Newsletter: Harris Backed Pistol Ban as San Francisco DA

This week, we broke a significant story about Kamala Harris’s document on gun management. As San Francisco District Legal professional, she was one of some metropolis officers to assist a complete ban on handguns for practically all residents.

As I clarify in a members’ piece, that assist raises all kinds of questions. About her personal handgun possession. About her change of thoughts on confiscation. About how all of that may influence the election.

In her first public feedback on weapons for the reason that information broke, she sidestepped all these questions.

In fact, if gun-rights advocates need to influence the election with this story, they’re going to face an uphill battle as a result of they’re being considerably outraised by their opponents. Contributing Author Jake Fogleman additionally examines polling that reveals they could have an uphill battle with a number of demographics, too.

Plus, Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms and I talk about the state of the race on the podcast. The Dispatch is again providing free trials to all Reload subscribers. And don’t overlook all of the hyperlinks to different gun tales on the backside of the e-mail!

Kamala Harris Backed San Francisco Handgun Confiscation MeasureBy Stephen Gutowski

Vice President Kamala Harris supported a 2005 poll measure that banned San Francisco residents from possessing pistols.

The Democratic presidential nominee backed Proposition H in her position as the town’s District Legal professional on the time. The measure banned San Francisco residents from shopping for, promoting, and even possessing handguns. With exceptions included for active-duty regulation enforcement, navy, and licensed safety guards, 58 % voted in favor of the measure. But it surely confronted speedy authorized scrutiny from the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation (NRA), California Rifle and Pistol Assocaition (CRPA), and different gun-rights teams.

“San Francisco was a pacesetter in proposing gun restrictions on the native stage, and she or he by no means met a gun management regulation she didn’t like,” Chuck Michel, who represented the NRA and CRPA in its struggle in opposition to the town, informed The Reload. “Prop H was the crowning jewel.”

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Harris Sidesteps Historical past of Backing Handgun Ban at White Home Gun-Management OccasionBy Stephen Gutowski

Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris didn’t deal with her previous assist for a complete ban on handguns in San Francisco throughout Thursday’s gun occasion on the White Home.

Harris, who backed 2005’s Proposition H banning the sale and possession of pistols for practically all metropolis residents, has since mentioned she won’t take People’ weapons away if elected president. Nonetheless, she has but to elucidate why she supported the San Francisco’s ban when she was District Legal professional or why she modified her thoughts. Earlier within the day, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ducked the identical questions throughout her every day press briefing. With out immediately addressing the handgun confiscation measure, Harris mentioned throughout Thursday’s occasion she helps the Second Modification and doesn’t need to take individuals’s firearms–reiterating her 2024 gun coverage agenda.

“It’s a false option to counsel you’re both in favor of the Second Modification otherwise you need to take everybody’s weapons away,” Harris mentioned. “I’m in favor of the Second Modification, and I imagine we have to reinstate the assault weapons ban and go common background checks, secure storage legal guidelines, and pink flag legal guidelines.”

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Evaluation: Harris’s Earlier Assist for Handgun Confiscation Raises Questions, May Sway Election [Member Exclusive]By Stephen Gutowski

Kamala Harris backed a complete ban on handguns early in her profession, which complicates her marketing campaign’s message on weapons and possibly even the trajectory of the race.

On Tuesday, we reported that Harris supported Proposition H in 2005 as San Francisco’s District Legal professional. The measure would have barred practically all metropolis residents from promoting, shopping for, or possessing pistols had it not been struck down by a number of California courts. Her assist for it opens up a slew of yet-to-be-answered questions for the candidate and the presidential race.

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Gun-Management Teams Dwarf Opponents in August Political FundraisingBy Jake Fogleman

Because the 2024 election attracts nearer, the chasm in political fundraising between the rival sides of the gun debate has solely grown wider.

The Political Motion Committees (PACs) for Everytown, Giffords, and Brady collectively introduced in slightly below $6 million in August, in line with up to date Federal Election Fee (FEC) filings posted final week. By comparability, the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation’s Political Victory Fund raised simply over $376,000 for the month. Collectively, all of the gun-rights PACs that posted month-to-month FEC updates took in simply over $420,000.

