Harris adviser says quip on shooting intruder was ‘a joke’

Harris campaign adviser Keisha Lance Bottoms said the vice president’s comment to Oprah Winfrey Thursday night that she would shoot someone who broke into her house was a “joke.”

“It was a joke, and she knew that we would still be talking about it today, but I think it‘s important that people know that the vice president respects the right to bear arms, that she supports the Second Amendment, but she wants responsible gun ownership and she wants our communities to be safe,” Bottoms told Jake Tapper on CNN Friday afternoon.

Later in the interview, Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, added the comment “humanizes” Harris in a way that most don’t get to see. 

During an interview with Oprah that aired Thursday, Harris said, “If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot.”

She proceeded to laugh and added that she probably “should not” have said it, but that her staff would “deal with that later.”

Harris said during her debate with former President Trump last week that she’s a gun owner, which Oprah said was news to her. Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has also talked about owning firearms.

“Here’s my point, Oprah. I’m not trying to take everyone’s guns away. I believe in the Second Amendment,” Harris added. She said the gun control measures she supports are “just common sense.”

Harris also talked about being a gun owner during her first campaign for president.

“I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety,” Harris said in 2019. “I was a career prosecutor.”