Analysis: Does Kamala Harris Owning a Gun Matter? [Member Exclusive]

Throughout a contentious struggle over weapons at Tuesday’s debate with Donald Trump, Kamala Harris introduced up a little-discussed reality to defend her place: she is a gun proprietor.

“This enterprise about taking everybody’s weapons away; Tim Walz and I are each gun homeowners. We’re not taking anybody’s weapons away,” Harris stated in response to Trump on Tuesday. “So, cease with the continual mendacity about these items.”

That’s a brand new tactic for Harris in her effort to reassure voters she’s extra average than her file and former run for president would possibly suggest. However will it have a lot impact?

First off, whereas this can be a new tactic for Harris, it isn’t a brand new tactic amongst Democrats. President Joe Biden has usually emphasised his gun possession, and doubtful self-defense recommendation, as a manner of softening or justifying his requires stricter gun legal guidelines. In reality, the Harris Marketing campaign has leaned closely into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s historical past of looking with shotguns.

Nevertheless, it presents a little bit of a twist to that method that she reportedly owns a handgun. And she or he stated she owns it explicitly for self-defense moderately than looking.

“I’m a gun proprietor, and I personal a gun for most likely the explanation lots of people do – for private security,” she stated throughout an April 2019 occasion. “I used to be a profession prosecutor.”

However it’s unlikely the high-profile point out that she owns a gun, even a handgun, will shake up how gun voters view the race. However it isn’t essentially meant to do this. As an alternative, it’s an effort to reassure gun homeowners who don’t vote solely on gun politics.

Simply as along with her quite a few different flip-flops, pointing to her personal gun possession as a parry for Trump’s assertion she would “confiscate everybody’s gun” is an try and redefine herself within the midst of a lightning marketing campaign.

The controversy change originated from feedback Harris made throughout her unsuccessful 2019 presidential marketing campaign. She was certainly one of a number of Democratic major candidates who supported a compulsory buyback of no less than some firearms. Her proposal centered on requiring homeowners to show of their so-called assault weapons, that are usually outlined as semi-automatic firearms able to accepting removable magazines and that includes sure banned options–usually together with in style rifles just like the AR-15.

“We’ve to have a buyback program, and I help a compulsory gun buyback program,” she stated at an October 2019 discussion board.

Nevertheless, her marketing campaign walked again that help shortly after she took excessive place on the Democratic ticket.

“Right, the VP is not going to push for a compulsory purchase again as president,” Lauren Hitt, a Harris spokesperson, instructed The Reload in July. “She has expressed help for crimson flag legal guidelines, common background checks and an assault weapons ban.”

Her stroll again, nevertheless efficient it is perhaps, doesn’t prolong very far. She nonetheless helps a ban on the sale of AR-15s and comparable firearms. She nonetheless desires to increase background checks to non-commercial non-public gun gross sales. She nonetheless desires some type of nationwide excessive danger safety order legislation.

Then there’s her monitor file.

Regardless of shopping for a handgun throughout her time as a prosecutor, she has both argued for or carried out strict rules on their possession. When she was the District Lawyer of San Francisco, Harris signed on to a Supreme Courtroom temporary arguing Washington, DC’s complete ban on civilian handgun possession didn’t violate the Second Modification. When she moved as much as California Lawyer Normal just a few years later, she activated the state’s microstamping requirement for brand new handguns–which successfully banned the sale of latest fashions till a federal courtroom struck it down a few decade later.

That every one probably limits no matter upside there’s for her touting her gun possession.

To see if it has a lot impact, in fact, she’ll need to lean into it. There’s an excellent cause most individuals most likely didn’t understand or forgot that she was a gun proprietor. She hasn’t talked about it a lot in any respect so far.

Whereas they’ve made Walz’s gun possession and looking a significant a part of his biography on the DNC, the Harris Marketing campaign didn’t even point out she owns one. After she talked about it herself on the debate, her marketing campaign didn’t reply to requests for extra particulars on the gun she owns.

Harris has a possibility to play up her gun possession much more within the coming weeks if she desires to take action. Speaking about how she purchased a handgun for self-defense might be going to do extra to attach with the typical gun proprietor than speaking about Walz’s looking journeys. Way more People personal handguns than looking firearms, and much more say they personal them for self-defense.

She will be able to additionally distinction her gun possession in opposition to Trump’s lack thereof. In spite of everything, it was a bit shocking to seek out out early this yr that he additionally personally owns weapons. Whereas his sons are avid shooters, there’s little proof Trump shares that keenness. There doesn’t even seem like a publicly-available image of Trump capturing a gun himself.

However it got here out that he does personal no less than three weapons as a part of a CNN story that he’d turned over two to the New York Police Division earlier this yr within the wake of his felony convictions. Trump can’t legally possess firearms anymore due to these convictions. It’s not troublesome to see how she might play up the distinction between the 2 of them.

It most likely wouldn’t take her very far to place a number of time and vitality into this distinction, although. She’s already utilizing extra direct assaults on his convictions and different alleged crimes. And there’s most likely little room for enchancment among the many voters who worth gun possession.

Whereas Trump’s attraction amongst gun voters is partially pushed by a sure type of macho picture, it’s primarily as a consequence of his fame for defending gun rights. Although there are flaws in his pro-gun file–just like the unconstitutional bump inventory ban, he has actual accomplishments that gun voters care about–like appointing three of the justices within the majority of the Bruen resolution. Harris clearly isn’t doing a lot to attempt to win away people who find themselves going to vote based mostly on pro-gun insurance policies and is unlikely to make up floor with them by emphasizing her gun possession.

Nonetheless, she might make inroads with gun homeowners who relate to her need for self-protection and don’t really feel strongly about restrictions they don’t suppose will influence them. The query of what number of voters in that block are nonetheless undecided or unenthusiastic about voting for Harris will most likely decide how way more she talks about her handgun.