August’s fundraising totals mark the one largest month-to-month disparity in fundraising hauls between the gun-rights and gun-control teams within the 2024 election season. Whereas the gun-control teams have persistently outraised the NRA and its allies to this point this yr, the month-to-month hole has not beforehand been a number of million {dollars}. It’s a development that bodes effectively for candidates backing gun management and poorly for gun-rights advocates trying to ramp up their political exercise within the residence stretch of the election, when the capability to spend on promoting and voter outreach is most significant.

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Podcast: Has the 2024 Gun Debate Already Ended? (Ft. Cam Edwards)By Stephen Gutowski

This week, we’re turning our consideration to the presidential race.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris appear to have discovered their message on weapons and are sticking to it. Assassination makes an attempt, a significant faculty taking pictures, and the race tightening haven’t moved voters. Neither has any of that moved the candidates themselves.

So, we’ve received Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards again on the present to take a look at the place every little thing has landed. He agreed there’s little purpose to assume the campaigns are going to vary course on message or depth at this level. However he argued either side are taking a flawed method.

You may take heed to the present in your favourite podcasting app or by clicking right here. Video of the episode is out there on our YouTube channel.

Plus, Contributing author Jake Fogleman and I speak about new polling knowledge displaying voters belief Kamala Harris extra on the difficulty of “gun violence” regardless of rating the difficulty low on their checklist of priorities this election. We additionally discuss in regards to the political implications of younger girls transferring strategy to the left on the difficulty of weapons. Lastly, we wrap up with a dialogue of a brand new federal invoice to pressure the US Army to provoke state pink flag orders, the shortage of gun coverage poll measures this November, and a brand new state-level legislative coalition launched by the nationwide gun management teams.

Audio right here. Video right here.

Evaluation: Do Gun-Rights Advocates Have a Gender Drawback or One thing Worse? [Member Exclusive]By Jake Fogleman

Newly revealed analysis suggests younger girls have moved considerably to the left during the last 20 years, pushed in no small half by their rising dissatisfaction with America’s gun legal guidelines. Whereas these findings alone ought to bother gun-rights advocates, the numbers level to bother past a single demographic.

Final week, Gallup revealed a examine of greater than 20 years of polling knowledge that backs up the favored knowledge that younger girls are certainly transferring left at a fast clip. From 2001-2007, Gallup discovered a mean of 28 % of ladies aged 18-29 recognized as liberal, simply three proportion factors larger than younger males. By 2017-2024, the newest interval surveyed, Gallup discovered a mean of 40 % of younger girls recognized as liberal, a full 15 factors larger than males of the identical age.

Gun coverage has pushed numerous that shift. For the reason that years of the Obama presidency, younger girls have grow to be three % extra prone to say that handguns needs to be banned, 16 factors extra prone to say gun legal guidelines needs to be stricter, and 21 % extra prone to say that they’re “very dissatisfied” with the nation’s gun legal guidelines. That’s the most important single shift in dissatisfaction registered amongst any subject tracked throughout all sexes and age teams.

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Outdoors The Reload

Homicide Fell At The Quickest Tempo Ever Recorded In 2023 | Jeff-alytics | By Jeff Asher

The Most Shocking New Gun Homeowners Are U.S. Liberals | Wall Avenue Journal | By Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson

Harris adviser says quip on taking pictures intruder was ‘a joke’ | The Hill | By Ashleigh Fields

NRA Mocks Jon Tester’s ‘Designer Camo’ in New Advert Attacking Montana Senator’s Gun Document | Nationwide Evaluate | By James Lynch

Attorneys Basic, 2A Teams Urge SCOTUS to Hear Problem to Maryland’s ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban | Bearing Arms | By Cam Edwards

California governor indicators payments to bolster gun management | AP Information

Birmingham mass taking pictures results in requires state ban on ‘Glock switches’ | Alabama Reflector | By Ralph Chapoco

That’s it for this week in weapons.

If you wish to hear skilled evaluation of those tales and extra, be sure you seize a Reload membership to get our unique evaluation publication each Sunday!

I’ll see you all subsequent week.

Thanks,Stephen GutowskiFounderThe Reload