Kentucky congressman compares Biden to King George over 2nd Amendment remarks

A Kentucky congressman accused President Joe Biden of acting like a dictator after he said anyone trying to take down the U.S. government would need fighter jets and bombs.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican who represents northern Kentucky, claimed in remarks on the House floor Monday that Biden “was actually contemplating a nuclear conflagration with the citizens of this country.”

“Those aren’t the words of George Washington, those would be the words of King George,” Massie said. “Imagine if a dictator ... had muttered or stuttered or uttered these words like our president would and did? There would be an international outcry today to have that dictator removed.”

Massie’s criticism of Biden compared the president to King George III, who was the king of Great Britain when the American colonies declared independence and beat the British in the Revolutionary War.

Massie’s outrage stemmed from Biden’s remarks last week about gun violence in the United States. Biden said restricting legal access to certain types of weapons doesn’t violate the 2nd Amendment. He added that those who think they can “move against the government” would need more weaponry than they can buy.

“If you wanted, or think you need weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons,” Biden said.

Massie took exception to Biden’s assessment of the weaponry needed to fight a government that has a national defense budget greater than $752 billion.

“We need to hold our chief executive accountable for these words,” Massie said. “And our chief executive of this country would do well to understand what the 2nd Amendment is really about.”

Massie said the 2nd Amendment is about the people’s power to keep the government in check and fight against “overzealous” executives.

Massie has previously been outspoken against efforts to strengthen gun regulations and has posted jokes on Twitter criticizing gun buybacks and other proposed bans.

Biden’s original remarks about fighter jets and nuclear bombs came from a speech he delivered about trying to stop gun violence.

“The point is that there has always been the ability to rationally limit the type of weapon that can be owned and who can own it,” Biden said.

Biden’s speech included newly-announced plans to address gun violence. He said his administration would crack down on gun dealers who falsify records, provide guns to people who can’t legally own them, fail to do background checks or obstruct the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

To states, Biden also promised money that could be used to bolster police departments with officers who can engage in effective community policing.

Biden’s administration said it would take “immediate steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands, including by strengthening ATF’s efforts to stem the flow of firearms used in crimes, and by launching multijurisdictional firearms trafficking strike forces to stop illegal gun trafficking across state lines.”