Biden: “Yes, here’s a right to bear arms, but…”

Joe Biden can’t even go that far, apparently. On Sunday, Biden’s X account posted the following:

Yes, there's a right to bear arms.

But our kids and educators also have the right to live freely without fearing for their lives in a classroom.

It’s time for Congress to pass commonsense gun safety laws. pic.twitter.com/wc0fOn4bDl

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 20, 2023

It’s a slight twist on the standard talking point from anti-gun politicians, with Biden (or, more accurately, his press office) unwilling or unable to even pay lip service to the idea of supporting the right to keep and bear arms, while still claiming that by passing “common sense gun laws” we can eradicate any and all violence in schools.

The problem with that, of course, is that even in states with draconian gun laws on the books violent crime is still a very real phenomenon; both on and off campuses. What “common sense” federal gun law is going to stop a teen from illegally accessing a firearm and bringing it on to campus? Biden’s handlers can’t say, so they leave his statement as vague as possible.

Then there’s the fact that what the gun control lobby deems “common sense” seems awfully stupid to the rest of us.

We are relieved that APS saw the light on this one. Permanently expelling kids for bringing a gun to school is not the answer. That would just continue to support the school to prison pipeline. https://t.co/HW8YySScOc @RAWtools @vivarioarriba

— NMPGV (@NMPGVnow) August 18, 2023

That’s right. The very same people calling for more laws aimed at legal gun owners don’t want to see kids who bring guns to school punished by permanent expulsion or criminal charges, since that might end up with some of them behind bars. While Albuquerque’s school superintendent did point out that a one-size-fits-all policy mandating permanent expulsion could unfairly target students who forget to remove their rifle or shotgun from their vehicle after a weekend hunting trip, it seems to me the policy could also have specified that leaving a firearm locked up in a vehicle shouldn’t be treated the same as bringing a gun into a classroom. As of now, that’s not the case.

Under the proposed student handbook, students who used firearms would also have faced permanent expulsion hearings. And under the handbook that was approved, the consequence for that infraction was also changed — to a hearing with mandatory one-year expulsion “and up to permanent expulsion.”

“The concept of permanent expulsion is pretty difficult for educators — we don’t like the idea of removing a child from education,” Elder added.

“We started thinking about the ages of the kids, … and what happens with a third-grader versus a much older child, a high school student? It just felt different, and we didn’t want to be locked into one thing.”

Elder did say he felt more comfortable with permanent expulsion being on the table for students who bring guns to school and actually use them, saying, “I understand that that’s a harsh penalty, but there are consequences for actions, and we have a responsibility to the public as well to keep our schools safe, as well to our staff and students.”

This is insane. If a student actually pulls the trigger of a firearm on school grounds, getting expelled should be the least of their concerns. But such is the sorry state of the gun control crowd; constantly demanding new laws aimed squarely at legal gun owners, while excusing away the actions of violent criminals.

We all want our kids to feel safe while they’re in school, but criminalizing a fundamental civil right isn’t the way to go about it. Instead, there should be real consequences for bringing a gun into a classroom, but apparently that’s a bridge too far for the same folks who want to put you and me in prison simply for keeping ahold of our AR-15s and 20-round magazines. Biden may think this is “common sense”, but it’s nothing but nonsense if we’re trying to really protect our children when they’re in school.