By: Peter Suciu

President Joe Biden is likely very good at telling his seven grandchildren bedtime stories. He certainly knows how to tell seemingly convincing stories – but given the fact that he often repeats himself, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s told by the brood to get some new material. Throughout Biden’s lengthy political career, he has been known for being quite the storyteller.

The problem is that many of his stories are “tall tales” that don’t hold up to fact checking.

That shouldn’t come as a shock. In the days before the TV sound bites and constant media scrutiny, it was likely easier for career lawmakers to tell a small audience an embellished tale or two. Like most liberal politicians, Biden works from the credo of never wasting a good crisis; he is also one of those people who believes that if an idea is stated enough, it becomes truth.

Deer in Kevlar

In addition to fabricated stories about his friendship with conductors on Amtrak or his time as a long-haul trucker, Biden likes to repeat the same one-liners. Perhaps Biden has learned the power of the sound bite, which is why we hear many of the same lines over and over again.

One particular line has even been embraced by the gun control crowd. It was last April, in his first speech before Congress that Biden questioned the need for civilian ownership of AR-15s and high capacity magazines. The president stated, “Talk to most responsible gun owners and hunters – they’ll tell you there’s no possible justification for having a hundred rounds in a weapon. What, do you think deer are wearing Kevlar vests?”

The line made the rounds again in June 2021 and was recycled for this year’s State of the Union address in March when discussing AR-15s and so-called “Ghost Guns.” It has become one of his “go-to” lines that often draws a few chuckles – not because of Biden’s delivery, but rather the image of deer in tactical vests.

The question to ask Biden is, Do you not remember using the same line a year earlier or do you think all addresses to Congress just blur together in the American public’s mind?  The most likely answer is that Mr. Biden thinks the line is clever. The problem is that the line (wrongly) assumes all gun owners are hunters.

Ownership of Cannons

Another line that Biden has used multiple times is that the Second Amendment didn’t allow individuals to own cannons. As previously reported, the Founding Fathers placed no limits on the types of weapons that an individual could own.

This fact was noted by The Washington Post, The National Review, Statesmen.com, Politifact.com, FactCheck.org, Slate.com, Ammoland.com, and TheHill.com. Multiple legal experts have commented online and on TV that Biden is completely wrong on the issue – and yet, he can’t stop repeating the lie.

While some may suggest it is a sign of a cognitive decline and Biden’s advanced age – he’s 78-years-old – the more likely rationale is that Joe likes the line. He thinks he’s clever; and he’s used to the “old days” when he could make such comments, get the chuckles, and no one would call him out. And if they did, it didn’t matter because the next audience wouldn’t know the difference. Biden is so used to telling lies that he likely forgets the truth.

The other truth is that even as political watchdogs have called Biden out, gun control advocates, not surprisingly, have remained silent. The lie fits their narrative, it sounds almost plausible, and it makes a good talking point that can be used with the uninformed.

Because he’s a politician, Joe Biden will likely continue to quip about deer in Kevlar and will certainly tell audiences that cannons couldn’t be legally owned. As the old joke warns, you know when a politicians are lying – when they move their lips.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites. He regularly writes about military hardware and is a lifelong supporter of the Second Amendment.