John Fetterman Skipping Joe Biden Gun Control and Crime Event in Pennsylvania

President Joe Biden plans to visit Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania on Tuesday, but Democrat Senate candidate John Fetterman will not be joining him.

Biden plans to deliver remarks about crime and gun control and outline his “Safer America Plan” in reaction to a spike in crime in many of America’s major cities.

Fetterman will not attend Biden’s event, a spokesperson confirmed to New York Times reporter Katie Glueck, citing a scheduling conflict with a planned fundraiser for his campaign in Pittsburgh.

Since taking office, Biden pivoted away from the Democrat-fueled effort to “defund the police” and instead vowed to fund and reform law enforcement.

A significant part of Biden’s anti-crime message is his desire to ban “assault” weapons, which include many semi-automatic rifles.

“We all got to do it,” Biden said during a campaign rally with Democrats in Maryland last week. “We’re going to do it for all our kids gunned down on our streets every single day.”

In July, Fetterman announced his support for a federal “assault weapons” ban along with high-capacity magazines.

Biden made it clear in his speech last week that every Democrat running for office had to support an “assault weapons” ban.

“This November, you have to ask every candidate, ‘Are you for banning assault weapons or not?’ And if you’re not, we’re not going to vote for you. Period,” he said.

Fetterman is currently polling ahead of Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, despite questions about his health after suffering a stroke in May. Fetterman has also refused to commit to any political debates with Oz ahead of the election.

An August 25 Emerson College poll shows Fetterman with a four-point lead over Oz, but a Franklin & Marshall College poll released on the same day shows Fetterman leading Oz by 13 points.