Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to answer a question about how best to reduce the number of guns on the streets, which are responsible for the vast majority of murders in the United States.
Harris was asked about guns during an event with the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, where moderator Tonya Mosley noted that guns were used in 59 percent of murders in the United States and that her proposed assault weapons ban was only a small part of the problem.
“I’ve been adamant about it for years, and in fact, I myself protested at a gun show probably 10 or 15 years ago about the gun show loophole and the need to close it,” Harris said, struggling to give an exact answer.
The vice president did not share exact details of her protest, but according to a local report from 2007 reportHarris, then the San Francisco district attorney, joined a protest with fellow Democrats over a gun fair that was scheduled to take place two days later.
Kamala Harris struggled to answer a question about guns during an event with reporters
Most community gun shows require all gun dealers to conduct background checks on their customers, but gun control advocates warn that people who bring their personal weapons to gun shows may sell them to other attendees without a background check.
Harris said she would try to implement universal background checks for people who buy any gun, but she did not have a specific answer on the prevalence of guns available to criminals in the United States.
He began by recalling the homicide cases he prosecuted during his career in California and reminded the audience that the mothers of the slain children insisted they would “only talk to Kamala” about their cases.
“We need to take this seriously in every sense, understanding that this is not just a sound bite, this is a comprehensive approach that addresses the tragedy of, as you say, everyday gun violence in America,” he said.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris (left) is interviewed by National Association of Black Journalists members Gerren Keith Gaynor (far right), Eugene Daniels, second from right, and Tonya Mosley.
When pressed by the moderator on specific actions to control guns, Harris noted that she and the Biden administration had approved more funding for mental health professionals in public schools.
Harris has long supported a strict ban on assault rifles, specifically a mandatory government-sponsored gun buyback program for those weapons already owned by U.S. citizens.
The vice president reminded the audience that she was a gun owner and had no intention of taking guns away from Americans, despite supporting bans on assault weapons such as AR-15s and AK-47s.