President Joe Biden began his remarks in a gentle tone, talking about the tragic losses in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. He then exclaimed, “As a nation, we have to ask when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby. When in God's name are we going to do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?”
He also claimed that there had been “900 incidents of gunfire reported on school grounds” since the December 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He also mentioned shootings in theaters, churches, and even grocery stores.
Biden stated, “And don't tell me we can't have an impact on this carnage… When we passed the ‘assault weapons' ban, mass shootings went down. When the law expired, mass shootings tripled.”
He was critical of an individual’s ability to go into a gun shop and purchase several “assault weapons,” never noting that purchases made from gun shops require background checks. He continued, “What in God's name do you need an ‘assault weapon' for except to kill someone? Deer aren't running through the forest with Kevlar vests on, for God's sake.”
He also attacked the firearm industry, saying “gun manufacturers have spent two decades aggressively [promoting] ‘assault weapons,' which make them the most and largest profit.” He urged Americans to take on the firearms industry.
On March 1, 2022, Biden brought up deer wearing Kevlar (bullet-proof) vests for his State of the Union Address. He demanded an end to “assault weapons” with “high-capacity magazines that hold up to 100 rounds,” asking, “Do you think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests?”
