Gun Control

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

As a strict constitutionalist and strong proponent of Second Amendment rights, I believe that people commit crimes, not guns. In fact, countless statistics show the vital role firearms play in preventing crime. Since the 1987 right to carry law was enacted in Florida, the state’s average murder rate has decreased 36%. Guns were used in 10,866 murders in 2008, but U.S. civilians defended themselves from crimes in at least 989,883 situations.

Our founding fathers realized that “when governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” I support all initiatives to uphold the right of individuals to bear arms.