USA Today Op-Ed Mocked for Disqualifying Kamala Harris for Being a Gun Owner: ‘Wannabe Hot Take’

By Caleb EcarmaApr 26th, 2019, 4:27 pm
 

A USA Today op-ed argued on Friday that Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) owning a handgun for personal defense is disqualifying for a progressive candidate, a hardline take that prompted a round of mockery on Twitter.

The piece, which was penned by former Candid Camera host Peter Funt, accused Harris of hurting her own anti-gun policy proposals by keeping the firearm.

“Her words are fine, but for a progressive like me, they are undermined by that handgun. And I can’t be the only one who is disturbed,” Funt wrote. “Keeping a handgun for personal safety is a bedrock conservative view. The best defense against a ‘bad guy with a gun,’ the NRA falsely argues, is ‘a good guy with a gun.'”

Harris, the former top law enforcement official in California, explained recently in Iowa that she owns “a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety.”

Despite labeling herself a “gun owner,” Harris threatened to push through executive action on gun control if elected to office and Congres does not act. She has also called the argument that “you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away” a “false choice.”

As for Funt’s op-ed, it was soundly mocked by reporters and other Twitter users for taking such a purist stance on the issue. Check out a few of the reactions below:

[image via Mason Trinca/Getty Images]

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Caleb Ecarma

Caleb Ecarma was a reporter at Mediaite. Email him here: caleb@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter here: @calebecarma