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Oh, That Joe! (No. 14 in a Series) - Biden Says Obama Won't Take His Beretta

September 20, 2008 4:28 PM

Sen. Barack Obama better not mess with his running mate Joe Biden's guns...or else.

In an out-of-nowhere attempt to re-assure a southwestern Virginia labor crowd about gun owners' rights, Biden -- who regularly scores "F" ratings from the National Rifle Association -- warned Obama that if "he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem."

"I guarantee you Barack Obama ain't taking my shotguns, so don't buy that malarkey," Biden said Saturday at the United Mine Workers of America's annual fish fry in Castlewood, Virginia. "Don't buy that malarkey. They're going to start peddling that to you."

Biden told the crowd that he himself is a gun owner. "I got two," Biden said, "if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he's got a problem. I like that little over and under, you know? I'm not bad with it. So give me a break. Give me a break."

-- Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe

September 20, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (240)

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Obama says he is not responsible for what other people say. He also is not responsible for what he says himself as he changes his mind like on FISA. He took away your right to a private phone call.

Posted by: Democrat No More | Sep 22, 2008 6:02:38 AM

Should, heaven forbid, Obama-Biden somehow pull it off Nov 4, there will be a huge run on guns in this country starting Wed Nov 5. It will be a fantastic time to own a gunshot, and a fantastic time for little else in this once great nation. The effect of their gun control policies is for only the bad guys to have guns. They absolutely refuse to admit how many problems have been avoided by the mere brandishing of a gun, or the sound of a shotgun being readied for use. In their view of things, if trouble happens, as in Washington D.C., you will be asked to cower in your home with your trusty phone on 911 speed-dial. Good luck with that!

Posted by: JimF | Sep 22, 2008 1:48:53 AM

Biden is downright strange. He veers from one extreme to the next and seems to get extremely agitated with very little provocation. I used to like this guy, but lately he kinda gives me the creeps. What's up?

Posted by: NJH | Sep 21, 2008 11:28:42 PM

Obama can say he is for guns, but he has already stated that his Supreme Courts picks will be so liberal that it will not matter.

Posted by: James | Sep 21, 2008 11:27:54 PM

Don't kid yourself. A president can't change the 2nd amendment. However, there are 2 maybe 3 seats that will be opening up on the Supreme court in the next 4 yrs and the president will be the one to appoint them. Of course, Obama will appoint liberal Supreme court justices who can interpret the Constitution the way they see it. That means, they can say our fore fathers meant the 2nd amendment to mean only the military can bear arms, and make the sale of fire arms illegal.Just a few days ago, on C-SPAN the liberals in Congress were once again trying to place enough regulations on fire arms to cause another gun ban. As if they didn't have enough to do, what with the failing economy, because of Democratic regulations put in place during the Clinton adm, and the Congress now ignoring the problem until it was too late, the energy crisis, etc, they are still talking about banning guns. No wonder the Democrat majority Congress has the worst approval rating in history!

Posted by: S Adams | Sep 21, 2008 9:34:41 PM

After Obama bans everyones guns, he can move to the next stage in his path to Utopia. Michelle's universal mandatory volunteer (sic) public works program. Unconstitutional ?, not after he packs the Supreme Court with his cronies.

Posted by: Johhny-X | Sep 21, 2008 9:07:37 PM

Guess what? The president cannot decide to take your guns away! I'm a liberal and a gun owner -- I'm not at all worried that my guns will be taken away by Obama. Get real people! Obama and Biden get my vote -- one has a law degree and is an expert in constitutional law, and the other has a great deal of experience in foreign policy. McCain and Palin are truly an embarassment to the American people!

Posted by: jmb | Sep 21, 2008 8:35:50 PM

Biden is a complete liar. He brags that his one big accomplishment was railroading through the Clinton assault weapon ban of 1994. Like Sen. Feinstein, he only wants to keep HIS gun. But he wants to take yours. DC elietism.

Posted by: Johhny-X | Sep 21, 2008 8:16:15 PM

Biden's pandering is completely insulting to the intelligence of gun owners.

Don't think they're buying it for one second. Combined with the disingenuous carrying on by Obama and Biden, with the 'pholksy' dialects they put on while patronizing everyone on this issue, this issue alone will likely lose them the election.

It is so transparently insincere, it is nauseating.

I confess that I don't understand the gun-banner's mindset at all. How can they, ostensibly intelligent, rational people, put their brains on hold, and actually believe that any criminal who would be willing to threaten or kill his fellow man, would give a damn about a law forbidding carry, possession of any kind of lethal weapon.

Second amendment rights notwithstanding, if we think that we would have a snowballs chance of getting weapons "off the streets" let us examine our success in preventing the flow of thousands of tons of illegal drugs, and preventing the crossing of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.

Although Biden and Obama could never likely round up all the guns under their watch, they can and would do serious damage to this right, by relentless, incremental baby steps.

