Staying true to the principles of our founding documents has long been a priority of mine. Our founding fathers wrote the Second Amendment to protect our citizens’ right to own firearms. Overly aggressive gun control laws tend to penalize lawful gun owners and law-abiding citizens, not the criminals set on using those guns with ill intention.

As Arizonans, we understand the fundamental right for a citizen to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones. It is for this reason that I was a prime sponsor for the Concealed Carry Law while serving as an Arizona state legislator. I continue advocating for these policies on the national level.

I also believe there is bipartisan support for technology upgrades and improved training that will bring our background check system into the 21st century to ensure that those who should not have access to a firearm are prevented from purchasing one. On March 23rd, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus, which included the Fix NICS Act. The Fix NICS Act, requires federal agencies to certify twice a year they are uploading criminal records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and instructs the Department of Justice and the Appropriations Committees to take action if federal agencies are failing to comply.  We must ensure that both federal and state authorities are properly and accurately reporting criminals to NICS so that we prevent crime and protect lives.