CLAIM: During the South Carolina Democrat debate, former Vice President Joe Biden claimed 150 million Americans have died since 2007 because gun makers cannot be sued.

VERDICT: FALSE.

Joe Biden alluded to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, the passage of which protected gun manufacturers from lawsuits in scenarios where the gun in question was legally made and legally sold. He equated this protection with “absolute immunity,” saying it “has caused carnage on our streets. 150 million people have been killed since 2007 when [Bernie Sanders] voted to exempt the gun manufacturers from liability.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the number of American deaths for the year 2008 as 2,471,984, for 2009 as 2,437,163, and for 2010 as 2,468,435. The leading causes were heart disease, cancer, respiratory problems, and accidents.

In 2017, the numbers were very similar, with death totals at just over 2,800,000.

150 million Americans did not die due from gun violence between 2007 and 2020.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.