President Biden took another swipe at Second Amendment supporters Tuesday evening, reminding them that they would "need an F-16" to challenge the U.S. government.
Biden's remarks at a fundraising event in a private residence in California came as he discussed gun violence in America and stressed the notion that Americans do not need AR-15s.
"We have to change," Biden said. "There’s a lot of things we can change, because the American people by and large agree you don’t need a weapon of war. I’m a Second Amendment guy. I taught it for four years, six years in law school. And guess what? It doesn’t say that you can own any weapon you want. It says there are certain weapons that you just can’t own. Even during when it was passed, you couldn’t own a cannon. You can’t own a machine gun.… No, I’m serious."
"You know, I love these guys who say the Second Amendment is – you know, the tree of liberty is water with the blood of patriots. Well, if [you] want to do that, you want to work against the government, you need an F-16. You need something else than just an AR-15," he added.
Biden also suggested that the popularity of AR-15s among gun makers stems from its cheap production and high profit margins.
"You know one of the reasons why the AR-15 is so strongly supported by so many folks in that – in that industry? Number one, it’s the cheapest weapon to make and it’s the highest profit motive they have for any weapon that is made. It makes more money to sell an AR-15 than any other weapon you can buy," he said.
The comments from Biden on Tuesday are similar to those he made earlier this year, when he told those gathered at the National Action Network's annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in Washington that those who support the use of AR-15s will need a much bigger arsenal to stand a chance against the government.
"I love my right-wing friends who talk about the tree of liberty is water of the blood of patriots," Biden said in January. "If you need to work about taking on the federal government, you need some F-15s. You don't need an AR-15."
BIDEN TAKES SWIPE AT SECOND AMENDMENT SUPPORTERS: 'YOU NEED F-15S' TO TAKE ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The quote Biden refers to dates back to Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in a letter: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants." Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and America's third president.
Biden's claims that there have always been limits on the Second Amendment have been analyzed and found to be false when he has made them repeatedly over the past few years.
The Second Amendment, as written, does not limit who can "keep and bear arms" or what kind of arms people can keep and bear. Federal gun regulation didn’t come until 1934, decades after the Second Amendment was introduced.
The Constitution does, however, give Congress the power to "grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal," which were government licenses that allowed civilians to attack and detain vessels of countries at war with the U.S., the Washington Post pointed out in 2021.
"Individuals who were given these waivers and owned warships obviously also obtained cannons for use in battle," the Post reported at the time.
Since taking office, Biden has urged Congress to pass gun control measures. Last June, after it was passed by both the Democrat-controlled House and Senate, Biden signed into law the most significant gun control bill in nearly 30 years.
Fox News' Louis Casiano and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this article.
