In Michigan, Kamala Harris calls for ‘common sense’ gun reforms after school shootings

• Democratic nominee Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey for livestream event in Oakland County
• Harris called for an assault weapons ban and other gun reforms in wake of school shootings
• Harris also talked economy, which Republicans contend she has not done enough to address as vice president

FARMINGTON HILLS — A studio audience fell silent Thursday as Natalie Griffith, a student injured during a recent shooting in Georgia's Apalachee High School, told Oprah Winfrey and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris her survival story.

Responding in Michigan, roughly 30 miles from where a shooter at Oxford High School killed four students in 2021, Harris called for “common sense” gun regulations to curb tragedies she said have become too frequent.

“I'm in favor of the Second Amendment, and I'm in favor of assault weapons bans, universal background checks, red flag laws,” Harris said during a live event with Winfrey at Studio Center Michigan, a sound stage in Farmington Hills. “These are just common sense.” 

Harris also acknowledged she is a gun owner, arguing that gun rights and safety measures should not be mutually exclusive. “If somebody breaks into my house, they're getting shot,” the vice president quipped. 

It was Harris’ first visit to Michigan since Labor Day and her first trip as a presidential nominee to Oakland County, a suburban metro Detroit region that has shifted strongly towards Democrats in recent years, and helped Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in 2020. 

Democrats won full control of state government in 2022, leading to a series of recent gun reforms similar to what Harris proposed, including a so-called red flag confiscation law and expanded background checks. 

With Donald Trump seeking a return to the White House, the region could again be critical to Democratic chances this fall. 

Roughly 400 people attended the Oakland County taping in person, surrounding the stage while thousands more tuned in remotely, their faces featured on the walls of the studio. 

Harris touched on issues like immigration, high costs of living and reproductive rights as Winfrey – a sympathetic host who praised Harris and did not challenge her on any fronts – fielded questions from viewers nationwide. 

A ‘lovely place,’ celebrity streams

Ahead of the event, Harris met with several state and local officials as Air Force 2 landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport – including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Oakland County Executive David Coulter and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

Before Harris took the stage, Winfrey invited Oakland County voters in the crowd to stand and share their experiences, among them a local teacher and Farmington Hills Mayor Theresa Rich.

Calling Oakland County “a lovely place,” Winfrey told the crowd that as she was driving in, she noticed Farmington Hills had “beautiful porches.” 

The live show, however, aimed to reach viewers far beyond Oakland County in what Winfrey called an attempt to "unite" various groups that organized online to support Harris earlier this year, including "Win with Black Women" and "White Women Answer the Call.”

The event also featured virtual appearances by celebrities including Bryan Cranston, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lopez, Tracee Ellis Ross, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep.

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, too, made an appearance in-studio, donning a signature leather jacket and urging viewers to “do something” to get Harris elected.

“We deserve a leader who is strong and kind,” Whitmer said to applause. “It's not mutually exclusive.”

Winfrey agreed, at one point in the broadcast arguing that the election is ”about character, and it's about decency and respect.”

“I hope whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or somewhere in the middle, you will choose to vote your values, because values are on the line in this election,” Winfrey said.

An 'opportunity'

Responding to a question about higher prices caused by inflation spikes in 2021 and 2022 under the Biden administration, Harris touted her plans to fight price-gouging, give tax breaks to parents and new small businesses and offer $25,000 in downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers. 

“When people work hard and have a dream of buying a home, we should give you the opportunity to be able to do that,” Harris said. 

Harris also chastised Trump’s broad import tariff proposals as a national “sales tax” and argued his tax plans would largely benefit the wealthy.

She did not mention Trump’s proposal to eliminate taxes on tips, a version of which she has adopted, or his more recent plan to exempt overtime pay from taxation.

Republicans argued that Harris’ and Winfrey's message rings hollow in Michigan as many basic necessities remain unaffordable, suggesting she has “offered no plan on how to fight inflation.” 

“We're sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't lower inflation by hiding goodie bags under chairs,” Victoria LaCivita, the Trump campaign’s Michigan communications director, said in a statement. 

An abortion 'healthcare crisis’ 

Several members of the audience appeared to weep as they heard from the family of Amber Nicole Thurman, a Georgia woman who traveled to North Carolina for an abortion but died after returning to her home state when doctors reportedly delayed providing emergency care for rare complications due to the state's abortion ban. 

Harris criticized Trump for appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed legal access to abortion across the country until 2022. 

Several states have subsequently banned abortion, which Harris called “a healthcare crisis” that affects the patient “and the profession.”

“One does not have to abandon their faith, right, or their deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling her what to do.”

Harris said she feels a sense of responsibility to bridge political divides and ensure Trump doesn't return to the White House.

“This is so much bigger than me,” she said.