Joe Biden gets fact-checked on gun (cannon) control during the Revolutionary War

Greg P. | 12:20 PM on June 30, 2020

LOL.

PolitiFact fact-checked Joe Biden’s claim that individuals were not allowed to won cannons during the Revolutionary War:

https://t.co/4bPiQjvS12 pic.twitter.com/TnQc5EoKjY

— Share the Facts (@sharethefact) June 29, 2020

TBH, we thought Biden was joking. But, apparently not:

@CamEdwards Was Biden at least joking? Apparently not. https://t.co/DEabj36jcT

— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) June 30, 2020

Biden’s staffer couldn’t find any law to back up his claim:

Joe Biden said individuals were barred from owning cannons during the Revolutionary War. But his campaign couldn't point to any such laws, and historians are dubious. (Plus, it's clear that privateers did own them). https://t.co/ieF5MQKfdp

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) June 30, 2020

From PolitiFact:

Our ruling

Biden said, “You weren’t allowed to own a cannon during the Revolutionary War as an individual.”

The campaign was unable to come up with an example of a law banning private ownership of cannons, and historians of the period doubt that any existed. To the contrary, there are documented instances of privateers, or privately owned vessels, setting sail with cannons during the period.

We rate the statement False.

So, we can own cannons now?

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