Vice President Kamala Harris held two events in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday (Apr. 15), a moderated conversation about the impact of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and a reproductive freedoms organizing event to promote a Nevada ballot initiative to secure abortion access in the state. The rally also served as a signature gathering event, to put the initiative on the ballot in the November general election. From her base in Los Angeles, California, VP Harris also made a surprise visit to the L.A. Sentinel Women's Luncheon, Saturday (Apr. 13) and a campaign event, Tuesday (Apr. 16).
While today’s headline is a quote from VP Harris’ conversation about gun safety, it can also refer to so many other issues that are on the ballot this November: reproductive rights, voting rights, LBGTQ rights, children’s rights, the right for children to learn all of our nation’s history, the right to public schools, freedom from discrimination and more, where Republicans are busy enacting laws to restrict/deny our freedoms. Republicans are hellbent on bringing us back to 1864. It doesn’t have to be this way.
From VP Harris’ surprise visit to the L.A. Sentinel Women’s Luncheon (Apr. 13):
I was in Arizona yesterday. And, I mean, I’m telling you, these folks are trying to bring back laws from the 1800’s.
From the moderated discussion about the impact of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (Apr.15) — moderators - Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action and actress, Xochitl Gomez.
So, you know, I actually just met, before I came on stage, with three students who survived the December shooting at UNLV . And they’re so courageous, these young leaders. And their stories, sadly, are the stories of so many young people in our country and the stories that I heard continuously during the college tour.
And their stories reflect the very tragic fact, which is that in America today, the number-one cause of death of the children of America is gun violence — not car accidents, not some form of cancer. Gun violence.
Today in America, one in five people has a family member that was killed by gun violence.
And, you know, it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way.
And let me just be clear: Part of what I think has bogged this situation down and has not allowed for the kind of smart policy that we know can happen is because people, some, are pushing a false choice which suggests you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s’ guns away. I’m in favor of the Second Amendment, and I believe we need assault weapon bans.
We need background checks — universal background checks. We need red-flag laws.
But, you know — and then we — one of the things that I announced last week that we’re very proud to do — President Joe Biden, me, and our administration — is to close the gun show loophole.
So, I was taking with my team about it, and I said, “You know, I’ve been working on this for a long time.” Back in 2007, when I was elected DA of San Francisco, I was out at the place called the Cow Palace in San Francisco protesting the gun show loopholes.
Here’s the clip from the Cow Palace in 2007 (thanks to David Darmofal for posting it on Twitter):
Here’s the full video of VP Harris’ moderated conversation on the impact of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act:
From Vice President Harris’ reproductive freedoms organizing event (Apr. 15):
Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America. When we talk about the promise of America, foundationally, we believe in freedom. We know that the strength of our nation has been the function of many things, including our commitment to the expansion of rights.
But for the first time in a very long time, we are seeing a full-on intent to restrict rights, to take rights.
So, we are here to say that we’re not going to stand for this. It is not okay, and we are prepared to organize and to take to the streets and to knock on doors and to text folks and to let everyone know their power at this moment to protect the rights of the people of our country.
And so, I wanted to stop by here to thank, in particular, the organizers and volunteers who are doing this work in preparation for the ballot initiative coming up in November here in Nevada. (Applause.)
And, look, they’re holding up their clipboards. Exactly. (Laughs.) (Applause.)
Thursday (Apr. 18), ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, Vice President Harris met with Heather Martin, a Colorado teacher, Columbine survivor and founder of The Rebels Project, an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of mass tragedies.
Reminder: VP Kamala Harris Roundup is a weekly series, published on Tuesdays at 8 AM ET. For daily updates, see my MVP Kamala Harris comments in the Abbreviated Pundit Roundup.
Vote and GOTV! “When we fight, we win!” — VP Kamala Harris