By talking about gun control, not gun bans, Kamala Harris wants to court a new electorate

The candidate is increasingly highlighting the theme of gun control in her campaign, while mass killings continue in the United States. In the country, 400 million weapons are circulating, more than people.

In the United States, where the presidential campaign is in full swing, the two candidates are seeking to court the slightest vote. With the fight against inflation and abortion, the carrying of weapons remains one of the strong markers of Donald Trump’s program. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution authorizes the carrying of arms. But as mass killings continue in schools and public places, in the Democratic camp represented by Kamala Harris, the question is no longer whether to ban them, but how to control them.

On September 4, at Apalachee High School in Winder, a rural area in the heart of Georgia, a 14-year-old boy opened fire and killed four people. That day, Tiffany Johnstone froze. “I have three young children who attend public school and I am one of those mothers who is worried about whether my children will come home today, she says. A man bought a gun for his mentally ill son as a Christmas present, a 14-year-old boy.”

“I have 14-year-old boys at home. And I would never buy them even a plastic gun as a toy, because it’s a real problem!”

Tiffany Johnstone, mother

at franceinfo

This convinced Democrat came to listen to Mark Kelly, the senator from Arizona. On the platform of the Lawrenceville evangelical church, he is next to his wife who walks and speaks with difficulty. His arm is inert. Gabby Giffords was shot in the head during a 2011 Tucson mass shooting. “In most states, the loopholes in the background check system are huge. It’s what makes it easy for people who shouldn’t have guns to get them.”

The couple is one of the symbols of gun control in the United States. Control certainly, but not prohibition. Like Kamala Harris who revealed that she herself owns a weapon, an element that she is increasingly highlighting in the campaign: “For too long, when we talk about gun violence, some have pushed you to make a choice that is not a choice, saying: either you are for the Second Amendment, or you want to take guns away from everyone. “

“I support the Second Amendment AND a ban on assault weapons, absolute background checks, and red flag legislation.”

Nuance matters in the United States, where 400 million weapons are in circulation, more than people. Almost one in three Americans has at least one, an electorate where Kamala Harris can hope to find votes.