The campaign manager for Vice President Kamala Harris sought to calm concerns following remarks Harris made earlier this week during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she mentioned she would shoot anyone who broke into her home.
During the Thursday livestreamed interview, Harris was asked about both the recent school shooting in Georgia and her previous acknowledgment, during a debate with former President Trump, that she owns a firearm. “If somebody breaks into my house,” Harris said, punctuated with her signature laugh, “they’re getting shot.” Winfrey responded, “I hear that, I hear that.”
Harris then added, “My staff will deal with that later,” hinting at the possibility that she had strayed from her prepared talking points after months of carefully managed public appearances.
“Here’s my point, Oprah. I’m not trying to take everyone’s guns away. I believe in the Second Amendment,” Harris continued. She described her stance on gun control as supporting “just common sense” regulations. Her campaign manager, Keisha Lance Bottoms, clarified the remarks in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday, insisting that the vice president was joking.
“It was a joke, and she knew we’d still be discussing it today,” Bottoms said. “But what’s important to highlight is that the vice president respects the Second Amendment, supports responsible gun ownership, and is committed to ensuring our communities are safe.”
Since taking on the role of leading the Democratic ticket in place of President Joe Biden, Harris has worked to soften earlier statements that may alienate independent voters. For instance, in 2019, during an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, she endorsed a gun buyback program. “A buyback program is a good idea. Now we need to do it the right way. And part of that has to be, you know, buy back and give people their value, the financial value.”
Harris’ evolving stance on firearms, coupled with her party’s internal struggle over the prevalence of guns in America, has created challenges for her campaign. To secure the critical “blue-wall” states, Harris must appeal to blue-collar voters in regions like Wisconsin and Michigan, where gun rights hold significant importance for many.
On Friday, The New York Times pointed out that although other Democrats, including Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jason Kander of Missouri, and Jared Golden of Maine, have highlighted their support for the Second Amendment during campaigns, none have gone as far as making light of shooting an intruder.
{Matzav.com}