Issue Position: Passing Common Sense Gun Legislation

Issue Position

I believe in and support the Second Amendment. I believe that individuals across our district, state, and country who operate guns with care and safety should be allowed to exercise the right to do so. I grew up in a gun-owning family, and when I served as an intelligence officer alongside the military in Iraq, I was trained on and carried a Glock 17 handgun and an M-4 semi-automatic weapon. My husband, who served in the U.S. Army for 30 years, carried a weapon every day he was deployed.

But I also believe we need to be honest that gun violence presents a serious national security and public health issue. And it is precisely because of my experience both operating firearms and working in national security that I believe we must pass common-sense gun safety legislation. We must prohibit terrorists, the mentally ill, and domestic abusers from obtaining guns. And as an Army wife, I do not believe ordinary citizens should be able to easily obtain weapons or materiel that allow them to outgun their local police or military.

Mass shootings and gun violence are a threat to the security of our families, our communities, and our schools. No parent should fear for their child's safety after dropping them off for class. I believe the only person who should carry a weapon in a school is a trained, security professional, hired by the school to be there. We've seen longstanding inaction from our representatives in Congress to move forward on common-sense legislation. Failing to do all we can to protect our children is a failure to put the public first -- and in my view, a dereliction of duty to address one of the nation's pressing security issues.

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