Kamala Harris says anyone who breaks into her house ‘will be shot’

Vice President Kamala Harris defended her gun ownership in a conversation with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday evening, saying she would use a firearm to protect her home.

Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, appeared at an event called Unite for America in Michigan, where she spoke with Winfrey about a range of policy issues, including immigration, access to reproductive health care and her support for common sense reform. In a candid moment, Winfrey asked Harris about her comments during last week’s debate against Donald Trump when she confirmed she is a gun owner.

“I am a gun owner; Tim Walz is a gun owner,” Harris said.

“I didn’t know that,” Winfrey replied.

“If anyone breaks into my house, he’s going to be shot,” Harris added. “I probably shouldn’t have said that. But my staff will handle that later.”

Her comments came after a segment about families affected by gun violence and school shootings. The vice president said she could be both a gun owner who supports the Second Amendment and a politician calling for gun law reform.

“Look, I think for too long some people have made a very false choice on the issue of gun violence by suggesting that you’re either for the Second Amendment or you want to take away everyone’s guns,” Harris said. “I support the Second Amendment, and I support assault weapons bans, universal background checks, and gun laws. And this is just common sense.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to questions about the vice president’s comments or how long she has been a gun owner. Reuters noted she said she was an experienced shooter during an interview with Politico in 2015. She added at the time she had shot a gun “many times.”

She too told reporters in 2019 that she owned a gun.

“I own a gun probably for the reason that many people do: for personal safety,” she said at the time. “I was a career prosecutor.”

You can watch Harris’ full comments about her gun ownership here: