Fox reporter ignores Republican Senate filibusters while blaming Biden for the failure to pass an assault weapon ban

Special Programs Guns & Public Safety

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy criticized the Biden administration for calling out Republicans in Congress over their failure to pass a ban on assault weapons commonly used in mass shootings, saying, “The assault weapons ban he wants went nowhere when Democrats had unified control of Congress, and now his team is blaming Republicans for a lack of progress.” In fact, the Democratic-controlled House passed an assault weapons ban in July 2022, but as expected the bill never passed in the Senate due to Republicans' heavy use of filibusters, which would have required any such legislation to receive at least 60 votes to pass. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) virtually admitted the GOP was at fault for the lack of progress on restricting access to assault weapons when he said earlier this week that “there are not enough votes in the Senate for an assault weapons ban” despite Democrats controlling 51 votes.

From the March 29, 2023, edition of Fox News' The Faulkner Focus

PETER DOOCY (FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT): President Biden says he owns shotguns. He says he supports the Second Amendment. But he also supports new limits on what kind of weapons civilians can buy. 

(BEGIN VIDEO)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I know you see on television, it's not just merely the weapon in terms of that it's semi automatic, in effect. But the velocity with which it comes out of that muzzle, what it does when it hits the body. Most bullets would go straight through and out, but it blows up once it's inside your body. 

(END VIDEO)

DOOCY: The assault weapons ban he wants went nowhere when Democrats had unified control of Congress, and now his team is blaming Republicans for a lack of progress. 

(BEGIN VIDEO)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE (WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY): What I will say to Republicans in Congress is: What are you going to say to these parents? What are you going to say to these family members? Sixty-three percent of Americans –– and I heard this poll laid out here on this show earlier today, it's a political poll –– said that they want to see safer gun safety measures. They want to see that. That is the will of the people.

(END VIDEO)