Sep 10, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Harris says she's a gun owner during debate with Trump

Erin Doherty

Harris in debate — Harris during her debate with Trump. Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris reminded voters that she is a gun owner during her debate with former President Trump — a fact that's likely to surprise many of her progressive followers.

The big picture: It's the latest sign that Harris is focusing on appealing to moderates and Trump-wary conservatives in the run-up to Election Day. Harris has said previously that she owns a firearm, but she doesn't talk about it often on the campaign trail and has repeatedly advocated for stronger gun controls.

What she's saying: Harris said she and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "aren't taking anyone's guns away."

"This business about taking everybody's guns away, Tim Walz and I are both gun owners," Harris said.
"So stop with the continuous lying."

Flashback: Harris said that she was a gun owner while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019.

"I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety. I was a career prosecutor," she said at the time.

Zoom in: Harris backs red-flag laws and universal background checks for all gun purchases, per the Washington Post.

The debate over gun laws was re-ignited this week after a shooting at a school in Georgia left four people dead.

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Harris says she's a gun owner during debate with Trump

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