Vice President Kamala Harris struggled with a question on how to best reduce the number of handguns on the streets, which are responsible for a wide majority of murders in the United States.
Harris was asked about handguns during an event with the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, where moderator Tonya Mosley noted that handguns were used for 59 percent of murders in the United States, and that her proposed assault weapons ban was only a small part of the problem.
‘I also have been adamant for years and in fact I myself have protested at a gun show probably 10-15 years ago about the gun show loophole and the need to close that,’ Harris said, struggling for an exact response.
The vice president did not share exact details of her protest, but according to a local 2007 report, Harris, then the district attorney of San Francisco, joined a protest with fellow Democrats about a gun show that would take place two days later.
The majority of community gun shows require all gun dealers to perform background checks for their customers, but gun control advocates warn of people who bring their personal weapons to gun shows can sell them to fellow attendees without a background check.
Harris said she would try to enact universal background checks on people buying all guns, but had no specific response to the prevalence of handguns available to criminals in the United States.
She began recalling homicide cases she prosecuted during her career in California reminding the audience that mothers of slain children insisted they would ‘only talk to Kamala’ about their cases.
‘We must take it seriously in every way understanding it’s not just about a soundbite, it’s about a comprehensive approach that deals with the tragedy of, your point, every day gun violence in America,’ she said.
When pressed by the moderator on specific actions to control guns, Harris recalled that she and Biden’s administration had passed 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 weapons already owned by American citizens.
The vice president reminded the audience she was a gun owner and had no intention of taking American guns away, despite supporting a ban on assault weapons like AR-15s and AK-47s.
