Harris, eying moderates, touts being gun owner and pro-restrictions

Kamala Harris appealed to moderate voters Friday in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, reiterating that she is a firearm owner who wants to preserve Americans' gun rights while maintaining "reasonable" gun safety laws.

The US vice president gave her first solo sit-down interview since she became the Democratic nominee to a local news station in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, where analysts believe her race for the White House against Republican Donald Trump could hinge.

"We're not taking anybody's guns away. I support the Second Amendment (of the US Constitution) and I support reasonable gun safety laws," Harris told ABC affiliate WPVI.

Guns rights have been a contentious issue in American politics for decades. Meanwhile Trump has riled up supporters on the campaign trail by saying Harris wants to "confiscate your guns."

Harris in the interview cited her raw experience as a prosecutor and how it brought her intimately close to the victims of gun violence.

"I have personally prosecuted homicide cases," she said. "I have personally looked at autopsies. I have personally seen what assault weapons do to the human body.

"And so I feel very strongly that it is consistent with the Second Amendment and your right to own a gun to also say we need an assault weapons ban. They're literally tools of war."

Polls show most Republicans are opposed to a ban on semi-automatic rifles, known by some as assault weapons, including popular AR-15 style rifles that have been used in many mass shootings.

But Harris said she also backs more popular policies including universal background checks on gun purchasers. "The majority of NRA members support that," she said, referring to the powerful lobbying group, the National Rifle Association.

The 59-year-old White House hopeful surprised many during this week's debate with Trump when she identified herself and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as gun owners.

She reiterated that again during her 11-minute interview on Friday, while also repeating her campaign pitch of unity and a new direction for the country.

"Most Americans want a leader who brings us together as Americans, and not someone who professes to be a leader who is trying to have us point our fingers at each other," she said, referring to Trump.

"I think people are exhausted with that to be honest."

© Agence France-Presse