Kamala Harris On Georgia School Shooting: ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way’

A deadly school shooting in Georgia is yet another example of why the country needs more common-sense gun laws, Vice President Kamala Harris said at a New Hampshire rally Wednesday.

“It’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come home alive,” the Democratic nominee for president said.

Hours earlier, a gunman at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, shot several people, reportedly killing at least four people and injuring dozens of others.

“We have to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all. You know, it doesn’t have to be this way,” Harris continued.

She also pushed back against the pro- and anti-gun dichotomy used by Republicans, saying a Harris administration would seek to implement basic guardrails while still protecting Americans’ gun rights.

“Let us finally pass an assault weapons ban and universal background checks and red flag laws,” she said. “Because we are clear on that point: It is a false choice to say you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away. I’m in favor of the Second Amendment, and I know we need reasonable gun safety laws.”

California, where Harris is from and once served as attorney general, has the nation’s strictest gun laws and one of the lowest rates of gun-related deaths. States with stricter gun laws generally follow that pattern.

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee, was noncommittal on universal background checks during his first term, at times saying he liked the idea and other times signaling he would veto background check legislation ― despite the fact that more than 80% of Americans support such reforms.

In July, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign said that if he wins in November, he’ll appoint judges who oppose new firearms limits.

In the past, he’s suggested arming teachers with guns to stop school shooters.