Expanding Second Amendment Rights

Growing up in a farming and ranching family, guns have been part of my life since I was a child. My grandfather taught me the importance of gun safety, marksmanship, and our right under the Constitution to own and use guns. Unfortunately, that constitutional right is violated the second one crosses into Washington D.C., which has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. 

The recent shooting of Whip Steve Scalise was a stark reminder that members of Congress, staff and the public are at risk from disturbed individuals. Luckily, Steve had a detail of Capitol Police officers who were able to return fire, stopping the gunman. However, had they not been there, everyone at the baseball practice would have been sitting ducks and the result, I'm afraid, would have been far worse.

It's clear that strict gun laws are putting everyone in our nation's capital at risk. That's why I signed on as a cosponsor to two bills last week that will allow people to protect themselves when they travel to Washington, D.C.

The first, H.R. 1537, the Second Amendment Enforcement Act, will restore gun rights to the citizens of Washington, D.C., as well as remove restrictions against transporting firearms in the nation's capital.

The second, H.R.2909, the DC Personal Protection Reciprocity Act, will allow concealed carry permit holders to have reciprocity when traveling in the District of Columbia. The bill also allows non-D.C. residents to apply for a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Washington.