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Did President Biden threaten to "nuke law-abiding American citizens" while speaking about the Constitution's Second Amendment?

By Kaiyah Clarke
NO

President Biden was discussing the "right of the people to keep and bear Arms" provision, which some gun rights advocates interpret to mean that American citizens have the right to keep weapons of war.

In remarks on gun crime prevention strategy on June 23, 2021, Biden said the original intent of the Second Amendment was not to allow citizens to have cannons -- the most powerful weapon in the 18th century -- or the most powerful weapons of war in the 21st century. "If you think you need weapons to take on the government, then you need F15s and maybe some nuclear weapons," he said.

Biden said there has always been the ability to "rationally limit the type of weapon that can be owned and who can own it." Contrary to a post on social media, he was not threatening to "nuke" Americans.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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