With President Joe Biden stepping back from the 2024 presidential race, the spotlight intensifies on Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now poised to lead the charge on one of America’s most heated topics: gun control.
As the likely Democratic frontrunner, Harris is seizing the moment to position herself as not just a continuation of the Biden legacy, but as a trailblazer for real change. A TikTok video has gone viral, showcasing Harris in a candid and powerful moment where she is seen addressing hundreds of students. She didn’t mince words, diving straight into the harsh realities of shooter drills — scenarios all too familiar for students across America. Harris described the drills vividly: hiding in closets, crouching in corners, the palpable fear as children and teenagers prepare for the possibility of a gunman storming their hallways.
The TikTok video of Harris struck a chord with the viewers, eliciting a powerful emotional response in the comments section. One user shared, “I just cried from this. She’s so powerful when she’s really passionate. “This the first time I seen a running president for election ever speak about this issue,” commented another user.
The comments also serve as a heartbreaking reminder of the trauma that so many young people have experienced as a result of school shooting drills. “1st grade. Had a drill while in gym. Hid behind the stage in the gym. There were no lockable doors. Someone asked as we’re huddle together scared (we’re 6),” wrote one user. Another shared, “I remember in kindergarten we did a drill and we had to hide by the cubbies in the classroom and I sobbed because I was so scared. And I knew it was a drill. But the fear of it was already ingrained.”
It’s a damning indictment of our society that we have normalized the idea of teaching kindergarteners how to hide from armed intruders. We’ve become so desensitized to the horror of school shootings that we’ve accepted active shooter drills as just another part of the curriculum, like math or science. According to a report by Everytown for Gun Safety, 95 percent of American public schools now conduct active shooter drills. Since the tragic Columbine High School massacre in 1999, more than 357,000 students have directly experienced gun violence at school. Let that sink in for a moment. That’s the equivalent of two Kansas City worth of children and teenagers who have had their lives forever altered by the trauma of a school shooting.
Reading through the comments, it’s clear that Harris’s words have tapped into a well of emotion that many Americans have been suppressing for far too long. “This just about made me cry. I’m not being dramatic. The tears just came. I’ve been so done for so long and haven’t even realized. I’ve been just numb,” confessed one user. Gun violence has become a uniquely American problem, with the country witnessing an average of one death every 11 minutes. It’s a crisis that demands immediate action, and yet, Republicans have consistently opposed sensible and much-needed gun reform measures, prioritizing the interests of the gun lobby over the safety of our communities.
As a prominent voice for the Biden administration’s gun policy, Harris has been a tireless advocate for change. In her July 23 address at her first campaign rally in Wisconsin, she declared, “We, who believe that every person should have the freedom to live safe from the terror of gun violence, will finally pass red flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban.” Two days later, speaking at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Houston, Harris drew a stark contrast between her party’s desire to ban assault weapons and the recent surge in book bans promoted by conservative activists.
“Book bans in this year of our Lord 2024. Just think about it,” she quipped. “So we want to ban assault weapons and they want to ban books. Can you imagine?”
Harris’s stance could indeed polarize, but it also galvanizes those who have long sought significant action on this issue. Her approach is bold, and she’s not shy about promising to bypass a stagnant Congress with executive actions if necessary. This kind of decisive leadership is what many feel has been missing in the ongoing battle against gun violence.