Thank you for contacting me regarding your support for an American's Second Amendment right to bear arms. It is good to hear from you, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Like you, I am a firm believer that the original intention of the Second Amendment was to protect each individual's right to keep and bear arms, and you can rest assured that I will continue to fight to defend this important protection. As you may know, in response to a number of tragic gun-related events throughout the country, on January 16, 2013, President Obama put forward a strategy to curb gun violence in America, including four legislative proposals related to universal background checks on all firearm purchases, a crackdown on gun trafficking, a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, and a ban on ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets. While these initiatives must be introduced, debated and passed by the U.S. Congress before becoming law, the President also initiated 23 unilateral executive actions to tighten existing gun laws by strengthening the existing background check system, promoting research on gun violence, and providing training in "active shooter situations."
While none of these proposals have been debated on the floor of the House of Representatives where I served, you may be interested to know that on April 17, 2013, the Senate considered an anti-gun bill that would create a pathw ay to a national gun registry. However, this legislation was soundly defeated. I continue to believe that enforcement of existing gun laws would go a long way to preventing gun violence while ensuring law-abiding Americans retain their Second Amendment rights.
Again, thank you for contacting me on this issue. If you would like to learn more about how I am working for you in Washington please visit
http://www.halrogers.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletter. It is an honor to serve you in the United States House of Representatives.
