Posted by DrJohn on 12 April, 2022 at 9:38 am. 47 comments already!

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In mocking the 2nd Amendment and those who believe in the Constitution, Joe Biden said

“By the way — it’s going to sound bizarre — I support the Second Amendment. But from the very beginning the Second Amendment didn’t say you could own any gun you want, as big as you want. You couldn’t buy a cannon, when in fact the Second Amendment passed.”

He has repeated this several times and he’s wrong every time.

For example, on February 3, 2022, Breitbart News did a Fact Check on Biden’s claim that early Americans could not buy a cannon and found the claim to be false.

Years earlier, in 2020, PolitiFact did a Fact Check on Biden making the same claim and also found it to be false.

The Washington Post gave Biden four Pinocchios for claiming the purchase of cannons was prohibited by the Second Amendment and labeled the claim “false.”

One might think that sooner or later a staff member would correct him off stage rather than allow him to continue to repeat the falsehood. Or perhaps his staff wants people to think he’s an idiot or a liar. But here’s the thing- not only was it legal to own a cannon back then, it’s entirely legal to own a functioning cannon today.

The National Firearms Act of 1934, which is, by far, the most restrictive piece of Federal legislation related to the ownership of arms, says nothing about cannons. Zip. Zilch. Nada. It wasn’t until 1968 that things we regard as modern artillery – like bazookas, for instance – were regulated further.

But what about muzzleloading cannons, like the ones used during the Revolutionary War? They’re conspicuously absent in any of the legislation. You could buy a cannon as an individual in the Revolution era, and you can still buy one today as an individual.

And one more

10. CANNON

The cannon conjures images of countless historical battles on sea and land. Interestingly, the lineage of these pieces of artillery can be traced back to Chinese flame-throwing gunpowder weapons called fire lances. Since their first use in conflict – possibly in the 13th century – cannons have played important parts in many battles, but gradually they took on a more indirect role as infantry weapons improved leading up to the 20th century.

Cannon shells are classed as destructive devices in the U.S. under the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA). They must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and, though legal under federal law, are prohibited from being owned by civilians in certain states. Muzzle-loading cannons themselves, however, are – remarkably – not deemed to be firearms in the U.S. and are therefore not regulated by the NFA.

I have loaded and fired cannons. We never loaded a round in it and just shot fodder but it’s great fun and noisy as all get out. With a sufficient black powder you can shake windows in the entire neighborhood. Were you to purchase one I would advise informing the local police you have one and on occasion will fire it off.

Sorry, President Dementia, it’s completely legal. So is the 25th Amendment.

 

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