During her one hour town hall on CNN, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) was asked about what she would do to end school shootings.
"I'm sure that there are many students here who, while you were high school, even middle school, that you had to participate in a drill, right? Where you were convened and talked to you about how you needed to run into a closet because there may be a mass shooter roaming the hallways of your school. And in our America, that should never have to happen," Harris explained. "Conversations take place every night between students and their parents. Why do these things have to happen? Why do we have to have a drill like that, to which, of course, the response is because there are people in Washington, D.C., supposed leaders, who have failed to have the courage to reject a false choice, which either suggests that you're either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyones guns away."
"Supposed leaders in Washington, D.C. have failed to have the courage to recognize that, you know what, you want to go hunting, fine. But we need reasonable gun safety laws in this country, starting with universal background checks and a renewal of the Assault Weapon Ban," Harris explained.
"But they have failed to have the courage to act, so Ben, here's my response to you: upon being elected, I will give the United States Congress 100 days to get their act together and have the courage to pass gun safety laws. And if they fail to do it, then I will take executive action. And specifically what I'll do is put in place a requirement that for anyone who sells more than five guns a year, they are required to do background checks when they sell those guns," Harris said.
"I will require that for any gun dealer that breaks, the ATF, take their license. And, by the way, ATF – alcohol, tobacco and firearms – they've been doing a lot of the 'A' and the 'T' but not much of the 'F.' And we need to fix that," Harris explained. "On the third piece, because none of us have been sleeping over the last few years, part of what has happened under the current administration, is they took fugitives off the list of prohibited people. I'd put them back on the list, meaning fugitives of justice should not be able to purchase a handgun or any kind of weapon. So that's what I'd do."
"Would this be your first executive action as president?" CNN host Don Lemon asked.
"Well, it depends on what else happens. That's after 100 days. Let's see what happens in the first 100 days," Harris replied.
On her website, she talks about her plan:
• Mandate near-universal background checks by requiring anyone who sells five or more guns per year to run a background check on all gun sales.
• Revoke the licenses of gun manufacturers and dealers that break the law and take the most egregious offenders to court—regardless of whether they’re protected by the Protection of Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).
• Reverse President Trump’s dangerous change to the definition of “fugitive from justice,” which has allowed thousands of fugitives with outstanding arrest warrants to buy guns.
• Close the “boyfriend loophole” to prevent dating partners convicted of domestic violence from purchasing guns.
Remember: Harris is suddenly a gun owner, something she hasn't said before but recently said when she was in Iowa. Talk about political pandering.
It's interesting to note that Harris is completely wrong about what she's said firearms transactions.
Universal background checks:
1) Universal background checks won't make us any safer. Right now, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is not complete. 38 states provide 80 percent of their convictions, meaning not all criminals are in the system.
2) How many criminals really try to purchase a firearm a gun store? Very, very few. Even the Department of Justice recently confirmed that notion.
3) Gun controllers are quick to turn private party transfers (PPTs) into something that needs a background check. Does your dad want to hand down your grandfather's rifle to you? You'd have to have a background check for that. Want to go hunting with a buddy and need to borrow their gun? You'd need a background check for that.
Prosecuting Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs):
1) FFLs are some of the most responsible, Second Amendment-loving people out there. They don't want guns in the hands of criminals more than anyone else does. By law, every single person has to go through a background check when they buy a firearm from a gun store. If someone "slips through the cracks" and green lighted through NICS and a firearm is sold, that's not the FFL's fault. It's the government's failure. Why should they be prosecuted when they're following the law to the best of their ability?
2) The so-called "boyfriend loophole" is a part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which would strip people of their gun rights if they're suspected of being a stalker or violent person. It's broad and there's room for abuse. A woman could claim she fears for her life and her boyfriend (or ex) could have his firearms taken away based on that, even if she's not actually afraid for her life.
This "false choice" Kamala is talking about is in her head. Anti-gunners want to continue to legislate things that are already on the books when the issue isn't a matter of laws. It's a matter of enforcement.
Harris may have been a prosecutor and California's Attorney General but she sure as hell knows nothing about federal gun laws.
Sen. Kamala Harris says if she is elected President, she will give Congress 100 days to pass reasonable gun safety laws, and if they fail, she will take broad executive action. #HarrisTownhall https://t.co/XKUC6LgoTN pic.twitter.com/RqwaiVxvYQ
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) April 23, 2019