Vice President Kamala Harris wants every American's vote, but she knows there are some that she just won't be getting, such as those from die-hard gun rights supporters.
However, a lot of people became gun owners between 2020 and today, and most of them haven't dealt all that much with gun control advocates trying to strip away their Second Amendment rights. Make no mistake, Harris is courting their votes. And to do so, she's saying she won't confiscate anyone's guns. Don't believe her.
Kamala Harris has been famously going on about how she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners. They won't take your guns away. You can trust them because they're gun owners, too.
But the thing is, Kamala Harris has a history.
For one, as district attorney of San Francisco, she supported a ban on handgun ownership within the city.
This law never came to fruition, but not because of a bolt of sanity on Harris' part nor any of the community leaders in San Francisco. Instead, the courts shot it down because it was an utter and complete infringement on the Second Amendment rights of the people of San Francisco.
Then Harris decided in 2020 that you shouldn't be allowed to have so-called "assault weapons."
In fact, during her presidential campaign, she not only supported an "assault weapons" ban, which most of her primary opponents supported as well, but she wanted a mandatory buyback on all AR-15s and similar firearms. You couldn't possess them even if you bought them lawfully.
That's two different gun bans she's supported over her time in public office.
Right now, she's saying she doesn't want to take anyone's guns away. She still supports an "assault weapon" ban, of course, but I guess she figures those of us who bought them before the ban can be permitted to keep them, at least for the time being.
Yet, the question has to be, "For how long?"
This is someone who has, once again, supported bans on two different categories of firearms during her time in public life. She's targeted two of the most popular categories of firearms, too. She may not support a ban, buyback, or anything else, but can you believe her position will hold through four to eight years of a Harris presidency?
Really?
The truth is I don't. In fact, I don't believe her right here and now. My take is that she's saying what she thinks needs to be said to be elected, then once she's in office, she'll do everything she can to eviscerate our Second Amendment rights into nothingness.
But I'm a cynical sort when it comes to Democrats and their protestations of being a believer in the Second Amendment. After all, it's usually phrased like, "I support the Second Amendment but..." Unless that "but..." is followed with "I wish the Founding Fathers hadn't mentioned the militia. That just muddies the waters for anti-gunners," or something similar then you're not a supporter of the Second Amendment.
So, because I'm cynical, you might want to take what I said with a grain of salt.
Yet, think about it for a moment. Harris has a history. Nothing in that history suggests a "come to Jesus" moment on guns. Quite the contrary.
If you want to believe her, go ahead. It's your funeral.
And mine.
And everyone else's.
