Second Amendment Gun Rights

The Second Amendment is one of the most important rights set forth by the Bill of Rights.  The operative text states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”  In spite of the clarity of this amendment, we have seen repeated, consistent, and sustained attacks on this right and efforts across the spectrum to “infringe” on this individual right.  In the Federalist No. 46, James Madison explained that because American citizens were typically armed, the federal government would be unable to exert power beyond the powers enumerated in the Constitution.  Madison explained that in contrast to European nations where “the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms” the Untied States would rely on an armed citizenry to protect themselves, their families, and the nation.  I will continue to oppose efforts to restrict, infringe, or remove this constitutionally protected right.  One important piece of pro-Second Amendment legislation that I have cosponsored is H.R. 822, the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act.  This bill would allow any person with a valid concealed carry permit to carry a concealed firearm in any state that issues concealed permits, or at least does not prohibit carrying concealed firearms.  This requirement for states to recognize each other’s carry permits is not meant to create a federal licensing system or circumvent state law, but simply ease the transition for lawful gun owners traveling within right to carry states.  This bill represents an important protection for lawful gun ownership across state lines, and I am proud to cosponsor it. I also successfully attached the “Gosar Amendment” to the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that withdrew funding to the Army Corps of Engineers for its effort to enforce an unconstitutional provision banning self-defense carry on Corps land, which included millions of acres of recreational land, 90,000 campsites, and thousands of miles of hiking trails.