Keisha Lance Bottoms, an adviser to Harris' campaign, said the vice president was “joking” when he told Oprah Winfrey on Thursday night that he would shoot anyone who invaded his home.
“It was a joke, and she knew we were still talking about it, but I think it's important for people to know that the vice president respects gun rights, supports the Second Amendment, wants responsible gun ownership, wants our communities to be safe,” Bottoms told CNN's Jake Tapper on Friday afternoon.
Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, added later in the interview that the comments also “humanize” Harris in a way that most people may not notice.
During the interview with Oprah, which aired Thursday, Harris said, “If someone breaks into my house, they're going to shoot me.”
She laughed and added that she probably “shouldn't have said that” but that staff would “deal with it later.”
During a debate with former President Trump last week, Harris said she was a gun owner, something Oprah said was the first she'd heard. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has also spoken out about owning a gun.
“Oprah, here's my position: I'm not trying to take away people's guns. I believe in the Second Amendment,” Harris added, saying the gun control measures she supports are “just common sense.”
Harris also spoke about being a gun owner during her first campaign for president.
“I'm a gun owner, and the reason I own a gun, like probably a lot of people, is for personal safety,” Harris said in 2019. “I was a career prosecutor.”
