This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden is planning a visit to Lewiston, Maine, the site of a shooting episode that left 18 dead at the hands of a man who has been hospitalized for mental issues, and about whom acquaintances warned was likely to go off the deep end.
And he's demanding a ban on "assault" weapons, as he's done after other shooting events across the nation.
But apparently, the details still are being worked out on what he even wants.
A report at Bearing Arms noted Biden's plans to travel to Lewiston.
It said his "handlers" are "savvy enough to avoid any direct call for gun control in announcing his trip."
What they said was he would "pay respects to the victims of this horrific attack and grieve with families and community members, as well as meet with first responders, nurses, and others on the front lines of the response."
But the report said it was "clear" that Biden's trip would be used to "push his political agenda, specifically, a ban on so-called assault weapons."
In fact, his spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, already has told Congress to do Biden's bidding.
"We’re tired of this. You know, I’m tired of it. The president is tired of it. I’m sure all of you are tired about talking about these horrific mass shootings. We know what works. We know there is commonsense legislation that could be put forward right now that can get passed — put it on the floor, put it together — right? — get passed so that we can save lives."
But the report noted that while the Lewiston tragedy could have been prevented, it wouldn't have been by gun control.
"Instead, the president should announce that he’s directing the secretary of the Army to find out and disclose why the killer was apparently never reported to the NICS system after he was involuntarily committed to an Army hospital earlier this summer. As more details of the months before the attack took place are emerging, it’s become clear that there were plenty of officials who were aware of the threat that the killer posed to the community."
In fact, the army had asked local police to check on Robert Card, who was found dead two days after his attack.
Reports confirm there was concern expressed that Card would "snap and commit a mass shooting."
Bearing Arms reported, "Officers from the Sagadahoc County and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Offices responded and tried to contact Robert Card on September 16, less than six weeks before last Wednesday’s massacres in a bowling alley and a bar, documents say, according to a law enforcement source."
The publication explained that Steve Dettelbach, chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, already has demanded legislation to require universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons.
"The president has also said, and I agree, that we should consider and reinstate a ban on certain types of assault weapons," he said.
But he said also needed is a definition of just what would be banned.
The Bearing Arms, in a commentary, noted, "If Dettelbach believes that 'assault weapons' should be prohibited, then surely he must have some idea about what guns would be covered by such a ban. If Congress defined 'assault weapon' as 'long guns possessed by federal agencies like the ATF,' for example, Dettelbach’s support for a ban would vanish in an instant."
The commentary said it appears that when politicians say they want action against "assault weapons," it actually has no definition except "a gun I want to ban."
The report noted at the state level, officials have tried to ban certain features on guns or certain models.
Actually, Dettelbach has said the Constitution is a liability to what he'd like to see happen.
"People who have the view that their rights, their individual rights, are the only thing that should be taken into account — it is just not who we are as Americans," he said in an earlier speech. “We care about our rights, of course, but we respect other people’s rights, too."
