Since entering the race, Harris has advocated for universal background checks on all firearm sales and the reinstatement of a national assault weapons ban, though both measures would likely struggle in a divided Congress.
Speaking before the president on Thursday evening, the vice president began by thanking the gun violence activists in attendance for “all that you do to sacrifice your time and your hearts to give what you give to so many,” including President Biden.
“I believe the right to be safe is a civil right, and that the people of America have a right then, to live, work, worship, and learn without fear of violence,” Harris said. “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 promised to “continue to fight to end the epidemic of gun violence and to keep our communities and our children safe.”
Soon after, Biden took the stage to a standing ovation and chants of “Thank you, Joe!” from the crowd.
“Thank you for the courage to be here. I know the intensity of your feelings, but thank you because it really does require reliving the moment it occurred,” Biden told the audience.
He then tied gun violence reform directly to efforts to reduce crime nationwide, pointing to recent data showing a decrease in violent crime, which he claimed makes it “clear” that “if you’re going to talk about reducing crime and violence in America, you need to talk about guns in America.”
Biden also criticized Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), a key ally of former President Trump, for calling school shootings “facts of life.”
“Who the hell do these people think they are?” Biden asked passionately.
“We need your help in fighting and standing up to the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, and the politicians who oppose common-sense gun legislation, because whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, we all want our families to be safe,” Biden concluded.
According to the Biden administration, the executive order aims to crack down on 3D-printed components that can convert handguns into automatic weapons and on 3D-printed firearms in general. The order also seeks to improve the experience of active shooter drills for students across the country.
Biden mentioned that a 3D-printed converter was used in a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama over the weekend.
He announced the creation of the “Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force,” which has a 90-day deadline to submit a report assessing the threat posed by machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed firearms, as well as federal law enforcement’s capacity to detect such threats.
On the school safety front, Biden directed the Departments of Education and Homeland Security to develop and publish, within 110 days, new resources and materials to help K-12 schools explain and implement active shooter drills.
Addressing gun violence has been one of the few bipartisan achievements during Biden’s presidency. In 2022, he signed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, though the legislation lacked many of the gun reform proposals Biden had initially put forward, including a renewed ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines from 1994.
Thursday’s announcement was intentionally linked to Biden’s creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was established by the Safer Communities Act and is currently overseen by Harris.
The Biden administration has also taken credit for recent declines in domestic homicides and other gun-related crimes. Officials noted Thursday morning that “data from the Gun Violence Archive indicates that the number of mass shootings so far this year is 20% lower than it was at this time last year.”
Harris has previously drawn attention by discussing her own gun ownership during her campaign, including at a September debate with Trump, to demonstrate that promoting “common sense” gun reforms does not equate to infringing on the Second Amendment.
“This business about taking everyone’s guns away—Tim Walz and I are both gun owners,” she stated during ABC’s debate on Sept. 10. “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away.”
However, Harris has faced questions about how her current stance aligns with past endorsements of mandatory gun buyback programs.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied any inconsistency in Harris’s views throughout her political career.
“When it comes to the VP and owning a gun, she can speak for herself. The campaign can speak for that. Her office can speak for that. I’m not — that’s for them to speak to,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “There’s no conflict here.”
“At the end of the day, gun violence is an epidemic in our country. Think about our schools, our grocery stores—it’s an epidemic,” Jean-Pierre added. “That should be the focus. How do we make sure that we end this epidemic? We want to see responsible gun ownership.”
You can watch Biden and Harris’s full remarks below:
