Kamala Harris once suggested it "would be great" to ban all gun ownership but said such a policy was unlikely and a "long way off" due to constitutional obstacles, according to a previously unreported audio recording.
Harris, who was serving as district attorney of San Francisco at the time, spoke at a 2006 event hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California, where the moderator asked whether gun ownership should be banned.
"Is there any justification for anyone to carry a gun, except for law enforcement? And why not ban them completely in the city?" asked moderator Mary Cranston.
"Yeah, and it would be great to end world hunger and a couple of other things, too," said Harris. "Are we going to really be able to get rid of people owning and possessing guns? I don't know."
Harris—who now says on the campaign trail that she owns a gun for self-protection—didn’t offer a justification for personal gun ownership in the recording. She said a total gun ban was unlikely in the short term because "the Constitution of the United States says that we do have a right to legally possess firearms." She also didn’t rule out a ban in the future.
"I don't think we're anywhere close to that, right now," said Harris. "I would not put all my effort into that being the solution, because I think it’s a long way off."
Harris’s comments conflict with her recent efforts to portray herself as an ardent gun supporter. She has said on the campaign trail that she owns a handgun for self-defense and said she has no interest in "taking anybody’s guns away." Harris’s spokeswoman said the Democratic candidate "staunchly supports the Second Amendment."
But Second Amendment advocates have raised questions about the sincerity of Harris’s recent comments, noting that she has a history of supporting strict firearms restrictions.
The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action called Harris the "most anti-gun candidate who has ever been as close as she is to becoming president" and said she has been "less than forthcoming on her specific views on firearms and the Second Amendment."
In 2005, Harris reportedly backed a San Francisco ballot measure that would ban all civilian handguns in the city, according to The Reload. That measure was defeated after legal challenges from Second Amendment groups. She also signed an amicus brief in 2008 that argued Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban was constitutional.
In 2007, Harris warned that San Francisco authorities would carry out safety checks at the homes of legal gun owners.
"Just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home doesn't mean that we're not going to walk into that home and check to see if you're being responsible and safe in the way you conduct your affairs," said Harris during a press conference.
While running in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020, Harris said she would institute a mandatory buyback of AR-15s if elected. She now says she would not push for a buyback, although her campaign said she still supports an "assault weapons ban."