# Kamala owns a gun "for personal safety" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 12, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465 "2019-04-12T22:54:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/201 "2019-04-14T21:57:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Here’s the exchange: You’re leaving out the part of the exchange where I specified exactly what you were failing to show. Furthermore, even if I’m the worst person in the world, that does nothing to explain your refusal to provide a cite for the exact same assertion to all the other people asking nicely for it. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/202 "2019-04-14T21:58:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Here’s the exchange: > \*\*Lance Turbo \*\* > _Show. Don’t tell._ > > My response: > What do you want me to show? That ballot propositions in CA have to be cleared for legality before they are put on the ballot? Or that she was DA at that time? Either one is liek asking for proof that the sun rises in the morning I can find a cite that the sun rises in the morning. But I have the sneaky suspicion that you can’t find one for your assertion because a normal person would have done so by now. Here: > **[Sunrise](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise)** > > Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. > Although the Sun appears to "rise" from the horizon, it is actually the Earth's motion that causes the Sun to appear. The illusion of a moving Sun results from Earth observers being in a rotating reference frame; this apparent motion caused many cultures to have mythologies and religions built around the geocen... Your turn. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/203 "2019-04-14T22:08:50Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I’m not in the “you guys” group. The lynchpin of your argument is that Kamala signed off on a obviously illegal law. You have not even attempted to corroborate that assertion. Yet you have all the time in the world to engage in content free bickering with Lance. If you look back you’ll see that I certainly haven’t been opposed to your position throughout this thread but I’m coming to the conclusion that you are either full of shit or believing someone else who was full of shit. I appreciate that, but I wont give them the satisfaction. Lance will continue to play silly cite demands, etc. Lance and Bear disqualified themselves from getting any serious replies or cites. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/204 "2019-04-14T22:10:26Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > You’re leaving out the part of the exchange where I specified exactly what you were failing to show. > > Furthermore, even if I’m the worst person in the world, that does nothing to explain your refusal to provide a cite for the exact same assertion to all the other people asking nicely for it. \*Show, dont tell. \* So, just come up with that full list of “credible death threats starting with 1990”. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/205 "2019-04-14T22:10:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I appreciate that, but I wont give them the satisfaction. Lance will continue to play silly cite demands, etc. Lance and Bear disqualified themselves from getting any serious replies or cites. However will this thread continue if **DrDeth** takes his ball and goes home? Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/206 "2019-04-14T22:13:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > \*Show, dont tell. \* > > So, just come up with that full list of “credible death threats starting with 1990”. A quick Google search shows at least one death threat which led to arrest against Senator Harris in the last year. It’s pretty obvious that there are more death threats, but I don’t feel like doing a ton of Googling on “Kamala Harris death threat” so I’ll withdraw the claim. Your turn. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/207 "2019-04-14T22:16:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I appreciate that, but I wont give them the satisfaction. Lance will continue to play silly cite demands, etc. Lance and Bear disqualified themselves from getting any serious replies or cites. Look, man, I am saying I went looking on your behalf. Your contention sounded reasonable and quite likely to be true. But that pdf I linked earlier that explains how to get something on the ballot in San Francisco? I went through the whole thing. There is no mention of the DA having to sign off on its legality. At this point, I have to assume you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/208 "2019-04-14T23:22:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > My response: > What do you want me to show? That ballot propositions in CA have to be cleared for legality before they are put on the ballot? Yes, that would be a good start. As near as I can tell from reading the California Election Code ([here is the part](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC&division=9.&title=&part=&chapter=3.&article=1.) dealing with municipal initiatives and referendums], the elections official of the city (who was not Kamala) is charged with verifying legality as to form (did the petitions contain at least the right number of signatures? was it turned in by the deadline? etc.), and the city attorney (also not Kamala) has the duty of preparing a ballot title for and summary of the proposed measure. However, NOTHING I have seen provides support for your assertion that ballot initiatives must be approved as to legality of the contents, and NOTHING I have seen supports your assertion that the district attorney has any formal role whatsoever in getting an initiative on the ballot. I think we all agree she was DA at the time. The question is: so what? What role does the district attorney play in the process, and what cite can you provide that she fulfilled that role by determining this particular proposition to be legal? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/209 "2019-04-14T23:33:33Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > A quick Google search shows at least one death threat which led to arrest against Senator Harris in the last year. It’s pretty obvious that there are more death threats, but I don’t feel like doing a ton of Googling on “Kamala Harris death threat” so I’ll withdraw the claim. > > Your turn. But that’s not “credible death threats starting with 1990”, is it? Fine, I withdraw _my_ claim, since i dont feel like playing your stupid cite game… which you now have found isnt so fun, is it? Next time, play square and fair and dont play stupid games. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/210 "2019-04-14T23:53:23Z")
Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/211 "2019-04-15T00:32:20Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Wow. Even if I wasn’t on his side of the argument, I’d agree with him that you’ve debated disingenuously in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/212 "2019-04-15T00:39:15Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Even if I wasn’t on his side of the argument, I’d agree with him that you’ve debated disingenuously in this thread. Yes, I agree. Lance has debated disingenuously in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/213 "2019-04-15T01:02:19Z")
