Issue Position: Second Amendment

Issue Position

* Principle 19 -- Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained by the people.
* Principle 18 -- The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written Constitution.
* Principle 13 -- A Constitution should protect the people from the frailties of their rulers.

When I was elected to Congress, I put my right hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. I took that oath seriously. That is why since being elected I have fought tirelessly to uphold the Second Amendment that gives all Americans the right to bear arms. Sadly, this country is full of so-called advocates that ignore that Constitution and actively work to block your rights, and that's something I cannot stand for.

Some of my accomplishments in protecting your Second Amendment rights include:

* Introduction of my bill, H.R. 3594, the Second Amendment Protection Act that prohibits the United States from signing any international treaty that would infringe upon our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
* Cosponsoring a pair of bills that would allow residents with concealed weapon permits to carry them in states in which they do not have a permit.
* Leading the charge in urging Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to give residents like us the right to protect ourselves and our families.

Private citizens are constitutionally guaranteed the right to own firearms. The Second Amendment is not at all ambiguous -- this right "shall not be infringed." Guns laws across the country and particularly in Illinois infringe upon this right, day after day. Illinois does not need more anti-gun laws; instead, residents should be given the right to defend themselves, their families, their homes, and I will not stop until this right is guaranteed.

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