(NBC News) — President Joe Biden, pressed on potential avenues for gun control in the wake of the devastating school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, pointed to an assault weapons ban Monday morning.
“It makes no sense to be able to purchase something that can fire up to 300 rounds,” he told reporters outside the White House after traveling from Delaware. “The idea of these high-caliber weapons — there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of, about self-protection, hunting and I guess — and, remember, the Constitution, the Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed. You couldn’t go out and purchase a lot of weaponry.”
The president and the first lady visited Uvalde on Sunday, meeting with first responders and consoling the families of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting rampage at Robb Elementary School. He and Jill Biden visited the school and attended mass at a local church, where demonstrators nearby chanted “Do something.” Biden mouthed back, “We will.”