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Teen Vogue: Kamala Harris Has a Gun in Her Home—But Guns Don’t Make Us Safer

A 17-year-old questions Vice President Kamala Harris’s gun ownership while gun violence is the number-one killer of children and teens in the US.

By Lillian Lee-Sin

October 21, 2024

At a campaign event in Michigan Vice President Kamala Harris told supporters, “If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot.” In the weeks since, she’s talked more about her gun ownership. Her campaign amplified the message, turning a quote about her Glock into a trending sound on TikTok.

The vice president is one of many Americans who own a gun for self-defense. According to Pew, 7 in 10 gun owners in America cite “protection” as the main reason they own a gun. But the idea that guns make us safer is a myth.

Decades of research make it clear that carrying and owning guns increases a person’s risk of death and injury. At the household level, the risk of suicide dramatically increases for both children and adults in gun-owning homes. Having a gun at home also doubles a person’s risk of dying by homicide. Communities with more guns have more gun violence, not less.

Read more: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kamala-harris-has-a-gun-in-her-home-but-guns-dont-make-us-safer

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