In her first campaign address following President Joe Biden’s (D) decision to exit the 2024 race, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) emphasized her support for new gun bans and restrictions on law-abiding citizens. Harris said, “[W]e will work to pass universal background checks, red-flag laws and an assault-weapons ban.” She is also opposed to constitutional-carry laws, national reciprocity legislation to allow lawfully armed citizens to carry their freedom with them and gun ownership in general.
Indeed, the official 2024 platform of the Democratic National Committee lists, among many other policy goals: “Democrats will establish universal background checks … . We will once again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. We will require safe storage for guns. Democrats will end the gun industry’s immunity from liability … . We will pass a national red flag law … .”
For many women across the country, blaming law-abiding armed citizens for the actions of criminals is the absolute antithesis of empowering women.
“Let’s face it, without a gun, most women would never be able to defend themselves when up against a man who wishes to harm them. We just don’t have the physical strength,” said Erinn O’Donnell, a 57-year-old from Pennsylvania, who purchased her first firearm in 2012 when she was a single mother living in an apartment above her business. “I felt vulnerable, and I wanted to protect myself. I did not want to be a sitting duck.”
From O’Donnell’s point of view, the notion of disarming good, law-abiding citizens only makes women more susceptible to becoming victims.
“Criminals will always have guns,” she said. “How does taking guns away from good people help?”
Nevertheless, Harris has long advocated for ripping the Second Amendment out of the hands of law-abiding women. Harris has used her role overseeing the Biden-created “White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention” to push for more gun bans and restrictions. This White House office is staffed with activists from gun-control groups, such as Everytown for Gun Safety’s Federal Legal Director, Rob Wilcox. In addition, Harris announced the creation of a national center to enhance extreme-risk protection order laws, and a goal of restricting gun exports and enhancing background checks for buyers under 21.
During her 2020 presidential bid, Harris managed to run to the Left of even Joe Biden on gun issues; she advocated for mandatory “buybacks” (confiscations) of so-called “assault weapons” and said she would use executive power to force new Second Amendment restrictions on the American people. She even went so far as to threaten to exercise her “constitutional authority” to “eliminate assault weapons.”
That is only the first taste of Harris’ gun-control agenda. And while Harris is afforded the 24/7 protection of armed U.S. Secret Service agents, it seems she has forgotten that the rest of America doesn’t have this luxury. Though Harris describes herself as a champion of women’s rights, she would take the most-basic right from law-abiding women and then leave them helpless until the police are able to respond to their calls to save them. That is the exact opposite of women empowerment.
“It is important for all of us to be able to defend ourselves. Each of us needs to have access to the most-effective tools to do so. It is critical and fundamental, and not just for women. That said, a firearm helps provide equality and more inclusivity in the face of diverse size, strength and motives,” said Il Ling New, a Gunsite Academy trainer from Idaho. “To deny or in any way infringe upon the right to bear arms is particularly discriminatory against women.”
Moreover, it is not lost on gun owners that, back in 2020, Harris promoted the controversial Minnesota Freedom Fund, which raised money to help post bail to release people facing criminal charges; including violent offenses. So, while she seems to support violent criminals, Harris is ready to go above and beyond to strip rights from law-adhering individuals who simply want to protect themselves and their families in these very same communities.
“It’s always concerning when any politician expresses a desire to trample on the inalienable rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms,” said Ann Smith, editor in chief of NRA Women (NRAWomen.com). “The irony is not lost that there is a presidential candidate—a woman who purports to be a champion for the rights of women in other areas of her life—but would dare tell them they cannot protect themselves or their families with a firearm.”
While Smith didn’t grow up in a gun-owning household, she married into one at 25, underwent firearms training and never looked back.
“Historically, women have played an important role in defending their families and even feeding them (through hunting), but many women have often relied on the male members of their family to protect them in times of danger,” she said. “Today, more women are living alone, whether they are unmarried, divorced or separated due to their husbands being away for the military or other reasons. Who will protect her and her children when she hears window glass breaking in the middle of the night? If she is so inclined, she should become trained and ready to defend herself at home and while she’s out and about during the day.”