It would start with so-called semi automatic assault weapons, You know, the ones that are used in less than 1/10th of a percent of gun crime. (FBI uniform crime report). They are just ugly enough, and look menacing enough to be excellent target of a gun ban. Fact is, even an M16 fires a cartridge that isn't nearly as devastating as a typical hunting round like a .308 or 30.06. But the average person doesn't know this.

The majority opinion in Heller vs D.C. has re-affirmed Miller VS US, in the sense that the 2nd amendment specifically protects weapons that are suited for militia (read military) use, or weapons that are in common use at the time.

AK47s, M16/M4, Beretta 9 mm, etc are the most commonly used weapons of our time, and therefore, ought to be the most protected.

The compromise, in terms of "reasonable restrictions" is already in place: unless registered prior to 1986, civilian versions of these weapons are not fully automatic, requiring the trigger to be pulled once for each round fired.

There is very good reason to protect these weapons in particular. Part of the myriad of reasons our founders created the Second Amendment is so that the People would have an ultimate recourse against future tyranny. Candidates like Obama and Biden, with their cynical though thinly veiled attempts at duping the electorate, serve to highlight the wisdom of the founding fathers.

Sure, we won't have outright gun confiscation a broad scale . . . right away. But until we draw a permanent line in the sand, and specifically codify the limits of government infringement in our courts and legislatures, me may depend on a relentless chipping away of this fundamental right to keep and bear until one day we will look up, and the right will have ceased to exist.

Posted by: Christopher Hoffman | Sep 21, 2008 8:12:59 PM

If you plan to buy a gun better get it before Jan 20th

Obama/Biden's promises are not good.

Posted by: riley | Sep 21, 2008 6:46:56 PM

Remember Obama says one thing to Scranton, and something else to San Fran.

Obama's stump speech desn't match up to his extreme voting records.

Strict gun control

Abortions anytime, anywhere

Voted for taxes 94 times.

He's a Chicago thug that can't be trusted.

Posted by: harry | Sep 21, 2008 6:44:21 PM

Biden must be one of those terrible American "clinging to his guns and religion".

Posted by: Bob | Sep 21, 2008 6:34:05 PM

I think Obama and Biden still have a very good chance to win the west just keep the battle ground states and your be fine Obama swing back them states with a pow wow dance.

Posted by: Gene | Sep 21, 2008 5:45:34 PM

No ban on guns if you ask me only for tm who are corrupted need not one in there hands at all, go take them all on please get them out our neighborhoods.

Posted by: gg | Sep 21, 2008 5:06:27 PM

No ban on guns if you ask me only for tm who are corrupted need not one in there hands at all, go take them all on please get them out our neighborhoods.

Posted by: gg | Sep 21, 2008 5:06:20 PM

Joe Biden saying about Obama: "if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he's got a problem."
Joe likes his gun. He threatens anyone that wants to take it from him

Ahh...but remember in the July 2007 debate what Joe Biden said about the gun owning questioner that "he needed help" and was "not mentally qualified to own that gun"?
And then brags about legislation to ban guns.

Posted by: Zank | Sep 21, 2008 4:28:52 PM

Talking about pandering...geez

Posted by: Mark | Sep 21, 2008 2:44:27 PM

Joe Biden pushed for an "assault weapon" ban long before Clinton was even elected. He's in favor of lawsuits intended to bankrupt gun manufacturers. He voted to confirm the judges who would've overturned the 2nd amendment in Heller and voted against confirming all but 1 judge who voted to support the RKBA.

Biden has no credibility on the issue of taking guns away. He's spent decades in DC trying to do just that, and anyone who falls for this "malarky" shouldn't be too surprised when their guns are next.

Posted by: h0mi | Sep 21, 2008 2:26:25 PM

I don't think the gun control issue is very high on the issues list. Lots of other more important issues for the next in line. Obama keeps saying he is concerned with staying within the constitutional rights of Americans. So doesn't that mean guns stay in the hands of hunters?

Posted by: AnnD52 | Sep 21, 2008 2:16:34 PM

MCCAIN PUT LIPSTICK ON THAT PIG
AND TOOK IT OFF THE NEXT DAY

MCCAIN SAID THE ECONOMY IS STRONG AND SOUND, WE ARE NOT TO WEARY

MORTGAGE CRISES, PEOPLE ARE ALREADY OUT OF THEIR HOMES
HEALTH CARE ALREADY LOST, BECAUSE OF JOBS
JOBS ARE ALREADY LOST, NO MONEY
MCCAIN ALREADY VOTED 95% OF THE TIME WITH BUSH
MCCAIN SAYS DON'T WEARY BE HAPPY
RETIREMENT MONEY LOST BECAUSE OF BAD DEALING
MCCAIN CERTAINLY DO NOT HAVE TO WEARY, CRIMINAL CINDY IS RICH, THEY HAVE 10 HOUSES, SOME DONE HAVE ONE
TROOPS, ARE ALREADY HUNGRY, HOMELESS AND WITHOUT BENEFIT
BECAUSE MCCAIN OPPOSED GI BILL


Posted by: wanda | Sep 21, 2008 2:15:03 PM

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