Refusing to substantiate your core criticism of Harris isn’t exactly the height of honest debate neither. You must have heard this “DA must sign off” somewhere. Tell us! ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/214 "2019-04-15T02:11:14Z")
As to having credible threats - the position itself is considered one that [comes with such threats](https://www.npr.org/2013/04/01/175938445/the-dangers-facing-judges-and-prosecutors). > [@](#): > > … we literally have hundreds of threats and inappropriate communications that are made against judicial and prosecutorial officials at a federal level every year… > > … This morning, deputies escorted courthouse employees into the building in Kaufman County, Texas, a measure of security just two days after District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia were found shot to death in their home. … > > … Certainly everyone in this line of work at some point in time has threats leveled at them, and it is part of the job, and you can’t let it change the way you run your court or the way you prosecute or frankly your quality of life. You worry more about your family than yourself, but you just need to be aware and take precautions and always, you know, just be aware of your surroundings and know what’s going on. … DAs have been murdered; those murders make the news. Threats against DAs are routine and usually do not make the news. It is very reasonable for her to have long felt that she is under greater than average American risk of attempted murder. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/215 "2019-04-15T02:23:40Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Even if I wasn’t on his side of the argument, I’d agree with him that you’ve debated disingenuously in this thread. You can go through my entire posting history and you won’t find a post as disingenuous as this one… > [@DrDeth](#): > > The DA or the AG have to sign off whether or not a Prop is legal. Likely the same in most states, but yes, here in CA. Last year the Prop to split CA into several states was blocked and didnt get on the ballot. > > They can do so only if they can show the prop isnt legal. Or they can say “I dont think this is legal, but I am letting it get on the ballot anyway”. But yes, they have to sign off on it’s legality. Not whether or not it is proper, right/wrong anything else- legal. > > The courts actually already ruled on almost the same SF law, year before and said it was unconstitutional. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/216 "2019-04-15T02:36:12Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Refusing to substantiate your core criticism of Harris isn’t exactly the height of honest debate neither. You must have heard this “DA must sign off” somewhere. Tell us! Presumably the same place where [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=787184) came from. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/217 "2019-04-15T02:48:41Z")
DAs do not certify city wide ballot initiatives. The city attorney will attest to the requirements being met, and the city leadership will then place the matter on the ballot working with the county and state election process. There’s a pretty high bar to denying a voter referendum to be placed on the ballot. Obvious conflict with superior law is a valid reason for not placing something on the ballot. SF city government should have done that, but they didn’t. Harris wouldn’t be the one to do that. She was the one acting as attorney general to certify that non existent microstamping technology was commercially available triggering inclusion on the CA roster. For that, she’s pretty terrible. But really, these are somewhat trivalities. It’s quite obvious Harris is anti. No need to reach for anything greater than that. Her status as a former peace officer doesn’t give her any greater ability or confer any additional privilege either. 9th circuit ruled on that in Silvestri. If she wants to possess and even carry a firearm for personal protection as she sees fit, good for her. I’d like to see her fight for the rest of CA to do the same in the manner they see fit. I’m not holding my breath. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/218 "2019-04-15T03:05:36Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > If she wants to possess and even carry a firearm for personal protection as she sees fit, good for her. I’d like to see her fight for the rest of CA to do the same in the manner they see fit. I’m not holding my breath. I haven’t see anything about wanting to carry a firearm. I haven’t seen anything that says she wants more rights than any other Californian. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/219 "2019-04-15T03:18:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It’s perfectly possible to endorse, in a logically consistent manner, the idea that society as a whole would be better off without allowing gay sex, while at the same time maintaining that as long as gay sex is allowed, you personally will have secret gay sex. How many GOP politicians have we said are hypocritical on this very point. This is an idiotic comparison. Kamala Harris has made no secret of the fact that she owns a gun, unlike the publicly homophobic conservatives who desperately try to keep their gay-sex escapades secret. The attitude _“I’m going to publicly denounce a particular thing as evil and wrong but secretly engage in it myself and hope nobody ever finds out”_ is hypocritical. The attitude _“I’m going to publicly advocate for changing the laws that allow a particular thing while publicly acknowledging that I’m currently legally doing the thing that the laws allow”_ is not. I’m surprised at you, **DrDeth** : that was a really dumb attempt at a false equivalence. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/220 "2019-04-15T03:33:24Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I haven’t see anything about wanting to carry a firearm. I haven’t seen anything that says she wants more rights than any other Californian. Me either, hence the “if”. I was thinking more like Bloomberg with his armed security. But that’s another thread. In any event, Harris owning a firearm or many isn’t going to persuade anyone one way or the other. I’m much more interested in her actions in her official capacity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465.md?page=12)