This week, we broke a major story about Kamala Harris’s record on gun control. As San Francisco District Attorney, she was one of a few city officials to support a total ban on handguns for nearly all residents.
As I explain in a members’ piece, that support raises all sorts of questions. About her own handgun ownership. About her change of mind on confiscation. About how all of that will impact the election.
In her first public comments on guns since the news broke, she sidestepped all those questions.
Of course, if gun-rights advocates want to impact the election with this story, they are going to face an uphill battle because they are being significantly outraised by their opponents. Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman also examines polling that shows they may have an uphill battle with multiple demographics, too.
Plus, Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms and I discuss the state of the race on the podcast. The Dispatch is back offering free trials to all Reload subscribers. And don’t forget all the links to other gun stories at the bottom of the email!
Kamala Harris Backed San Francisco Handgun Confiscation Measure
By Stephen Gutowski
Vice President Kamala Harris supported a 2005 ballot measure that banned San Francisco residents from possessing pistols.
The Democratic presidential nominee backed Proposition H in her role as the city’s District Attorney at the time. The measure banned San Francisco residents from buying, selling, or even possessing handguns. With exceptions included for active-duty law enforcement, military, and licensed security guards, 58 percent voted in favor of the measure. But it faced immediate legal scrutiny from the National Rifle Association (NRA), California Rifle and Pistol Assocaition (CRPA), and other gun-rights groups.
“San Francisco was a leader in proposing gun restrictions at the local level, and she never met a gun control law she didn’t like,” Chuck Michel, who represented the NRA and CRPA in its fight against the city, told The Reload. “Prop H was the crowning jewel.”
Harris Sidesteps History of Backing Handgun Ban at White House Gun-Control Event
By Stephen Gutowski
Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris didn’t address her past support for a total ban on handguns in San Francisco during Thursday’s gun event at the White House.
Harris, who backed 2005’s Proposition H banning the sale and possession of pistols for nearly all city residents, has since said she will not take Americans’ guns away if elected president. However, she has yet to explain why she supported the San Francisco’s ban when she was District Attorney or why she changed her mind. Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ducked the same questions during her daily press briefing. Without directly addressing the handgun confiscation measure, Harris said during Thursday’s event she supports the Second Amendment and doesn’t want to take people’s firearms–reiterating her 2024 gun policy agenda.
“It is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” Harris said. “I am in favor of the Second Amendment, and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban and pass universal background checks, safe storage laws, and red flag laws.”
Analysis: Harris’s Previous Support for Handgun Confiscation Raises Questions, Could Sway Election [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
Kamala Harris backed a total ban on handguns early in her career, which complicates her campaign’s message on guns and maybe even the trajectory of the race.
On Tuesday, we reported that Harris supported Proposition H in 2005 as San Francisco’s District Attorney. The measure would have barred nearly all city residents from selling, buying, or possessing pistols had it not been struck down by multiple California courts. Her support for it opens up a slew of yet-to-be-answered questions for the candidate and the presidential race.
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Gun-Control Groups Dwarf Opponents in August Political Fundraising
By Jake Fogleman
As the 2024 election draws nearer, the chasm in political fundraising between the rival sides of the gun debate has only grown wider.
The Political Action Committees (PACs) for Everytown, Giffords, and Brady collectively brought in just under $6 million in August, according to updated Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings posted last week. By comparison, the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund raised just over $376,000 for the month. Collectively, all of the gun-rights PACs that posted monthly FEC updates took in just over $420,000.
August’s fundraising totals mark the single largest monthly disparity in fundraising hauls between the gun-rights and gun-control groups in the 2024 election season. While the gun-control groups have consistently outraised the NRA and its allies so far this year, the monthly gap has not previously been several million dollars. It’s a trend that bodes well for candidates backing gun control and poorly for gun-rights advocates looking to ramp up their political activity in the home stretch of the election, when the capacity to spend on advertising and voter outreach is most vital.
Podcast: Has the 2024 Gun Debate Already Ended? (Ft. Cam Edwards)
By Stephen Gutowski
This week, we’re turning our attention to the presidential race.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris seem to have found their message on guns and are sticking to it. Assassination attempts, a major school shooting, and the race tightening haven’t moved voters. Neither has any of that moved the candidates themselves.
So, we’ve got Bearing Arms editor Cam Edwards back on the show to look at where everything has landed. He agreed there’s little reason to think the campaigns are going to change course on message or intensity at this point. But he argued both sides are taking a flawed approach.
You can listen to the show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. Video of the episode is available on our YouTube channel.
Plus, Contributing writer Jake Fogleman and I talk about new polling data showing voters trust Kamala Harris more on the issue of “gun violence” despite ranking the issue low on their list of priorities this election. We also talk about the political implications of young women moving way to the left on the issue of guns. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion of a new federal bill to force the US Military to initiate state red flag orders, the lack of gun policy ballot measures this November, and a new state-level legislative coalition launched by the national gun control groups.
Analysis: Do Gun-Rights Advocates Have a Gender Problem or Something Worse? [Member Exclusive]
By Jake Fogleman
Newly published research suggests young women have moved substantially to the left over the last two decades, driven in no small part by their increasing dissatisfaction with America’s gun laws. While those findings alone should trouble gun-rights advocates, the numbers point to trouble beyond a single demographic.
Last week, Gallup published a study of more than 20 years of polling data that backs up the popular wisdom that young women are indeed moving left at a rapid clip. From 2001-2007, Gallup found an average of 28 percent of women aged 18-29 identified as liberal, just three percentage points higher than young men. By 2017-2024, the most recent period surveyed, Gallup found an average of 40 percent of young women identified as liberal, a full 15 points higher than men of the same age.
Gun policy has driven a lot of that shift. Since the years of the Obama presidency, young women have become three percent more likely to say that handguns should be banned, 16 points more likely to say gun laws should be stricter, and 21 percent more likely to say that they are “very dissatisfied” with the nation’s gun laws. That’s the biggest single shift in dissatisfaction registered among any issue tracked across all sexes and age groups.
If you’re a Reload Member, click here to read more. If not, buy a membership today for exclusive access to this piece and hundreds of others!
Outside The Reload
Murder Fell At The Fastest Pace Ever Recorded In 2023 | Jeff-alytics | By Jeff Asher
Harris adviser says quip on shooting intruder was ‘a joke’ | The Hill | By Ashleigh Fields
California governor signs bills to bolster gun control | AP News
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
