Naomi Biden Dispels Marco Rubio Claim He Didn't Have Time To Read Gun Bill

Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden snapped at Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Twitter after complaints about the time given to read a gun reform bill.

On Tuesday, the Senate took steps towards passing major federal gun safety legislation in the wake of the Robb Elementary Texas school shooting.

The shooting claimed the lives of 19 children and two adult teachers and reignited the debate surrounding gun ownership in the U.S.

In a tweet, the Florida senator complained about the time given to read the gun bill ahead of a vote on whether to begin debate on the bill after it had been finalized and released.

"We are being asked to vote tonight to begin debate on a gun proposal whose legislative text was only made available less than an hour ago," he tweeted.

Responding to the tweet, Naomi Biden argued there was more than enough time for the entire bill to be read ahead of the vote on whether to begin the debate.

"Ok—suspend reality and believe you would actually read a bill," she tweeted while sharing Rubio's initial tweet.

"The bill is 80 pages & ~13,000 words The average 5th grader reads ~180 words per minute," Naomi Biden continued.

"This means a 5th grader could read this bill in just over an hour. You had that for this vote & 30 hours until the actual vote."

Newsweek has contacted Marco Rubio for comment.

Former Democratic congressional candidate Russell Foster emphasized that the vote would be on whether to begin the debate, not the bill itself.

"You are being asked to begin the debate, not pass the legislation tonight. Huge difference between the two," he tweeted. "You will have time to read every page of the bill between now and the debate. You are just pandering. We know you won't read it and vote against it no matter what."

"Key words, 'begin debate,'" Michael Luciano, primetime editor at publication Mediate, wrote.

Gun reform activist Fred Guttenberg also criticized Rubio and highlighted the importance of dealing with gun violence.

"Could not have said that any better Naomi Biden. I would only add that Marco Rubio is a waste of oxygen in the Senate who failed my daughter, all victims of gun violence in the past, and any victims of gun violence going forward," he tweeted.

The bill's text comes more than one week after senators announced a gun safety framework that saw consensus on several topics including funds for mental health and grants for states to enforce red flag laws, but negotiations on several priorities continued.

So far, 10 Republicans announced support for the framework earlier in June, meaning it earned just enough support to reach the 60-vote threshold required by the Senate's filibuster. The bill would mark a historic tightening of gun laws, a priority gun control advocates have pushed for years.