Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a 2020 contender, told reporters on Thursday she owns a gun. “I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do—for personal safety,” she said, according to CNN. “I was a career prosecutor.” A campaign aide told the network that Harris owns a handgun, which she purchased years ago and she keeps locked away. Harris went onto say there could be a middle ground struck between gun access and gun safety. “We are being offered a false choice... You’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” she said. “It’s a false choice that is born out of a lack of courage from leaders who must recognize and agree that there are some practical solutions to what is a clear problem in our country.” Harris reportedly made the disclosure to reporters shortly after meeting with supporters in Iowa, including members of a grassroots movement for gun control. “Part of the practical solution is to agree that we need smart gun safety laws,” Harris told the press. “Period.”
