Friends and neighbors,
I wanted to share some new developments on gun control bills moving in the Senate.
On Thursday, May 9, the Democrat majority pushed the first gun control bill of this session off the Senate floor. It passed on a party-line 34-33 vote, with Senator Mitchell – the Democrat who is currently charged with a first-degree felony and is the subject of an ethics investigation – casting the deciding vote.
The bill began as something that probably could have received bipartisan support – a clean bill to increase the penalties against straw purchasers who knowingly sell firearms to somebody who is not allowed to have them.
Instead of the bipartisan approach, however, Democrats added additional contentious gun control measures:
- They expanded the straw purchaser section to include people who “reasonably” could have known they were providing guns to someone who shouldn’t have them. This may seem like a slight change, but it is a big deal. It is a vague term that will end up affecting law-abiding gun owners most.
- They added a broader definition of binary triggers, which will expand state law to criminalize more responsible gun owners.
The Second Amendment guarantees a constitutional right that we should not infringe upon. My stance remains firm: we must uphold the foundational freedoms that protect law-abiding citizens. Let’s not allow fear or partisan tactics to distort our core values and rights.
I remain committed to defending the rights of responsible gun owners and focusing our attention where it should be – on cracking down on criminals.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!
Sincerely,