# 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:** 2
**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 13, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/21 "2019-04-13T00:57:00Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > You think she carried at work as an LEO? No. I think she has more than the typical number of dangerous people who might wish to do her harm as a result of her law enforcement career. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/22 "2019-04-13T00:58:49Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Did I miss the memo? Are Democrats perceived to be anti-gun? A little. More than the GOp. Generally the dems are in favor of \*mild \*gun control. Background checks, assault weapon bans, etc. But Harris is about as anti-gun as holds major office. She said that gun laws that were unconstitutional were perfectly OK. She was in favor of a total handgun ban. She put into practice a sneak gun law that bans all new handgun models. ---
**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 13, 2019, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/23 "2019-04-13T00:59:03Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > No. > > I think she has more than the typical number of dangerous people who might wish to do her harm as a result of her law enforcement career. And thinks she just might be that “good guy with a gun”? ---
**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 13, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/24 "2019-04-13T01:02:22Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > And thinks she just might be that “good guy with a gun”? Maybe. She says that she owns a gun for personal safety. Is that the same as thinking she might be a “good guy with a gun”? Why would you ask me what she thinks? How would I know? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/25 "2019-04-13T01:02:59Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > She was a law enforcement officer for years. There’s nothing unusual about a former LEO owning a gun. She was the AG. Never a cop. Now, yea, that is a “Peace officer”, sure. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/26 "2019-04-13T01:14:34Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > She was a law enforcement officer for years. There’s nothing unusual about a former LEO owning a gun. No, she wasn’t. ---
**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 13, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/27 "2019-04-13T01:20:54Z")
She unambiguously was a law enforcement officer. California has a law that defines the term. However, that’s not really the point. She put people in jail. A lot of people… and some of those people are dangerous. Some of those dangerous people aren’t in jail anymore. She has different personal safety issues than the average Joe. That’s the point. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/28 "2019-04-13T01:28:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > She said that gun laws that were unconstitutional were perfectly OK. She was in favor of a total handgun ban. You know, I’m really tired of your bullshit where you claim to have the final word about what’s Constitutional and what’s not. It’s especially ridiculous, given the number of things whose status vis-a-vis the Constitution have changed so far in this young century. Constitutionality is something particularly fluid these days. Claims like the ones you make about Constitutionality are like claiming to be able to nail Jello to a wall. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/29 "2019-04-13T01:32:12Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > She unambiguously was a law enforcement officer. California has a law that defines the term. > > However, that’s not really the point. She put people in jail. A lot of people… and some of those people are dangerous. Some of those dangerous people aren’t in jail anymore. She has different personal safety issues than the average Joe. That’s the point. Plus right wing violence is on the rise, and an outspoken black woman from California is going to be a major target. I can’t blame her for owning a gun. ---
**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 13, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/30 "2019-04-13T02:04:03Z")
FWIW I do believe the stats and do not believe gun ownership enhances personal safety. And I think that others are free to disagree and to own handguns. She or another candidate is allowed to make decisions regarding her personal life that I would not make. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/31 "2019-04-13T04:52:42Z")
And just because on average, according to studies like posted in this thread, having a gun doesn’t increase personal safety. That doesn’t mean that having a gun NEVER increases personal safety. I’m sure that in some cases depending on the training and competence of the gun owner, and the possible threats to that gun owner, that sometimes it does make sense to have a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/32 "2019-04-13T05:31:49Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > According to [this report:](https://www.apnews.com/3f3fdedfe3e94f6383ac90734819e97b) > > Various Dopers have, in the past, argued that guns don’t actually enhance one’s personal safety and are actually a detriment to it. What do you make of Kamala owning a gun “for personal safety”? Do you think she’s unaware of the statistics? Is she stupid? Do you think she’s lying about actually owning a gun? Something else? …if she lived in New Zealand, then what she is doing would be a crime. It is illegal to own a gun here if the purpose of that gun is for self defense. But she lives in the United-fucking-States-of-America. And owning a gun for the purpose of self-defense is enshrined in your constitution. Did you not know this? Are you not familiar with the Second Amendment? > **[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)** > > The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms. It was ratified on December 15, 1791, along with nine other articles of the Bill of Rights. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court affirmed for the first time that the right belongs to individuals, for self-defense in the home, while also including, as dicta, that the right is not unlimited and does not preclude the existence of certain long-sta The Second Amend... That an American citizen owns a gun for the purpose of self-defense is the most unsurprising thing I’ve heard on the internet in my entire life. So this “various dopers” argument you make in your OP just doesn’t cut it. Its a strawman. Various dopers have various complex and nuanced views on gun control. But your OP is not particularly complex and it most certainly isn’t nuanced. Not many people in America argue for “no guns EVAH!” and that certainly isn’t what most dopers here would argue, but that is what your OP implies. Many (if not most) democrats argue for sensible gun control and if Harris knows how to use her gun, follows best practice gun safety guidelines and she is complying with all applicable state and federal laws: then how is that in conflict with the position that “various dopers” hold? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/33 "2019-04-13T05:57:52Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …if she lived in New Zealand, then what she is doing would be a crime. It is illegal to own a gun here if the purpose of that gun is for self defense. > > But she lives in the United-fucking-States-of-America. > > And owning a gun for the purpose of self-defense is enshrined in your constitution. > > Did you not know this? … Of course I know this. I’m not arguing, and have never suggested, that what she is doing is / should be illegal. It’s perfectly legal. That’s not the point. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > … how is that in conflict with the position that “various dopers” hold? **DigitalC** (and others) had absolutely no difficulty at all grasping the conflict. You might want to start with his post #10. Once the site’s search function is working again, I’ll dig up some examples of the type of argument I was referring to. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/34 "2019-04-13T06:20:54Z")
no this is a “what about them” argument because a lot of anti gun posters have supported her and I think shes made a few gun control statements herself But when the alleged leader of the free world advocates or ignores violence against those who oppose him and his its necessary …… ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/35 "2019-04-13T06:27:35Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Of course I know this. I’m not arguing, and have never suggested, that what she is doing is / should be illegal. It’s perfectly legal. That’s not the point. …its not about “the legality.” Its about your incredulity. > [@](#): > > **DigitalC** (and others) had absolutely no difficulty at all grasping the conflict. You might want to start with his post #10. I happen to think yoga is “dumb.” But if I found out that Mitt Romney practiced yoga I wouldn’t leap to the position that this was something controversial that needed to be discussed. > [@](#): > > Once the site’s search function is working again, I’ll dig up some examples of the type of argument I was referring to. Perhaps you should have done that before starting the thread. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/36 "2019-04-13T06:39:29Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …Perhaps you should have done that before starting the thread. As I’ve already pointed out, you seem to be the only one having trouble grasping the conflict. That indicates to me that my OP was plenty clear. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/37 "2019-04-13T07:04:03Z")
As is what you seemingly want to accomplish with this thread, **HD**. I’ve defended you in the past, but this is just pathetic. A woman who spent a good portion of her life putting bad guys in prison recognizes that not all of them are still incarcerated, and a few may hold a grudge against her for their imprisonment. I don’t see anything particularly wrong with her decision, nor do I find it hypocritical, dumb, dishonest, are any other adjective you’re trying to portray her as. There are at least 3 guns in my house currently, and all legal. And yet I support common sense gun reform. Do you find me a hypocrite? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/38 "2019-04-13T07:08:13Z")
Somewhat off-topic, but being a Senator and presidential candidate, is Kamala still at a point where her self-defense lies in her hands and not in bodyguards of some sort? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/39 "2019-04-13T08:24:34Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > She unambiguously was a law enforcement officer. California has a law that defines the term. > …nt. “Peace Officer” Not "Law Enforcement Officer. " Yes, as State AG. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465/40 "2019-04-13T08:26:11Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > You know, I’m really tired of your bullshit where you claim to have the final word about what’s Constitutional and what’s not. > … I dont have any claims at all, first or last. But the Supreme Court does and they ruled that law Unconstitutional. And so thereby it \*was \*, like it or no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-owns-a-gun-for-personal-safety/832465.md?page=3)