Indeed, what Harris is failing to grasp is that her anti-freedom stance runs afoul of the national trend. In 2020, at the height of the global pandemic and as riots engulfed many communities, Harris proclaimed that the uptick in gun sales was little more than a “façade.” Since then, more than 22.3 million Americans have joined the ranks as first-time gun owners, with women being the fastest-growing group of purchasers.
While men continue to be more likely to own guns, the percentage of women gun owners has surged from 13% in 2005 to 21% in 2022. A Harvard School of Public Health study confirmed this trend, revealing a 14% increase in female gun ownership over five years and surmising that 50% of all gun buyers between 2019 and 2021 were women.
“I purchased my first firearm at 53 years old, two years ago, when I began to feel increasingly vulnerable in the world. I guess it was a combination of feeling less physically able to defend myself and the rise in violent crimes in both my area and in the nation. I just decided I would do everything possible to minimize my risk of becoming a victim,” said Dana Cerbone, a New Jersey resident. “Self-protection is critically important for women today. More than ever, women must be proactive. They need to learn to be prepared and to develop situational awareness. Firearms are an additional tool women can use to protect themselves and their families.”
Cerbone stressed what many on the Left fail to understand: that gun-control legislation often only impacts law-abiding citizens, not criminals.
“Politics should focus more on dealing with criminals—from the societal issues that are the root cause, to the failing penal system—than on hindering everyday citizens who want to protect themselves or even just enjoy shooting sports,” said Cerbone. “I have found people in the gun community to be very safety conscious and incredibly supportive of those seeking to learn. It’s not the gun community out there committing crimes with firearms. Quite the opposite; the gun community is the good guys.”
And Kathlynn Joel-Reich, a 72-year-old from Texas, knows firsthand what it is like to be rendered defenseless in the face of a crime. In 2014, she survived a violent home invasion, which sent her on the path of doing whatever it takes to protect herself and her family should such a horrifying scenario happen again.
“The average response time for first responders for a level-one emergency can be between 6 to 10 minutes,” said Joel-Reich. “In violent encounters, a firearm often becomes an equalizer, especially for women or for the elderly.”
Given her experience, she lamented her concern for “Harris’ stand on gun control, which would ultimately disempower many women and responsible gun owners.”
On that note, women cite “protection” and “self-defense” as the primary reasons for owning a gun.
“We are perceived so often as a target, possibly because we have so much on our plates that keep us distracted; we also often have children with us, so protection of others becomes our primary concern,” said Jamie Green, who lives in Arkansas. “Harris’ stance is absolutely disempowering.”
Candace Harrell, a Texas resident who bought her first firearm 14 years ago for “personal protection,” also expressed concern about Harris’ gun-control agenda.
“Men are stronger and normally taller than us. Women are usually alone, with children or might be a senior citizen, so they need to be able to protect themselves from harm,” she said. “I feel more confident because I have learned how to keep my family safe, at home or while traveling. As a woman firearm owner, I feel empowered and do not have to depend on a man for safety.”
The Harris campaign talks a lot about freedom, but Harris’ policies would take this freedom from law-abiding citizens. This should impact some of the “women’s vote” across the country on November 5.
“First and foremost, the Second Amendment is unique in that it helps people, especially vulnerable ones, to obtain firearms to protect their lives. Criminals will often attack those who they deem to be easy prey, such as women, children and the elderly,” said Gabby Franco, a Virginia resident who once represented Venezuela as a member of its shooting team in the Olympics. “Thus, becoming a responsible gun owner who is ready to defend themselves and their loved ones is perhaps one of the best decisions one can make. Most things are replaceable, but your life is not.”
Franco also acknowledged that the push for gun control can never be taken lightly and she conveyed concerns over Harris’ posture, as she noted that she saw the same thing occur in Venezuela. “If there is something that makes us female gun owners different, it is that we choose to empower ourselves by taking ownership of our safety,” she said. “We see beyond what the politicians want us to believe; for example, that women should not own firearms. We will continue to be the driving force to help preserve our Second Amendment rights.”
