Biden says right to bear arms ‘is not absolute’

US President angers rival Republicans as he sets out initial steps to curb the ‘epidemic’ of gun violence

JOE BIDEN last night infuriated Republicans by declaring that the Second Amendment, which enshrines the right to bear arms, was “not absolute”.

Mr Biden called gun violence a “public health epidemic” as he unveiled his first moves to tackle the issue since taking office.

He said: “It’s an epidemic for God’s sake. It has to stop. It’s an international embarrassment. Enough prayers, time for some action.”

Mr Biden’s package of executive measures included a crackdown on socalled “ghost guns” which are sold in kits and can be purchased without a background check.

Speaking at the White House, the president said nothing he was proposing would impinge on the Second Amendment.

But he added: “No amendment to the constitution is absolute. From the very beginning, you couldn’t own any weapon you wanted to own.”

Ted Cruz, a Republican senator and pro-gun advocate, said: “The right to keep and bear arms is fundamental for preserving our liberty.”

Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, added: “Biden is threatening our Second Amendment rights. We will not allow this in Texas.”

Mr Biden has come under increasing pressure from his own Democratic party to clamp down on guns following recent mass killings in Colorado, Georgia, California and South Carolina.

His limited raft of six proposals, which the White House called “initial steps,” fell short of his own campaign promises.

They did not include any concrete plans for bans on assault weapons and large capacity magazines, which have been used in many of America’s highprofile mass shootings.

However, along with slapping regulations on “ghost guns”, he also ordered the Justice Department to reclassify pistols that use “stabilising braces” as rifles, meaning they will require a government licence.

An arm brace, primarily designed to help the shooter fire their weapon onehanded, was used by the gunman in a recent massacre in Boulder, Colorado, which left 10 dead.

The Justice Department will also publish guidance making it easier for states to adopt their own “red flag” laws which will make it easier for officials to confiscate weapons. He announced the appointment of a new guns tsar, David Chipman, who is a senior adviser to the Giffords gun safety advocacy group.

Mr Biden said: “I know it’s painful and frustrating we haven’t made the progress we hoped for.

“No matter how long it takes we’re not going to give up. We’re going to show ourselves and the world that democracy works. This is just the start.

“The idea we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation.” He added: “Even law enforcement officials have told me they sometimes feel outgunned.

“There’s no reason someone needs a weapon of war with 100 bullets.

Nobody needs that.” The Democratcontrolled House of Representatives recently passed two bills that would tighten background checks on gun buyers.

However, the legislation faces stiff opposition in the Senate which is divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice-president Kamala Harris holding a casting vote.

As Mr Biden spoke it emerged that a former NFL player had shot dead five people, including two young children, aged nine and five, and then turned the gun on himself in South Carolina.

Phillip Adams, 32, shot his doctor Dr Robert Lesslie, 70, his wife, Barbara, 69, their grandchildren, and another man.