Attorney General Alan Wilson responds to Biden’s State of the Union call to ban assault weapons
February 15, 2023
Attorney General Alan Wilson and 15 other state attorneys general today called out President Biden’s recent irresponsible, radical, and unconstitutional statements he made during the State of the Union demanding Congress ban firearms commonly used by law-abiding Americans for self-defense.
In a letter sent to President Biden, the coalition of attorneys general highlight the many flaws of his reasons for banning his personal, broad definition of “assault weapons,” as well as the dangers of doing so.
“The Constitution is far higher authority than the President. But I don’t think President Biden knows that,” Attorney General Wilson said.
“According to your own CDC, Americans use guns to protect themselves and their families up to 3 million times per year, if not more—far more often than guns are used in crimes, and far, far more often than guns injure people,” the letter said. “The right to keep and bear arms in self-defense guards and protects the right to life, the first and most fundamental God-given right recognized in the Declaration of Independence. And, needless to say, your repeated attempts to deprive law-abiding Americans of guns that are in common and widespread use for self-defense are patently unconstitutional. We stand ready to oppose any attempt by your Administration to trample on this fundamental constitutional right.”
Semi-automatic pistols are the self-defense weapon of choice for the overwhelming majority of law-abiding gun owners. Under President Biden’s proposed policy, the administration will deprive 100 million Americans of their ability to defend themselves, their families, homes, and businesses.
Additionally, the letter calls out President Biden for his incorrect claim that the 1994 federal “assault weapon” ban, which he supported in Congress, reduced mass shootings. Two different studies commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice—during the Clinton and Bush Administrations—found no discernible effect on violent crime from that legislation.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led the effort and, in addition to Attorney General Wilson, was joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Click here to read the letter.
