Joe Biden vows to outlaw assault rifle gunman used to shoot at Donald Trump, as he says 'politics has got too heated'

16 July 2024, 22:40 | Updated: 17 July 2024, 00:53

Joe Biden has promised to outlaw the kind of assault rifle used by the gunman who attacked Donald Trump.

Mr Biden told supporters that if they "want to stand against violence in America" they should join him in "getting these weapons of war off the streets of America.

"An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump...It's time to outlaw them," he added.

He said that he had done this once - a reference to a law he passed nearly 30 years ago, which has since expired - and would ban the guns again.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the president said that US politics had "gotten too heated."

"We all have responsibility to lower the temperature and condemn violence in any form," he said.

Mr Biden was speaking after his rival Mr Trump was targeted in a shooting during a campaign event on Saturday. The Republican former president escaped with only a wounded ear, but a supporter was shot dead.

Mr Biden has condemned the violence, and admitted that an earlier comment when he called for his fellow Democrats to put Mr Trump in a "bullseye" was a mistake.

The president is behind Mr Trump in the polls, and some believe the shooting attempt could boost the Republican's standing even further.

Mr Biden has defied calls to step down from his own side after a disastrous debate performance and several other gaffes - including recently introducing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Putin at the NATO summit.

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In his speech on Tuesday, Mr Biden appeared sometimes to slur his words slightly and speak unclearly, although his remarks were met with applause and loud cheers.

He also listed off some of the achievements of his administration, as well as criticising Mr Trump for his record during his time in office from 2016-2020.

Mr Biden went on to make some promises for what he would do if he were re-elected in November, including restoring abortion rights.

"Come hell or high water, we are going to restore Roe vs Wade as the law of the land," he said.

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Mr Biden attacked Mr Trump for comments he made during last month's debate about illegal immigrants taking so-called "black jobs".

The president said: "I love his phrase, black jobs, tells a lot about the man and about his character. Folks, I know what a black job is. It’s a vice president of the United States.

"I know what a Black job is. The first Black president … Barack Obama".