Joe Biden promises to ban assault weapons if Democrats win balance of power in Congress

Joe Biden has promised to place a ban on assault rifles if the Democrats win the majority of power in the House of Representatives and Senate.

With midterm elections coming up in November, the POTUS stressed the importance of the upcoming vote.

Speaking at a rally at Richard High School in Rockville, Maryland, Mr Biden said: “Your right to choose is on the ballot this year.

“The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot.

"The safety of your kids from gun violence is on the ballot, and it’s not hyperbole, the very survival of our planet is on the ballot.”

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The 79-year-old took aim at the ‘extreme MAGA philosophy’ ensuring he drew a distinction between ‘conservative Republicans’ and Trumpism, according to the Independent. 

Biden passed a historic bill earlier this year, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Acts, which included provisions to expand federal background checks, and closed the ‘boyfriend’ loophole that adds dating partners to the background checks.

The act was passed in the Senate 65-33 then in the house 234-193 with 14 Republicans crossing the floor to support the bill.

At the time, Biden said: “This is a monumental day.

"While this bill doesn’t do everything I want, it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives.”

The President now want to expand on that act by outlawing assault weapons in the United States. 

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He outlined his intentions at the rally, saying: “We took on the NRA. And we beat them.

“We just passed the first significant gun safety legislation in 30 years in this country. And I promise you, we’re not stopping there. I’m determined to ban assault weapons in this country. I did it once before and we will do it again.

“We’re gonna do it for those families in Buffalo, Uvalde, Newtown, El Paso, Parkland, Charleston, Las Vegas, Orlando. I’ve been to almost every one of those places to meet with those parents. We all got to do it.”

Biden has been a supporter of stricter gun laws for some time, having been a sponsor of the 1994 crime bill that saw a 10-year ban on military-style weapons.

The then lawmaker from Delaware took to the Senate floor in November 1993 and pleaded to vote the deadly weapons off the streets as they only served one purpose: “Killing other human beings.”

However, the decade passed and the ban was never renewed, and now Biden faces a much more stark competition for further gun legislation.