Vice President Kamala Harris has dramatically shifted her position on gun control, claiming to be a gun owner who believes in the right to self-defense. However, her past support for gun bans and opposition to stand your ground laws raise questions about the sincerity of her current stance.
The reinvention of Vice President Kamala Harris in this election has been remarkable. Once ranked to the left of Sen. Bernie Sanders and viewed as one of the most liberal members of the Senate, Harris has sought to convince the public that she is a moderate who supports gun ownership and border security.
This transformation was recently on full display during a softball interview with Oprah, where Harris declared that she is a gun owner and "if somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot." She repeated this claim in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview and noted that she has fired her semiautomatic Glock handgun at a pistol range.
Kamala Harris's Second Amendment Stance: A Dramatic Reinvention
Harris's pledge to use deadly force against intruders stands in sharp contrast to her previous opposition to stand your ground laws. As San Francisco District Attorney, she supported the handgun ban in District of Columbia v. Heller, which the Supreme Court ultimately rejected.
Her current embrace of gun rights has delighted some activists who are trying to appeal to male voters, but it may not sit well with some in the Biden-Harris administration. President Biden has repeatedly denounced semiautomatics and suggested that he might seek to ban 9mm weapons, the most popular caliber in the United States.
Kamala Harris's Second Amendment Stance: A Dramatic Reinvention
In fact, Biden has stated that "there’s simply no rational basis" for owning 9mm weapons for self-protection. Harris's claim that she has a Glock and knows how to use it therefore seems irrational in light of the administration's stance.
Biden and Harris have both made sweeping, unsubstantiated statements about gun control. Biden continues to repeat false claims about weapon bans at the time the Second Amendment was ratified. Harris, in support of an AR-15 ban, declared that assault weapons were designed solely to kill a lot of human beings quickly.
Kamala Harris's Second Amendment Stance: A Dramatic Reinvention
However, courts would likely question why the administration is seeking to ban AR-15s when other higher-caliber weapons are sold. AR-15s handle a variety of calibers and are no more powerful than other semi-automatic rifles of the same caliber.
Harris's reinvention is not without precedent in politics. However, her current stance on gun rights is a stark departure from her past record, raising questions about its sincerity. For critics, the reload is a bit much, given her previous support for gun bans and opposition to stand your ground laws.
Kamala Harris's Second Amendment Stance: A Dramatic Reinvention
In a close election, many activists want voters to believe that Harris is a strong supporter of gun rights. They hope that her claim to have a Glock will sway voters in states like Pennsylvania. Harris has chosen wisely by embracing a more pro-gun image, but it remains to be seen whether her transformation will be successful in the long run.
