Buckeye Reporter

The forces urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential campaign have prevailed. Attention now shifts to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to become the Democratic nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. She will likely face Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump in November.

Although there are notable differences between President Biden and Vice President Harris in terms of age, gender, and race, their policies on the Second Amendment are aligned. Vice President Harris has supported various gun control measures during her tenure in the Biden administration, including executive actions and the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Vice President Harris's stance on gun rights has been consistent with that of President Biden. In 2019, she dropped her own presidential bid after poor primary performance but later gained favor by promoting her gun control credentials through Everytown for Gun Safety’s Veepstakes. This led to endorsements from Everytown, Giffords, and Brady United.

During a 2020 discussion with Everytown’s John Feinblatt and Moms Demand Action’s Shannon Watts, Vice President Harris agreed that increased interest in Second Amendment rights during the COVID pandemic was "astroturfed" rather than genuine grassroots movements. Since then, over 22.3 million Americans have legally purchased firearms for the first time.

Both President Biden and Vice President Harris advocate for reinstating an assault weapons ban. Recently, following an attempted assassination of former President Trump involving an AR-15-style rifle, both reiterated calls for such a ban. Despite previous attempts failing to gain full Democratic support when they held power in Washington from 2021 to 2022, this remains a significant policy goal.

Vice President Harris has also supported other gun control measures such as mandatory gun lock storage legislation and near-universal background checks. Her proposals often go further than those of President Biden.

As the Democratic National Convention approaches and support consolidates around Vice President Harris, gun control will remain a critical issue differentiating her from former President Trump. This is particularly important for the millions of new gun owners since the last election.