Karine Jean-Pierre: Biden meant he wanted to ban assault weapons when he said 'semi-automatic weapons'

Brett T. | 4:22 PM on November 28, 2022

We heard this last week over the holiday and we’re glad that someone in the White House press corps was paying attention. On Thanksgiving, President Joe Biden said it was “sick” that we still “allow” semi-automatic weapons to be purchased.

Biden in Nantucket:

"The idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick. It has no social redeeming value. Zero. None…I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons"

– and –

"No time to walk away from Ukraine…I still believe there's enough support there" pic.twitter.com/3ZIvR0KzIs

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) November 24, 2022

Was Biden calling for a ban on all 'semiautomatics' or just assault rifles? @PressSec clears this up, telling me "No, he was talking about assault weapons." https://t.co/QCY3WfPdYo

— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) November 28, 2022

"He was talking about assault weapons" says Karine Jean-Pierre when asked about Biden's comment about banning all sales of semi-automatic weapons

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) November 28, 2022

KJP to @PhilipWegmann on whether Biden wants to ban all semi-automatic guns: "No, he was–he was talking about assault weapons. That's what he was talking on that–on that morning or that afternoon when he was asked that question." pic.twitter.com/IiUgrmcRB7

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 28, 2022

We wouldn’t doubt it if Biden had no idea that just about every gun sold in America is semi-automatic — one trigger pull, one bullet. We know that Biden’s a big fan of shotguns and owns quite a few (but he’s not sure how many. But if Biden is thinking of banning semi-automatics, well … that’s even less likely to happen than his “assault weapons” ban.