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Kamala Harris reveals she owns pistol made by Austrian gunmaker; All you need to know about The Glock
Vice President Kamala Harris has opened up about the kind of weaponry an intruder would encounter if they were foolish enough to breach into her home.
Vice President Kamala Harris has opened up about the kind of weaponry an intruder would encounter if they were foolish enough to breach into her home. Her statement comes weeks after she acknowledged that she has fully capability to repel intruders.
In an interview with a 60 Minutes correspondent, Harris revealed to Bill Whitaker that she possesses a handgun manufactured by Glock, an Austrian company whose polymer-framed, striker-fired, semi-automatic handguns are well-liked by law enforcement organisations in the US and abroad.
The US VP's preferred weapon has been the subject of wide speculation ever since she revealed to television personality Oprah Winfrey that she owns a gun and would shoot anyone breaking into her home.
“I have a Glock, and I've had it for quite some time,” stated the former prosecutor and California attorney general when asked what kind of firearm she packed.
“My background is in law enforcement. And -- so there you go,” Harris added.
Harris laughed when interviewer Bill Whitaker asked her whether she had ever shot the Glock. “Of course I have. At a shooting range. Yes, of course, I have,” she replied.
Whitaker admitted to Harris that several people were in shock when she told Winfrey that “if someone breaks in my house, they're getting shot!”
In response, Harris said, she “probably should not have said that” and suggested that her team would “clean up” her remarks as Winfrey laughed.
When pressed on the remarks, Harris pointed out that she had already acknowledged gun ownership during earlier campaigns.
All you need to know about guns owned by Harris and Tim Walz
Harris said that the reason she initially bought the gun was because of her law enforcement background.
While Harris acknowledged in Monday's interview that it was “not the first time I've talked about it,” she surprised viewers when she brought up her gun ownership during her first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump. Harris told Trump that she and Walz own guns and that they “are not taking anybody's guns away, so stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.”
Back in 2019, Harris admitted that she owned a gun for “personal safety.” Her associate told CNN that prosecutors frequently keep pistols for protection because they “have personally been responsible for putting away very serious violent criminals.”
In addition to being a passionate hunter and gun owner, Walz has openly supported gun control measures, despite having previously received support from the National Rifle Association during his time in Congress.
All you need to know about The Glock: America's Weapon Of Choice
In the United States today, both police enforcement and criminals prefer to carry Glock pistols.
In his book Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, Paul Barrett examines how the sleek, high-capacity Austrian handgun made its place into Hollywood films and rap lyrics, and two-thirds of all U.S. police forces.
Gaston Glock, a curtain-rod manufacturer, invented the Glock in 1982. Glock chose to create a brand-new firearm from the ground up because he didn't like the pistols that were available in the market. He first sought advice from firearms specialists in his home Austria on how to make a handgun more suitable for the current day, NPR reported.
Barrett tells Terry Gross of Fresh Air that they wanted a gun with a “much larger ammunition capacity, much more durable and reliable, easy to fire and easy to learn how to use.” He secured his first contract with the Austrian army by incorporating all of those features into the Glock.
The Glock arrived in the US in 1988, when drug trade in America was expanding and many police officers felt outnumbered by street gangs. The Glock was superior to other firearms because of its huge capacity and light design.
In 1990, the Glock first appeared in police officers' hands in Law and Order and other procedural television programs. Bruce Willis used it in Die Hard 2, where his character spoke at length on the benefits of carrying a Glock.
