Milwaukee City Wire

Vice President Kamala Harris said under her administration she will "finally pass" a ban on guns among other gun restriction laws. 

"We, who believe that every person should have the freedom to live safe from the terror of gun violence, will finally pass red flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban," Harris said in a speech at a rally in West Allis, Wisconsin. 

In September 2023, President Biden appointed Harris to head the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. As head of that office, Harris advocated for enactment of universal background checks legislation and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Goals for the office also included increasing requirements for gun storage and lost firearms reporting, and increased accountability for the firearms industry using liability laws. 

Harris' stop in West Alis was her first major campaign appearance since being moved up as the Democrat nominee in the upcoming presidential election after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, endorsing Harris in a post made to his X account. 

She arrived in the Milwaukee area shortly after the close of the Republican National Convention, where former President Donald Trump named Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate. In her speech at the rally, she emphasized her political focuses, including abortion, gun control, and worker unions, pitching herself against Trump and his campaign policies. 

Kamala Harris was elected as Vice President of the United States in the 2020 presidential elections, becoming the first woman to hold the office. Previously, she was Biden's running mate in the campaign. Before being elected as Vice President, Harris served as the District Attorney of San Francisco, the Attorney General of California, and as a U.S. Senator from California.