Biden mocked gun-rights advocates who say they need assault weapons to fight the government: 'You need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons'

President Joe Biden joked that people who think they needed guns to take on the US government would actually need nuclear weapons.

In a speech on Wednesday that outlined his plan to combat gun violence, Biden said, "If you wanted or if you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons."

Biden also said there had always been limits on what kinds of weapons people could legally own: "The Second Amendment, from the day it was passed, limited the type of people who could own a gun and what type of weapon you could own. You couldn't buy a cannon."

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

Biden also said his administration would adopt a "zero tolerance" approach toward gun dealers who violate existing law. The president has long pushed for gun-control legislation, including a ban on assault weapons.