In 2019, as a junior at the University of New Hampshire, I asked then-Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris how she would address the epidemic of gun violence in our schools. As an aspiring educator getting ready to start my career, it horrified me that public schools had become targets for these horrific events. I wrote to lawmakers and drove to Washington for the March for Our Lives, but I knew that more had to be done at the national level.
Harris agreed and laid out strong, practical steps she would take as president to prevent gun violence and school shootings.
Voicing her support for an assault weapons ban and universal background checks, Harris showed that she was committed to act on this issue. Would-be perpetrators of gun violence all too often slip through the cracks of a broken system. Had these laws been in place, they very well may have prevented tragedies such as those in Newtown, Connecticut and Parkland, Florida from happening — the facts prove it. To me, Harris’ determination to put an end to gun violence within school communities was evident.
That summer, I scrapped my plans and went to work on her campaign in New Hampshire, driven by the belief that Kamala Harris would be the president we need to enact real change on this issue. I believe that today, more than ever.
Since taking office, Vice President Harris has proven that she meant it when she said in 2019 that she was not afraid to lead on this issue. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the most significant gun safety legislation in decades was passed: the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Harris heads up the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and has shared her personal experience as a gun owner to prove that responsible gun owners can support both the Second Amendment and common sense safety laws.
“We must be willing to have the courage to say that on every level, whether you talk about changing laws or changing practices and protocols, that we must do better,” she said to a group of Parkland survivors earlier this year.
Compare that to the Republican nominee for president, who told Iowans the day after a shooting in their state they “have to get over it,” and his running mate who called school shootings a “fact of life.” Trump’s Project 2025 playbook calls for more guns in schools, itself a reminder that when he was president, he called for the arming of teachers. It is utterly unacceptable that the commands of the gun lobby are being listened to before the needs of our country’s children.
Vice President Harris knows that and is determined to have the backs of our teachers and students. She showed this by choosing Tim Walz — a former teacher beloved in his home state for signing legislation to support students — to be her running mate. It’s hard to imagine a clearer contrast between the Harris-Walz ticket’s support for educators and schools and the Trump-Vance position, which calls for abolishing the Department of Education.
This is my third year as a high school history teacher, and I will continue to lock my classroom door every day. I am still worried about the safety of my students and myself. I intend to have a long career and want my students to live free from fear that they won’t make it to graduation — possible under courageous leaders willing to do what’s necessary.
Unfortunately, the reality is that school shootings are increasing, and action must be taken to address them. It is past time the United States joined other countries in passing reasonable legislation to prevent more children from dying from gun violence.
I am no longer the college student I was when I first spoke to Kamala Harris, but I believe just as strongly in her mission today as I did then. It is inspiring and undoubtedly part of what made me the educator I am today. Kamala Harris is a strong leader, a fearless fighter, and genuinely driven to protect all Americans’ freedoms.
She is unequivocally the right choice to lead our country; our schools, our children, and our future depends on her.
Ben Bernier is a history teacher at Hayfield Secondary School.