Biden says he owns 2 shotguns, dismisses idea of arming teachers

President Biden told reporters and Democratic donors Friday that he is a gun owner, but that the Second Amendment is not absolute.

Speaking at a Democratic donor event, Biden told the audience that while he owns two shotguns, he does not believe the Second Amendment covers all forms of firearms.

Additionally, Biden told donors at the fundraising event that the idea of armed school staff was severely misguided. He pointed to the rigor of military training as evidence that it is not easy to “blow someone’s brains out.”

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“The idea we’re going to provide – the way to deal with gun safety is to provide teachers with guns in classrooms?” Biden said at the event. “There’s a reason why the military takes so long to train somebody. It’s not easy to pick up a rifle or a gun and blow somebody’s brains out.”

In a speech to the nation following the Uvalde shooting last week which involved an AR-15 rifle, Biden called for a reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban that was passed in 1994 and expired in 2004.

In a Quinnipiac University poll, conducted last week and published on Tuesday, 50% percent of registered voters support a nationwide ban on semi-automatic long guns compared to 45% who oppose.

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According to the poll, 57% of Americans support stricter gun laws in the United States which is an increase from a Quinnipiac poll in November that showed 45% support.

The vast majority of Democrats, 91%, support stricter gun laws compared to just 32% of Republicans. Background checks are supported by 92% of Americans regardless of party, according to the poll. 

In 2015, when he was vice president, Biden urged Americans who want to protect their homes to buy a shotgun, not an AR-15.

“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,” Biden said at the time.

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.