Chambana Sun

Illinois Rep. Dan Caulkins says President Joe Biden is playing to his base by saying he plans to ban assault weapons, adding that the president doesn't have the power to challenge the Second Amendment.

Biden made a statement during his remarks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference, adding that he would come after "high-capacity magazines," but Caulkins claims the President says such things for political reasons.

"He obviously is playing to a particular crowd and constituency, and you would think he’s smarter than that because the constitution protects the rights of legal gun owners," Caulkins told the Chambana Sun. "That is a very dangerous statement to make. I guess politicians say what they want to say."

Since he was inaugurated in January 2021, Biden has moved to issue several executive actions, including imposing an eviction moratorium and public health mandates during the pandemic, prompting several legal challenges against his unilateral actions, the Center Square reported.

The Supreme Court has bolstered gun rights with several rulings, striking down a New York gun law that required residents to prove they had “proper cause” to receive a permit to carry a firearm outside their homes. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the court “recognized that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right of an ordinary, law-abiding citizen to possess a handgun in the home for self-defense.”

Caulkins said that the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed.

"No one has that right, and we need to make sure we stand up for all our constitutional rights," he said. "You start with allowing one to be violated and you have to wonder, what’s the next one?"

In January, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced “Assault Weapons Ban” legislation, which would “ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.”

Caulkins, however, argues that bans aren't the answer.

"Obviously, we need to be responsible gun owners, make sure we’re doing what the law allows," he explained. "But to start taking away certain guns and trying to tell people what they can and can’t do to protect themselves is wrong approach."

In fact, he said, the term "gun control" itself is incorrect.

"I think that’s a misnomer and I don’t think it’s the right subject," he said. "Now, if you want to talk about crime and criminals in the context of that I think we need to be strong about how we treat people who misuse guns and use them in the act of committing crimes."