holsters, nightstands and gun cabinets:
According to Shooting Industry magazine, 9mm pistols accounted for 56.8% of all handguns made in the US during 2019. In all, more than 15.1 million 9mm guns were produced in this country during the 2010s. The possibility of outlawing or otherwise regulating such weapons are likely to be a non-starter among conservatives and gun rights advocates.
Aside from the complete implausibility of enacting restrictions on 9mm weapons and ammunition, Biden's scatterbrained commentary betrays his fundamental misunderstanding of the very nature of armed self-defense when faced with the threat of death or great bodily harm.
When using a pistol or any firearm to stop such a threat, it's understood that one is using deadly force. It isn't a game of "tag, you're it." The popular Active Self Protection YouTube channel has real-life examples of assailants reanimating after being struck multiple times by police ammunition—likely 9mm or larger .40-caliber—to say nothing of Biden's kindler, gentler .22.
Which brings us to the next point: Biden singling out 9mm ammunition as supposedly "high-caliber" is laughable, given its place along the pistol caliber continuum—to say nothing of deer-hunting rifle ammunition with which he's apparently at peace.
We'd love to know what nearby Secret Service agents were thinking as Biden said "high-caliber" 9mm ammunition "blows the lung out of the body" and therefore has "no rational basis" in self-defense. Will Biden order them to switch to a .22 so would-be assassins have better odds of making it out of surgery?
Finally, as absurd as Biden's latest commentary was, it failed to outdo his preposterous 2013 advice that women should always arm themselves with 12-gauge shotguns rather than AR-15s—because AR-15s are supposedly "harder to aim" and "harder to use." This classic video does a great job demolishing Biden's premise:
Joe Biden suggests he wants to ban “high caliber” 9mm handguns.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 30, 2022
“There’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of self-protection.” pic.twitter.com/lPITAN5kEU
