Issue Position: 2nd Amendment Rights

Issue Position

In the aftermath of the tragedies that took place in the communities of Newtown, Aurora, Tuscon, Blacksburg, and Columbine, one struggles to find the words to adequately address the unimaginable horror. Nevada's deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Such senseless violence, perpetuated by individuals bereft of any respect for human life, can only be described as evil. Their actions leave us shaken and searching for answers.

In the search for answers, the temptation is to do something, anything, to prevent such evil from ever happening again. That is a natural response. Unfortunately, powerful emotions are not always the best foundation for sound policies.

Americans are citizens, not subjects. Our government derives its power from the consent of the people. Our liberties, including the right to bear arms, pre-exist the founding of our government, and the people did not give up their individual rights when they consented to its creation. Nor are there any provisions in our founding documents to deprive the people of these freedoms when certain individuals abuse theirs.

Every night, millions of law-abiding, gun-owning American citizens go sleep without harming others, their families, or themselves. Quite the contrary, in numerous instances, citizens exercise their right to utilize firearms to protect their lives and property.

Moreover, many of the policy prescriptions advocated for in the traumatic aftermath of these shootings would not have prevented the atrocities from happening. If Congress is to act, I believe it should focus its energy on measures that would actually make our communities safer, rather than to satisfy emotional desires or political agendas.

Common-sense safeguards on gun ownership should not arbitrarily and unnecessarily infringe on the rights of responsible, law-abiding citizens. Congress should take steps to keep firearms out of the hands of mentally-disturbed individuals and criminals. Furthermore, Congress and civil society need to come to terms with how we can help families struggling with the challenges of mental illness.

As Rep. Chris Murphy, who represents Newtown, said on the House floor, "Something horrible, something unexplainable happened at Sandy Hook Elementary... So we are left asking all these questions: Why? Why us? Why these little kids? Why did he do it? Why weren't we able to prevent this from happening? The whys are almost infinite."

As our nation continues to grieve, I pray we honor the victims with an honest discussion of how best to truly prevent such violence and we arrive at concrete solutions that respect our civil liberties.

I will continue to defend our Second Amendment rights against legislative attempts to overturn or undermine it. Additionally, I oppose the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and any other efforts to undermine our Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. As a gun owner, I believe any attempts to deprive law-abiding American citizens their right to purchase and transport firearms must be defeated.

Cosponsored 113th Congress:

Cosponsored H. Con. Res. 23, a bipartisan concurrent resolution expressing opposition to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, which currently has 148 co-sponsors in the House and 36 supporters in the Senate.

Letter to President Obama and Secretary Kerry opposing UN Arms Trade Treaty

Letter to Senate Appropriations Committee requesting language to block funding for the UN ATT in the FY14 State and Foreign Operations bill.

Letter to President regarding Second Amendment rights

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