Noted firearms "expert" Joe Biden was taking questions from his constituents yesterday about the administrations proposal to reduce gun violence. One question, from Kate Ernest, asked the question:
"Do you believe that banning certain weapons and capacity magazines will mean that law-abiding citizens will become more of a target to criminals as we will have no way to sufficiently protect ourselves."
Decent question. The answer however…sub optimal.
Here's the VP's response to Ms. Ernest:
"If you want to protect yourself, get a double‑barrel shotgun. Have the shells, a 12‑gauge shotgun, and I promise you as I told my wife We live in an area that's wooded and somewhat secluded. Said, "Jill, if there's ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here or walk out, put that double‑barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house. I promise you who is ever coming in is not going to, you don't need an AR‑15. It's harder to aim, it's harder to use. And in fact, you don't need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun. Buy a shotgun."
"If I was Joe Biden, I would not tell my wife to get a shotgun. You know what I'm saying?" Glenn joked. "I just, I would be careful of telling her, "Hey, I could be back. Get a shotgun." But I'm sure he's a delight to live with."
Glenn quickly noted that Joe probably shouldn't have used the words "I promise you" in his response. He doesn't have a clue what someone is going to do, but they do know — thanks to the VP's specificity — that you just fired your double barrel shotgun, which means until you reload you're practically unarmed.
Beyond that, why has he instructed his wife to go outside on the porch when someone is breaking in?
"How irresponsible is that? Who tells their wife, 'You know what, honey? Just fire a couple of shots.' I've never told my wife that, never," Glenn said. "You don't pick up a gun unless you're prepared to kill something…Anybody who knows anything about gun safety, they will tell you: You don't fire warning shots."
Glenn went on to explain exactly what he has told his wife to do in that situation…and not one bit of it involved a shotgun or going outside.
"Honey, you grab the gun" Not a shotgun, because a shotgun will put her on her butt. I did get her a Walther, it's a great little gun. She can shoot that and she can shoot that really well and she goes out to the range. She's a better shot than I am, and I'm a good shot," he said.
He went on to explain he told her to tell the intruder that she is armed, feels threatened, and she will shoot them if they don't identify themselves.
"And then if they ‑‑ if they still come forward, then it's, "I'm about to throw up! And I have combination skin!" Pat joked, referring to the story yesterday out of Colorado University.
When you look at the choices being given to American citizens for self-defense, it's amazingly clear who has the best ones — the people.
Colorado Congressmen have offered rape whistles and ballpoint pens.
Joe Biden thinks shooting a double-barrel shotgun out into no man's land will do the trick.
And the University of Coloradio offered their ingenious tips like "passive resistance" and kicking off your shoes…
What's Glenn's advice? Don't take any of their advice… Legally buy a gun and learn how to use it responsibly.
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