Biden rolls out firearms measures; Harris pushes back on Trump claims that she will confiscate guns

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris joined President Joe Biden on Thursday to roll out measures aimed at exploring ways to crack down on illegal firearm technologies, using the event to push back on Republican messaging that she will confiscate guns from legal owners if elected.

“We know how to stop these tragedies, and 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 at the White House about mass shootings in the United States. “I am in favor of the Second Amendment — and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban.”

Her opponent, former President Donald Trump, said during their debate earlier this month that Harris “wants to confiscate your guns.”

“Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away,” Harris responded at their televised showdown, referring to the Minnesota governor, her running mate.

Biden also jabbed at Trump, referring to the Republican presidential nominee’s comments earlier this year after a school shooting in Iowa, where he called the incident “horrible” but added we “have to get over it, we have to move forward.”

“Who the hell do these people think they are?” Biden added.

Biden announced that the administration is forming a task force to assess the threat posed by machine-gun conversion devices and 3D-printed firearms that don’t have serial numbers. Conversion devices, prohibited under U.S. law, can give ordinary firearms the power of fully automatic weapons.

Moreover, 3D-printed guns are often difficult to trace, and some can go undetected by magnetometers. Not all homemade firearms are unlawful, however.

Members of the task force will scour federal laws and regulations to see if they can find new methods of detecting or seizing so-called ghost guns or illegal conversion devices. Their report will be due in 90 days. The order also directs departments to publish new guidance for schools to conduct active shooter drills effectively while avoiding trauma to students.

The latest actions could help Democrats enhance turnout among young voters and people of color — who are disproportionately affected by gun violence — in Harris’ race against Trump.

Concerns about gun safety have escalated in the wake of two assassination attempts against Trump by gunmen. In both scenarios, the gunmen wielded semi-automatic rifles, which are considered assault weapons.

Harris has taken up the mantle of calling for an assault-weapons ban and universal background checks since she replaced Biden atop the Democratic ticket. The vice president leads the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which marked its one-year anniversary this week.

Gun Safety

Biden has undertaken steps to advance gun safety, including signing the first major gun-safety law in three decades and through executive orders. In a memo, communications director Ben LaBolt referred to the latest actions as Biden continuing “to get as much done as possible” before the end of his term, a period the White House hopes will shape his legacy.

In 2023, murder and non-negligent manslaughter declined nationally by 11.6%, while the violent crime rate decreased by 3% from the year before, FBI data show. Biden, in a Monday statement, took credit for the drops, saying “none of this happened by accident.”

“President Trump believes that every American has a God-given right to protect themselves and their family and has proven through his actions that he will defend law-abiding gun owners,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement ahead of Thursday’s White House event.

Trump has expressed conflicting views on gun rights and safety. As president, he supported tougher rules for firearms purchasers before distancing himself from that stance. He also proposed raising the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, but later dropped that suggestion.

His administration also imposed a ban on bump stocks, which rattled gun-rights supporters. But gun-rights groups have praised him for nominating conservative judges to the Supreme Court more inclined to defend the constitutional right to bear arms.

Lindsay Nichols, a policy director at the advocacy group Giffords who attended Thursday’s event, said gun violence “skyrocketed” under the Trump administration, when gun homicides increased nearly 35% between 2019 to 2020, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

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(With assistance from Stephanie Lai. Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News’ parent Bloomberg LP, helped found and is a current supporter of Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for gun-safety measures.)