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CONTROVERSIAL ADVICE

Biden on Home Defense: Fire a Shotgun in the Air

His town hall with Parents Magazine took a turn into gun survival skills

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t +

Image: AP

Joe Biden held court at a "Facebook Town Hall" hosted by Parents Magazine on Tuesday, and as conservatives sites are noticing, he didn't manage to altogether avoid the minefield of the present gun control debate.

Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago Biden roiled friends and riled enemies by announcing that a shotgun is better than an assault rifle in an emergency.

For his Parents Magazine audience, Biden elaborated on that advice, sketching out a home invader scenario that would involve wife Jill on the porch firing off a shotgun at nothing-in-particular.

A female town hall participant asked Biden if Obama's planned assault weapon ban would leave her "more of a target for criminals."

Biden's advice?

Get a double-barreled shotgun. Have the shells ready. And I promise you...as I told my wife...we live in an area that's in the woods and somewhat secluded. I said, 'Jill, if there's ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, walk out and take that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house. I promise you whoever is coming in...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. Buy a shotgun, buy a shotgun.

It is in fact illegal to discharge a gun in a public place in Biden's home state of Delaware, unless defending oneself against an attack that places you in immediate danger.

Via Breitbart.com and the Wall Street Journal.
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Is Biden's advice any good?

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319 Comments (view in Forum)

  • DerivePI
    !
    Unlike Hollywood, if an illegal intruder/assaulter recognizes that you have a weapon in hand, it should be the split second between seeing the gun and recognizing that he's dead. All "negotiations" need to occur when the person is outside the house. If you decide to point, then you've decided to click.
  • AnnieO
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    @DerivePI I agree. Joe is assuming that the criminal isn't inside your house. I won't be shooting at someone who's outside anyway because they aren't a legitimate threat, unless they are trying to burn my house down.
  • marine1
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    Is Biden telling us to break the law.I believe that most cities hav a law against discharging a weapon within the city limits? What else does this nimrod NOT know about personal responsibility?
  • fridayjones
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    assault weapons are increadably inaccurate. However you can't miss with a shotgn. A shot from one barrel should be enough to discourage anyone. That 2nd shell can do severe damage.

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  • NTBFW
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    For one its illegal to step outside and shoot randomly in the air. If you are going to fire you should fire at an attacker that is a real physical threat.
    And the second mistake is if you did this you now have an empty weapon and have let the attacker know exactly where you are with that empty weapon
  • NTBFW
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    @Waynestew it was a STUPID suggestion. I will be as dramatic as I want. Or have they changed the first amendment too?

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  • formerrepub
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    As usual the dumbest man ever to be elected to public office says something dumb again! When your wife fires in the air, guess what? I now know exactley where she is! You idiots in DC are not from this planet!
  • JoinCCA
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    I will still keep my AR, but I will agree that a shotgun will do some damage. Firing in the air, ground, or at a person is going to be situational. If I feel like my life is threatened, I will not hesitate. If my life is not threatened, I might shoot into the ground. It's easy to say what you would do in the moment, but when it really happens its quite different.
  • NTBFW
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    @Waynestew because its stupid advice. From a tactical point of view. Shotguns are fine in some situations. But with TAP ammo an AR doesn't penetrate any more than a shotgun. I will take thirty rounds over two every time. Where are u carrying extra ammo for that double barrel at night in your underwear ?
  • JoinCCA
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    @NTBFW In close quarters I would rather have a shotgun. A double barrel would not be my first choice, but the concept is sound. People need to use what they are comfortable with. Right now I have a gun hidden in almost every room of my house, with a shotgun 3 feet away from my bed. I'm going to grab that first, if I shoot 8 rounds without hitting my target I'm going to go to my .45 on my nightstand. That's only if my life or my family is threatened. I own 200+ acres and have scared many people off my property by killing that worm in the dirt. I see your point though.
  • NTBFW
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    @JoinCCA I get yours too. I have several 870's around. What I don't agree with is Biden telling people a double barreled shotgun. Or him trying to give tactical advice.

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  • SavageMazx
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    Let's see double barreled shot gun gives you two rounds, a good old wheel gun is 5 or 6 and a nice Glock is 16 (unless you are in California, the its only 10). If an intruder is intent on evil, the average citizen is not going to hit what they are aiming at even with a shotgun. So the more rounds the better.

    If Uncle Joe wants to give advice, at least make it decent advice. Mossberg Persuaded 500 is 8 in the tube and one chambered. Cost effective and easy to use. Much better choice for home defenses, but I personally prefer a semi auto like a Springfield XD in .45 ACP.
  • Thunderchicken
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    @wonka45ACP

    Cobra also makes them in a two shot derringer. They market them as a snake gun. FWIW, I still carry my .38 loaded with shot shells as a snake gun.
  • Thunderchicken
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    @wonka45ACP

    Yeah, that's why I'd like to try one. I wouldn't want to carry one all day though. They're heavy as hell.(My .38 is an aluminum frame and I like it.)

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  • Waynestew
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    That's not what he was saying. He's assuming the person is outside trying to get in. He is saying if she (his wife specifically in their home) shoots off a round outside (Where the potential intruders are) it would scarep them off.
  • AnnieO
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    @Waynestew Well perhaps she needs to take a gun safety course. You aren't supposed to fire unless it is a legitimate threat to your life. Or if he is trying to burn her house down. Clearly if Mr. Biden is suggesting that his wife just fire randomly like that, he isn't a responsible gun owner.
  • Waynestew
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    @AnnieO A warning shot is not randon. It is a direct acknowledgment that you have a firearm and are capable of using it to the potential threat. Many people choose to do this when they don't want to kill someone and they want that person to back down. I learned this in a gun safety class. Though he did not suggest this be done in every situation.
  • AnnieO
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    @Waynestew Firing your weapon without a target is pretty random in my opinion. A person outside your home is not a threat that requires a warning shot. I'm glad I didn't take your particular gun safety course. I took mine from an ex military decorated soldier who is now a law enforcement official. I'll take his advice over Joe Biden's any day...don't shoot unless its a threat to your safety.

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  • wonka45ACP
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    Just fire out the door, blast out a window, He said! now that's gun safety from the second higest ranked man in the US! you know when a description of an old white pedophile comes over the news ? just look at Biden.
  • Thegrif
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    VP is a fool, he watches to much TV. You do not fire into the air and you do not fire warning shots. Bullets fired into the air must come down somewhere, or in someone, or something. Good Lord, the VP's proving to be the best argument they got for gun control.
    The firearms challenged should not have guns.
    Just blast off a round anywhere you want, lmao...
  • SomethinsFishy
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    VP Biden, I like you, but your advice on firearms is moronic. Fire into the air? First of all, those pellets WILL COME DOWN and have the potential of injuring some innocent nearby person. Second, in the event that your potential home-invaders, business-looters, armed trespassers, etc. GET AWAY, and there is no one around to corroborate your story, some bored police officer will probably cite you for "discharging a firearm within city limits" and/or "negligent use of a deadly weapon". Because that's what often happens nowadays. Please, Joe: Just do your thing with speeches and leave firearms strategy to someone else, lol.
  • Tralee
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    Says Joe who lives in DE behind a very stout fence guarded 24/7 by the police. The rest of us want something a bit more scary, a BB Gun just doesn't carry the same weight as a real gun. Now, I don't need too much, just a nice, easy to shoot, but definitely powerful gun.
  • DrNickels
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    They will learn really quick about consequences. If they live then they will learn a lesson, if not then they better make peace with their maker.
  • rkinsawjoe
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    Whoever is breaking into my house will not only learn the full affect of consequences as soon as they step inside, their troubles will also soon be over. A warning shot is a wasted shot.
  • NTBFW
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    A troubled kid can kill you as quick as anyone. If you are in fear for your life you should concentrate on stopping the attacker. Don't waste ammo on warning shots. Troubled kid or not if they attack me I don't care why they are attacking me. I only care about stopping the attack.
  • Arumizy
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    Unfortunate for them then, because if i feel they are a threat to me or my family there will be no warning shot. He either immedialty surrenders or he gets shot. A criminal has 3 rights in my home state, to retreat, surrender or die. Retreat is bad for them because they can be legally shot still if you even simply state he was reaching for something. So Surrender or forfeiture of your phyiscal well being and/or death. If they live they fullest prosecution i can push for.

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  • DrNickels
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    Yeah great advice idiot. Lets say you live in a neighborhood. Mr Biden didn't take physics in school obviously. When you fire those two shotgun blasts into the air they come back down at the same speed. KE=1/2MV^2

    So awesome joe you've just fired two shotgun blasts blindly into the air in a crowded neighborhood. Those two blasts will come back down and you have no idea where they will come down at. Could be your neighbors kids bedroom or could be your neighbors master bedroom. Also now you've broken the law on multiple levels. If the intruder was not in your home and you somehow hit him with a blast that is attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon. If you hit a neighbor it's the same. You've also just discharged a firearm in public and since the intruder has not crossed the threshold of your home you're not covered by most stand your ground laws or Castile doctrine laws. Not to mention if you did fire the weapon both barrels you are out of ammo and you're intruder knows where you're at.

    Brilliant joe. Glad I'm not your neighbor.

    Also since you so believe in shotguns as the best line of defense will all your secret service body guards be carrying double barreled shotguns and no pistols?
  • DogLady_1
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    Where does it say that Biden suggested shooting "in the air"... Come on Politix! Accuracy in reporting! Not that shooting "outside the house", even to the ground, is smart, but I don't see where Biden said to shoot in the air, which is even more dangerous for sure. And I feel sorry for Biden's wife... If there is a gun in the house, he needs to be teaching her how to shoot it... and all gun owners know the rule, "If you aim a gun at someone, you shoot to kill." Trying to scare someone away by shooting aimlessly has gotten many vitims killed by their own guns!
  • wonka45ACP
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    Read the story on msn, it gets worse. "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."
  • Fallstaff
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    Crazy Joe BiteMe is just out there trying to look like he is a gun person as cover for the Obama Admin. VP BiteMe is just a poodle on a leash who does and says whatever Obama tells him to do. But the real tragedy is their are Americans stupid enough to believe Crazy Joe is really one of us.
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