Kamala Harris on Gun Control

Kamala Harris asserts her position as a supporter of the Second Amendment while simultaneously overseeing efforts to enact stringent federal gun control policies. She has expressed a desire to "ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require universal background checks, and support red flag laws" if elected to the presidency. This stance is managed through her role overseeing the White House Office of Gun Violence and Prevention, an office created to find avenues around congressional gridlock on the issue. Furthermore, the administration she is a part of previously enacted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which represented a significant federal update to gun safety laws.

There has been an apparent shift in the articulation of her proposals, particularly concerning mandatory buybacks, which she previously supported during her 2019 presidential primary campaign. When pressed during a 2024 debate, she actively denied plans to confiscate firearms, stating, "We're not taking anybody's guns away." This move to distance herself from past strong statements, such as supporting a mandatory buyback program for certain semi-automatic firearms, is seen by some observers as a strategic adjustment to appeal to moderate and gun-owning voters.