Having fully reinforced the “Sleepy Joe” moniker, President Joe Biden finally released a statement on the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at 9:33 a.m., EST — some eight hours after former President Donald Trump issued a statement.
Those who might be thinking better late than never may want to read Biden’s thoughts first. Democrats are predictable if nothing else, and the president exploited the assassination of a former world leader to push his gun control agenda — Japan has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world and Abe’s assassin used a crude, homemade shotgun in the attack.
“I am stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened by the news that my friend Abe Shinzo, former Prime Minister of Japan, was shot and killed while campaigning. This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him,” Biden said in the release. “I had the privilege to work closely with Prime Minister Abe. As Vice President, I visited him in Tokyo and welcomed him to Washington. He was a champion of the Alliance between our nations and the friendship between our people. The longest serving Japanese Prime Minister, his vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific will endure. Above all, he cared deeply about the Japanese people and dedicated his life to their service. Even at the moment he was attacked, he was engaged in the work of democracy.”
“While there are many details that we do not yet know,” he continued, “we know that violent attacks are never acceptable and that gun violence always leaves a deep scar on the communities that are affected by it. The United States stands with Japan in this moment of grief. I send my deepest condolences to his family.”
Trump was not alone in beating Biden to the punch in releasing a statement. So too did many other world leaders, outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among them.
About eight hours late, huh?
— Lavern Spicer🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) July 8, 2022
The rudimentary shotgun can be seen here — it’s not clear why Twitter shields the image as “potentially sensitive content.” As the social media user tweeted, the weapon seems to prove that gun control “is as effective as imagination control.”
Look at the gun used to shoot him. Gun control is as effective as imagination control. pic.twitter.com/y0I4TA7Imy
— Kittenmouse the hoi polloi (@JanaUC) July 8, 2022
Not that the left will be deterred in its longstanding campaign to disarm law-abiding Americans in the face of a significant surge in lawless behavior.
Here’s a sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
This statement is pretty odd.
Abe has been one of America’s most important strategic partners for the last decade (including the Obama years – which Biden was loosely involved in) and Biden is focusing on the larger impact of gun violence? https://t.co/me74qv6gty
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 8, 2022
Even calling a homemade firearm built from pipes and duct tape “a gun” is stretching the definition, ESPECIALLY when you’re alluding to a debate about legal firearm ownership. That thing was essentially a highly directional bomb.
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) July 8, 2022
The Biden White House finally mentioned it in the most Biden White House way possible.
“Gun violence.” Always be closing. https://t.co/r9UkQH4E4R
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) July 8, 2022
I dont understand how he keeps getting worse.. I feel like I hate him the maximum, but then statements like this come out.
— Starkly Juxtaposed (@GetFreshKrew) July 8, 2022
In fashioning a comment on the assassination of a world leader, his people actually used the term “gun violence.” Convinced these folks are being produced in a factory.
— Hank Briarstem (@briarstem) July 8, 2022
They never miss an opportunity to virtue signal on a hot button topic when it suits them.
Disgusting yet effective use of propaganda.— ⚒️NickyZee⚒️ (@nickzbutcher) July 8, 2022
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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