President Biden was called out by multiple fact-checkers for several falsehoods during his major announcement on gun control.
Biden used specious claims to further his agenda against the Second Amendment on Thursday, announcing several executive orders to curb gun rights while pushing Congress to take even further action.
The Democrat president moved on restrictions for so-called “ghost guns,” directed the DOJ to publish suggestions for “red flag” legislation for states, and calling for lawmakers to consider legislation banning ‘assault weapons’ and ‘high-capacity’ magazines.
In what can only be described as a miracle, fact-checkers from the New York Times and Factcheck.org called Biden out for using falsehoods to push his agenda.
BIDEN: “You can go to a gun show, you can buy what you want and no background check.”
This is a total lie and shows how little this administration understands about gun laws. pic.twitter.com/84BCIvGWLM
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 8, 2021
RELATED: Arizona Governor Signs Bill Protecting State From Federal Gun Control Laws
Biden Called Out by the Fact-Checkers
Factcheck.org ticked off three separate times President Biden engaged in “missteps” during his gun control speech.
The group references Biden’s comments on background checks first.
“Most people don’t know, you walk into a store and you buy a gun, you have a background check,” the President said. “But you go to a gun show, you can buy whatever you want and no background check.”
“That’s wrong,” Factcheck.org writes. “In fact, federal firearm dealers must run a background check on a potential buyer at a gun show using the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or a similar state system.”
Joe Biden: “But you go to a gun show, you can buy whatever you want and no background check.”
This is a lie.
Read more about Biden’s gun control executive actions here: https://t.co/37DhmMEBzN pic.twitter.com/CTfqYCQRhi
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 8, 2021
The New York Times defines Biden’s background check claim as “exaggerated.”
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“Licensed firearms dealers are required to look up potential buyers in a background check system before a sale is approved,” they write.
This is easily biggest lie in Joe Biden’s gun control speech:
“No amendment to the Constitution is absolute.” pic.twitter.com/iFiTjXWEH4
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) April 8, 2021
RELATED: Biden Pushes For ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban In Major Announcement, Says ‘No Amendment’ Is Absolute’
Other Fact Checks
Factcheck.org addressed a couple of other misstatements from President Biden.
Biden announced that he was directing the Department of Justice to publish suggestions for “red flag” legislation for states.
“Red flag” laws allow authorities to confiscate firearms from individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others, without having been convicted of a crime.
The President alleged that states with “red flag laws” have seen reductions in suicides, but Factcheck.org notes research on the topic “found the evidence is inconclusive.”
President Biden announces four actions being taken to prevent gun violence: regulating “ghost guns,” commissioning new reports assessing illegal firearms trafficking, regulating pistol modifications, and the Justice Department modeling “red flag” laws for states to adopt. pic.twitter.com/8DtakiEpPA
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 9, 2021
The fact-checkers also mentioned that Biden’s claim that gun-makers are the only industry exempt from being sued over shooting incidents doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
“They do have protections from civil lawsuits, but there are exceptions,” Factcheck.org reports.
The Times adds that gun manufacturers can still be sued “for breaches of warranty or if a manufacturer or dealer sells a gun knowing that it would be used in a crime.”
They also point out that Big Tech famously has protections from lawsuits under Section 230.
