Vice President Joe Biden is once again recommending a shotgun for self-defense. In a Facebook town hall event hosted by Parents Magazine, Biden finally (in my mind) wrestled the nickname “shotgun” away from his predecessor Dick Cheney once and for all. Let there be no more speculation as to which Vice President throughout history was more infamously tied to the shotgun…Joe is now the clear leader.Â
Joe “Shotgun” Biden had the following to say:
If there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, walk out, put that double barrel shot gun and fire two blasts outside the house. I promise you whoever is coming in is not… You don’t need an AR-15, it’s harder to aim, it’s harder to use, and in fact, you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun! Buy a shotgun!
You can watch the video Joe below.
Ridiculous!
My fiancee weighs a hundred and twelve pounds and you want her to control the recoil of a lightweight twelve gauge? Really?
AR-15s are EASIER for small-statured shooters to handle because of their long sight radius, ease of mounting optics (especially red dots like the Army uses) and soft-recoiling but hard-hitting intermediate cartridges. They are the ideal tool for clearing rooms as well as dealing with backwoods critters. The one I keep in my bedroom isn’t a “machine gun” like the one I carried in Iraq… Why did you trust me with a rifle then but not now?
That is a great point about your fiancé (probably wife by now). I just saw this article linked to in another one here on the site. My wife is small as well and very gun shy. The low-recoil of an AR makes a lot of sense. Currently, I have an 870 Express Tactical for home-defense. It would be tough for her to operate that.
Great thoughts. Thanks.
And this moron is a heartbeat away from being president??? God help us all!!!
“Mr. Madison [Vice President], what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”
That’s the an extremely irresponsible idea. What if those projectiles injure someone else because you weren’t firing at your target? Ricochet? One projectile is much easier to direct onto your target than 16+. Also, the weight and recoil of a shotgun can make it more difficult for persons of slight build to maneuver and aim safely and properly. What if I don’t have a balcony, Joe? I live in an apartment, 1st floor. Also, if I exit my house, I’m not necessarily defending my house, I’m engaging the thief/burglar before he makes entry, which can negate my self-defense assertion. Too many problems with his statement.
I hate to admit it but I agree with ol” machine gun mouth Biden. In my house there is a 12 ga Defender model shot gun loaded with 00 buck. The sound of the action is usually enough to get someones attention. The nine .32 cal pellets tend to not over penetrate unlike a .223 FMJ slug. You don’t have to be accurate…just there. If you’d rather scare someone than kill them there are numerous less lethal rounds such as rubber pellets and pepper rounds. And there are plenty of choices in VERY lethal rounds including flechettes. As far as in “intermediate” .223 ammo??? Please define that. If it lacks the a full powder charge there’s a good chance it won’t cycle the action. 14 years of Law Enforcement and a military back ground have taught me there is always a place for the trusty shotgun.
And yet 14 years of Law Enforcement and a Military background didn’t supply you with the information that the 5.56caliber IS an intermediate round, by definition? (not trying to be a bitch, just thought it was strange that you’d need “intermediate cartridge” defined for you.)
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_cartridge#cite_note-bull_enc-1 (first and last sentences of the first paragraph.)
“An intermediate cartridge is a military assault rifle cartridge that is less powerful than typical full power battle rifle cartridges such as the 7.62x54mm Rimmed, UK .303 or US .30-06 Springfield, but still significantly more powerful than pistol cartridges…The 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge is also an intermediate cartridge.”
And while there’s a place for a shotgun in my house, as well, that place is NOT in my hands. I’m a Desert Storm vet, and I’ll take the light recoil of my M4 (which is similar and familiar enough in takedown and operation to my M16 that I feel imminently comfortable with it’s operation, while lacking the full automatic option) over the kick of a shotgun any day. A semi-automatic rifle chambered in 5.56 or .223 is a MUCH better choice for ME, and it’s not Joe Biden’s place to choose for me what I’m comfortable with.
I would love to say my m4 is what I would grab if someone was in my home but my 870 with the knox m4 style stock loaded with tactical buck shot will clear my stairwell was one pull the trigger. And my next Choice would be my 1911 if I had a larger property damn right my m4 is nuber one
The term “intermediate round” is as opposed to “high-powered rifle,” which the .223 is not. It is a characteristic of the .223 round as a whole, not some handloader’s recipe. Also a .223 bullet (not slug) doesn’t actually have much problem with over-penetration because the combination of its limited mass and high velocity causes it to tumble and fragment when it hits. Google pictures of self-inflicted wounds due to the low-ready carry method to see what I mean.
^And what he said ^.
5.56x45mm (AKA .223 Remington) is an intermediate rifle cartridge, bridging the power gap between pistol cartridges like the 9x19mm (9mm Luger/Parabellum)and full power rifle cartridges like the 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester).
Its power and range greatly exceed the 9mm, but its weight and recoil are less than the .308- hence the term intermediate.
I wouldn’t have responded at all since two others have already pointed you in the right direction, but with that resolved I still have a couple of concerns about your statements.
You say that “The nine .32 cal pellets tend to not over penetrate unlike a .223 FMJ slug”, but I find this misleading because I know for a fact that buckshot will penetrate enough drywall to remain dangerous in the next room (see the proof here http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm). That fact alone doesn’t scare me, but combined with yours and the Vice President’s assertion that “You don’t have to be accurate” it is a recipe for a negligent homicide.
I say misleading both because of the unwise nature of all this shotgun advice and the prevalence of numerous commercially-available .223 cartridges designed to come apart during impact such as frangible and ballistic tip ammunition. Those rounds allow the homeowner (AND HIS WIFE) to shoot the target and only the target, which I would wager beats just being in the general area.
Amen Adam and Josh- after your comments, there is nothing left for me to add!!
What does this have to do with the rights of owning said modern sporting rifle?
Assume that your aggressor is coming into your home with a Mac 10 or some other high cap Pistol type weapon, you have 2 shots then need to break the action and reload for another two shots and proceed as needed. Help me out with what side of the fence you would like to be on when your double barrel shot gun that fires 2 rounds and needs to be reloaded is superb for you. At least a pump or other form of multi capacity firearm. Anyway, whatever you think is best is best. Don’t limit me to purchasing only a shot gun.
Does anyone notice that, if you have a double-barreled shotgun…and fire two blasts into the air…now you’re armed with a very expensive baseball bat? Shouldn’t the 2nd-in-Command of the US be just a bit smarter than that? Not to mention the legal ramifications of firing on someone who is still OUTSIDE my hous
Joe Biden is an idiot just like Obama. I’m not gonna leave my wife in the house with a scattergun she has her own 9mm but whenever I’m out of the house overnight she has my ar-15 right beside our bed with its red dot sight and 100 round drum mag. Like a previous poster stated I was trusted with alot more firepower while I was in the military protecting our bills of rights in another country so why not in my own home. All I got to say about any gun control bill is come and get them………
Wow! The VP just endorsed negligent discharges. So lets just kill our neighbors with inaccurate shotgun fire instead of defending our home and loved ones with well placed rounds at a specific target/threat.
Wow, so Joe why don’t we use your strategy with or police and military? Arm them with double barrel shotguns and train them to fire both barrels into the air when they sense trouble. You don’t think that is a good idea? Neither do I.
He told his wife just go over the balcony with a double barrel? But he forgot to mention the 100+ secret service that protect him that have AR15’s, mini Gatling guns , sniper teams.. What a moron!
So do we all carry shotguns now? Everywhere? The mall, Night School, Church? Shotgun for self defense, indeed.