No, Kamala Harris spokesperson didn’t say the Democratic presidential nominee doesn’t own a gun

A video clip featuring a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has been distorted and spread on social media as evidence the Democratic nominee doesn’t own a gun. 

“A staffer reveals that Kamala Harris doesn’t actually own a gun,” reads text above footage from an interview on “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta.” 

In the Sept. 20 interview, Acosta asks Harris spokesperson Adrienne Elrod about the vice president’s recent comments on gun ownership. The exchange in the video was significantly sped up and captions appearing Elrod as she speaks reads: “She doesn’t own a firearm.”

A Sept. 21 Instagram post sharing the video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The original footage of this exchange makes clear that Elrod doesn’t say “she doesn’t own a firearm.” She says: “She does own a firearm.”

This is also reflected in CNN’s transcript of the show. 

On X, Elrod reposted a statement from Harris spokesperson Ian Sams, who called the distorted video “the definition of disinformation.”

“Video intentionally manipulated (artificially sped up to make the audio unclear) to mislead the viewer,” the X post said. 

It’s not news that Harris is a gun owner, though it’s getting fresh attention as the 2024 presidential election looms. In 2019, during Harris’ unsuccessful previous bid for the presidency, she said she was a gun owner and an aide then told reporters that she owns a handgun that was purchased years ago, CNN reported.

She owns the same gun today and keeps it at her Los Angeles home, CNN reported. 

We rate claims a staffer said Harris doesn’t own a gun Pants on Fire!