Biden paints GOP as anti-police for opposing assault weapons ban

“Being a cop today is a hell of a lot harder than it’s ever been," Biden said

By Ben Whedon

Published: July 25, 2022 5:05pm

Updated: July 25, 2022 5:17pm

President Joe Biden on Monday told the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives that Republicans do not support law enforcement since they oppose a federal assault weapons ban.

Biden specifically pointed to Floridian Republican lawmakers as he spoke remotely to the NOBLE conference held in that state.

“You hear a lot of politicians say about how much they love you, how much they care about you, they’ll do anything for you. In the state you’re in today, Gov. [Ron] DeSantis, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Rick Scott all opposed banning assault weapons and Senator Scott and Rubio voted against the bipartisan gun safety law that I signed,” he said, according to The Hill.

“Being a cop today is a hell of a lot harder than it’s ever been. We expect everything of you…maybe worse of all, we send you out to do your job on the streets flooded with weapons of war,” he added.

Biden's remarks come after a string of mass shootings swept the United States and pushed Congress into passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a gun control measure that tightened background checks for younger gun buyers, closed purchase eligibility loopholes, and allocating funding for mass shooting prevention programs.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., sponsored a federal assault weapons ban earlier this year which would forbid the purchase, manufacture, and transfer of semi-automatic weapons with detachable magazines and a range of other features, though doubts linger as to whether the narrow 220-seat Democratic majority has the votes to pass the measure without GOP crossover support. The bill, should it clear the lower chamber, will likely hit a brick wall in the Senate, as it lacks the Republican support necessary to overcome a filibuster.

“To me it’s simple, if you can’t support banning weapons of war on American streets, you’re not on the side of police,” Biden told the NOBLE conference, adding “on the ballot this year will be whether or not this nation bans assault weapons.”