For Democrat politicians, the Second Amendment could be a political door.
Just ask Hillary Clinton, or Beto O’Rourke, or someone in the long line who has been labeled a “gun robber” by Republican opponents and then faces defeat in the ballot box.
Nothing is more likely to anger huge parts of America’s rural areas than to question the right to bear arms.
After the last devastating mass shooting at a school in America, Joe Biden’s choice of language – saying the Second Amendment is “not absolute” – could risk just that. For many American gun owners, this is absolute. The United States is as divided on the right to bear arms as it is on any issue.
A recent Yahoo News / YouGov poll found that 47% of Americans believe that gun control should be tighter, while 44% believe it should stay the same or be less stringent.
When the National Weapons Association meets for its annual convention in Texas this weekend, Mr Biden’s comments will be used as a rallying cry.
As he has done many times before, Donald Trump will tell the NRA mob that Democrats are trying to “destroy your beautiful Second Amendment.”
What is the Second Amendment?
The arguments put forward by both sides are based on different understandings of what the Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, actually means.
It says: “A well-regulated militia, which is necessary for the security of the free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, must not be violated.”
What is a “weapon” and what is a “violation” is open to interpretation.
Democrats say the AR-15 did not exist as a “weapon” 231 years ago. Many Republicans believe that banning them would be a “violation.”
“You can’t own a cannon”
Mr Biden argues that the Second Amendment never allowed people to possess devastatingly powerful weapons, even two centuries ago.
He said this week: “When it was adopted, you could not own a gun, you could not own certain types of weapons. It’s just that there have always been restrictions. “
However, he has repeatedly argued for the “cannon” before and he has been debunked.
An investigation into the Washington Post last year concluded: “We have no idea where he came up with the idea of banning gun ownership in the early days of the republic, but he needs to stop making that claim.”
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