I support the Second Amendment. More importantly, I support the rights of an individual to decide whether or not he or she wants to own a gun. That is the essence of the Second Amendment and represents one of the U.S. Constitution’s most important themes: Freedom. Our Founding Fathers valued the freedom to speak openly, the freedom to worship, the freedom to have a free press, the freedom to assemble and the freedom to bear arms. As governor, I will not seek to limit the rights of gun owners.
I was taught from a young age to use guns responsibly and respectfully. I was also taught that guns are a part of our American heritage. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are responsible gun owners who participate in hunting and sport shooting. And of course, many choose to own guns as a means of protection for themselves and their families.
As a society, we have enacted many gun regulations and laws in order to reduce accidents and crime. These laws have resulted in debates on both sides of the gun ownership issue. Some say the laws don’t go far enough. Others argue the laws go too far and have resulted in a loss of freedom. It will be my responsibility to listen to all sides of this issue, to hear the various options and proposals, and if a proposal makes sense, to research it further.
What I would do right away is task the new attorney general with continuing the investigative work that has already started in regards to Question One, which was passed by a narrow margin in November of 2016. The question remains whether or not the initiative is legally enforceable. As chief legislator, it will be my responsibility to drive the discovery efforts so that we can determine whether or not the measure can be implemented in accordance with both state and federal law.
