Joe Biden stumbles over the script of his speech on gun control and TWICE refers to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as 'AFT' instead of the ATF
Joe Biden's speech on gun control on Thursday saw him stumble twice over the acronym for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - referring to the federal organization as the AFT instead of the ATF.
'Today, I'm proud to nominate David Chipman to serve as the director of the AFT,' he said. 'David knows the AFT well.'
Biden has been open about his lifelong battle to overcome a crippling stutter.
But the National Rifle Agency led ridicule online, tweeting to their 842,000 followers: 'Someone tell Biden it is "ATF" – not "AFT",' with an emoji showing crying with laughter.
Joe Biden on Thursday mispronounced the name of the AFT twice, calling it the ATF
Radio show host Tim Young tweeted: 'If Biden can call the ATF the "AFT," he's not mentally sound enough to be signing ANY executive orders.'
One person joked: 'It won't be long before he call himself Bide Joe and USA as UAS...'
Another said: 'This is why his handlers won't let him talk to the press by himself lol.'
Biden was speaking at a White House ceremony Thursday where he described mass shootings in America as a 'public health crisis' and declared 'no amendment to the constitution is absolute' as he unveiled a series of executive orders designed to curb gun violence.
He started off on the defensive, declaring he was not trying to impinge on the Second Amendment, an argument gun rights groups, Republicans and some Democrats have made.
Biden unveiled six actions his administration is taking: a crackdown on the proliferation of 'ghost guns,' which are built from kits; tighten requirements on pistol braces that allow for more accurate shooting; the Department of Justice will publish 'red flag' legislation for the states; invest in evidence-based community violence interventions; and DoJ will issue an annual report on gun trafficking.
'Nothing I'm about to recommend in any way impinges on the Second Amendment. These are phony arguments, suggesting that these are second amendment rights at stake,' he said at the event in the Rose Garden.
'No amendment to the constitution is absolute,' Biden declared, pointing to the famous Supreme Court ruling that you can't yell fire in a crowded theater as part of the First Amendment's free speech clause.
President Joe Biden was joined in the Rose Garden by Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland in his announcement on new gun control measures
'From the very beginning you couldn't own any weapon you wanted to own, and from the very beginning of the Second Amendment existed certain people weren't allowed to have weapons. So the idea is just bizarre to suggest that some of the things we're recommending are contrary to the Constitution,' he said. 'Gun violence in this country is an epidemic and it's an international embarrassment.'
'For God's sake, it has to stop.'
Biden was joined in the Rose Garden by Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Sitting in the audience were first lady Jill Biden, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, advocate Gabby Giffords - the congresswoman shot by a constituent at an event in Tucson, Ariz., in 2011 - and several Democratic lawmakers who have pushed for gun control legislation on Capitol Hill.
At several points his speech was interrupted by applause from the Democratic-friendly crowd.
After his remarks, Biden jogged down from the podium to give Giffords an elbow bump. She blew him a kiss. 'I wasn't supposed to do that,' he said afterward, adding: 'Let's get to work.
Biden's speech centered on how gun violence affects Americans lives, particularly children, and pointed out its cost to the nation.
'Gun violence in our neighborhood is having profound impact on our children, even if they're never involved,' he said, noting gun violence costs the country $280 billion a year.
'We can save lives, create safe and healthy communities, and build economies that work for all of us, and save billions of American dollars,' Biden said.
After his remarks, President Joe Biden came down to the audience to elbow bump former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords
The orders are the first of what is expected to be a series of actions by the Biden's administration, which has faced increased pressure to tackle the issue in the wake of mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo. Ahead of Biden's remarks, aides called the actions an 'initial' offering.
'Folks this is just the start,' the president said.
Biden called on the Senate to pass three House-approved bills that would bring universal background checks including on private gun sales; close what is known as the 'Charleston loophole,' which allows a gun sale to go through if a background check isn't finished after three days; and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
'They've offered plenty of thoughts and prayers members of Congress, but they not passed a single new federal law to reduce gun violence,' he said.
'Enough prayers. Time for action.'
