President Joe Biden has never been real big on the Second Amendment. While he had some pro-gun words early in his time in Congress, that shifted a long time ago–and I doubt it was ever heartfelt. For decades, he’s been pushing gun control and even ran for president on his gun control credentials.

So it’s not surprising that he’s been pushing for gun control since day one in the Oval Office.

In the wake of Uvalde, it’s even less surprising that Biden would push it.

Unfortunately, he’s talking absolute nonsense.

The president, addressing the shooting in formal remarks for the second time since it happened one day earlier, reiterated the need for “common-sense” gun reform measures and urging the Senate to confirm his nominee to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The president made the remarks during an event focused on his signing of an executive order to enhance police accountability.

“Since I spoke last night, the confirmed death toll has tragically climbed, including another teacher and two more—three more students,” the president said. “Jill and I will be traveling to Texas in the coming days to meet with the families, and let them know we have a sense, just a sense of their pain. And hopefully, bring some little comfort to the community in shock and grief and in trauma. As a nation, I think we all must be there for them. Everyone. And we must ask when in God’s name will we do what needs to be done to, if not completely stop, fundamentally change the amount of the carnage that goes on in this country.”

…

“The Second Amendment is not absolute,” the president said.

Yes, it is.

“A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the people’s right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

That whole “shall not be infringed” doesn’t exactly provide a lot of wiggle room.

Yeah, a lot of people will latch onto the “well-regulated militia” part to claim otherwise, ignoring what the phrase meant in the 18th Century, but what part of regulating the militia actually requires disarming people anyway? Nothing.

Biden spends a lot of time making claims about the Second Amendment that don’t bear any resemblance to reality, though, so this really shouldn’t be surprising.

Unsurprising or not, it’s still bafflingly wrong.

The truth of the matter is that our Founding Fathers said “shall not be infringed” because they knew the first thing a tyrant would do is remove the ability of the people to defend themselves against them. They knew it needed to be absolute because no government can be trusted indefinitely.

Power doesn’t corrupt, it’s just attractive to the corruptable. The Founding Fathers basically knew that which is why they opposed such things.

The Second Amendment isn’t treated as absolute, I’ll grant that. It doesn’t mean past restrictions are right and just.

But Biden is wrong, and in doing so, he illustrates why the Second Amendment exists.

If politicians are free to restrict rights, then what rights do we really have?