Buckeye Reporter

The legacy media have largely abandoned their mission of holding power to account, leading many to question their objectivity. At an August 3 campaign rally in Atlanta, former President Donald J. Trump claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris “supports mandatory gun confiscation.” On August 7, PolitiFact rated Trump's statement as “mostly false.”

Trump's assertion is supported by multiple statements from Harris advocating for the prohibition and confiscation of semi-automatic firearms, including the AR-15. During a 2020 presidential campaign event in Londonderry, N.H., in September 2019, then-presidential candidate Harris told reporters that confiscation of commonly owned semi-automatic firearms was “a good idea.” She elaborated on her support for a compulsory “buyback” program, stating, “We have to work out the details — there are a lot of details — but I do. … We have to take those guns off the streets.”

On the September 16, 2019 episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Harris reiterated her support for gun confiscation. When asked about mandatory buybacks of assault weapons and their alignment with the Second Amendment, she responded, “I do believe that we need to do buybacks.” She added that a buyback program should be conducted properly and include fair compensation.

Harris further demonstrated her commitment to gun confiscation during an October 3, 2019 MSNBC gun control forum and again during a November 2019 interview with NBC Nightly News.

PolitiFact’s rebuttal relied on recent statements from Harris' campaign officials suggesting a shift in her stance. However, critics argue that these secondhand accounts lack credibility compared to Harris’ documented public statements.

In more recent evidence of her stance on gun control, Harris praised Australia’s stringent measures during an October 26, 2023 state luncheon with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Referring to Australia's gun control policies following violence involving firearms, she remarked, “And let us be clear, it does not have to be this way, as our friends in Australia have demonstrated.”

Australia implemented strict gun control measures in 1996 which included a near-total ban on civilian ownership of certain types of firearms and a mandatory buyback scheme.

A Gallup poll reported in October revealed only 32% of Americans trust mass media "a great deal" or "a fair amount" to report news fully and accurately—a tie for Gallup’s lowest historical reading from 2016. Additionally, another Washington Post piece highlighted deep distrust among Americans towards media reporting on politics.

Given this context of declining trust in traditional media outlets, NRA members and other gun rights activists are encouraged to share information about Harris' stance on the Second Amendment with their communities.

© 2024 National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. This may be reproduced but not for commercial purposes.

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