During his tenure as Vice President, Joe Biden expressed a preference for shotguns as a means of self-defense, advising the public to fire a shotgun through the door if they wanted to keep someone away from their house.
Although not the most prudent advice, Biden, an owner of two shotguns, concurrently advocated for a ban on AR-style semi-automatic rifles, categorizing them as “weapons of war.”
President Biden, known for offering what could be considered responsible advice on firearm safety, has demonstrated a lack of historical awareness in discussions about gun control.
Joe Biden (Credits: Axios)
Making the inaccurate claim that the Second Amendment wouldn’t have allowed citizens to own cannons, he seems to overlook the historical context where shotguns themselves were designated as weapons of war.
Contrary to prevailing perceptions, U.S. soldiers were issued pump-action shotguns, notably the Winchester Model 1897, during various conflicts, earning them the moniker “trench shotguns.”
These six-shot firearms, equipped with bayonets and loaded with 12-gauge buckshot, played a significant role in World War I. The trench shotgun’s devastating impact was acknowledged, with the German government officially protesting its use in 1918.
Fast forward 50 years, and the U.S. military introduced the M16 in the context of the Vietnam War. The Armalite design, a revolutionary weapon directed by Eugene Stoner, offered select fire, reduced weight compared to its predecessor M14, and fired a smaller cartridge.
While the military’s M16 had full-auto and burst fire modes, the civilian version, the AR-15, has consistently been offered only as a semi-automatic firearm.
Despite its civilian status, the AR-15 is often erroneously labeled a “weapon of war” due to its appearance. This mischaracterization originated from gun control advocates seeking to obfuscate the matter.
In reality, many civilian firearms throughout history, including slings, bows, clubs, and swords, were employed as weapons of war. During the American Revolution, the line between civilian and military firearms was virtually nonexistent, and American patriots often wielded superior long guns compared to the British Army.
The Founding Fathers, cognizant of this historical context, drafted the Second Amendment without a clear delineation between weapons of war and civilian firearms. This ambiguity persisted throughout the 19th century, with instances like the Battle of Little Bighorn highlighting how civilian rifles could outmatch military-issued firearms.
Notably, it wasn’t until the National Firearms Act of 1934 that restrictions on civilian firearm ownership were introduced. Before this, there was no distinct line between weapons of war and civilian firearms.
Presently, legal distinctions are clearer, with machine guns being highly regulated and civilian models lacking certain features present in military weapons.
While the U.S. military employs true weapons of war, such as the M5 select-fire infantry rifle and M250 automatic rifle, civilians’ access to these specific firearms is restricted.
The AR-15, characterized by its menacing appearance, remains a civilian firearm. Until the military utilizes the AR-15 in combat, it is inaccurate to label it a weapon of war.
