The Second Amendment is a contentious issue that arises every election cycle in the US. While Republicans have championed the ‘right to bear arms,’ Democrats have advocated for greater gun control. However, this time around, the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has taken a different approach. Although she has historically supported stronger gun control laws, during her presidential campaign, the vice president has repeatedly stressed that both she and her running mate, Tim Walz, are gun owners.
During her recent interaction with Oprah Winfrey in Michigan, she made a seemingly unscripted joke about how anyone breaking into her home would “get shot.” She quickly followed up with a laugh, saying, “I probably shouldn’t have said that. My staff will deal with it later.”
Harris’ revelation is a strategic effort to reconcile her support for stricter gun safety regulations with the concerns of gun owners. While she and many Democrats push for measures like universal background checks and assault weapon bans, they often encounter Republican arguments that these initiatives violate Second Amendment rights.

Harris’ stance on gun violence

While serving as California attorney general in July 2016, Harris pointed out California’s leadership in gun safety. She stated, “California has been a national leader on gun safety, and we know that smart, sensible gun safety laws save lives. No law can stop every act of gun violence, but we must do more to keep guns out of dangerous hands.”

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 2018, Harris emphasised the need for gun reform after mass shootings. She said, “We cannot tolerate a society and live in a country with any level of pride when our babies are being slaughtered. We need reasonable gun safety laws in this country, including universal background checks, a renewal of the assault weapons ban, and a ban on high-capacity magazines.”

During the March for Our Lives Rally in March 2018, organized after the Parkland school shooting, Harris expressed her dedication to gun control. She said, “We need to have a conversation about what reasonable gun safety laws look like, but this conversation cannot end here. Enough is enough. We must act to protect our communities.”

During her presidential campaign in June 2019, Harris proposed a strong gun control platform. She stated, “We need to have reasonable gun safety laws in this country, including universal background checks and a renewal of the assault weapons ban.” She also mentioned that if Congress did not pass gun control measures within the first 100 days of her presidency, she would take executive action.

Trump on gun violence

Former President Donald Trump has been a staunch advocate for gun rights and the National Rifle Association (NRA). At the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show in February 2024, he stated, “During my four years, nothing happened… We did nothing. We didn’t yield,” promising to reverse “every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers” if re-elected.

Speaking at the NRA annual meeting in April 2023, Trump criticized Democrats for tying school safety measures to their gun control agenda, asserting, “This is not a gun problem. This is a mental health problem, this is a social problem, this is a cultural problem.”

Trump faced challenges with his New York concealed carry license, which was suspended in April 2023 due to a criminal indictment. Since then, he has transferred two of his three pistols and moved the remaining one to Florida.
In May 2022, he commended NRA members, saying they are invaluable in crises. He has also called for strong bipartisan background checks, reflecting on his administration’s efforts in gun safety while expressing hope for further enhancements.