Biden Suggests He Wants to ‘Eliminate’ Handgun Magazines That Hold More Than 20 Rounds

That includes '9mm handguns' or 'rifles,' president says

President Joe Biden walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on July 16, 2021. Susan Walsh/AP Photo

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said his administration wants to push for legislation that bars high-capacity magazines for handguns and rifles.

“I’m the only guy that ever got passed legislation when I was a senator to make sure we eliminated assault weapons,” Biden said during a CNN event on Wednesday, referring to the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that included a ban on so-called “assault weapons.” “The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon, whether it’s a, whether it’s a 9mm pistol or whether it’s a rifle, is ridiculous.”

“I’m continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things, but I’m not likely to get that done in the near term,” Biden added.

It’s not clear whether Biden meant he wants to ban 9mm pistols or rifles outright or magazines that hold a minimum of 20 rounds. Many firearms have the capacity to use magazines that have fewer than 20 rounds, and in states like California or New York, state law prohibits owning magazines with more than 10 rounds. The 9mm round is also one of the most commonly used rounds in the United States.

House Republicans criticized Biden’s comment and characterized it as a push “to ban handguns.” Other conservative commentators followed suit, alleging the president wants to prohibit the ownership of rifles and 9mm handguns.

Pro-Second Amendment organizations echoed those comments, with Gun Owners of America tweeting Biden is “going after every tool used for self-defense” with his later remarks.

So far, Biden has pushed for legislation that targets certain types of rifles and used his executive power to order the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to further regulate AR-15-style pistols with stabilizing braces. Those agencies, meanwhile, have also been directed by Biden to target gun shops and other firearms dealers who allegedly don’t perform the necessary background checks.

House Democrats earlier this year passed a pair of bills that would expand background checks with little Republican support. Some Senate Democrats introduced a bill that would ban 205 “assault weapons” and another bill that would ban magazines with more than 10 rounds.

During his town hall on CNN, the president tied his executive actions with a rise in shootings, homicides, and overall crime in major metropolitan areas. However, some law enforcement officials have said that the left-wing push to “defund the police,” as well as bail reform policies, have triggered the spike in crime nationwide.

Biden, appearing to make note of a spate of police resignations and retirements in recent years, acknowledged Wednesday that “cops are having real trouble” in dealing with the rise in crime.

“They’re not all bad guys, there are a lot of good guys. We need more policemen, not fewer policemen,” he added.

The Epoch Times has contacted a White House spokesperson for comment.