Defending our constitutional rights is our fundamental duty and special privilege as Americans. The north entrance of Nebraska’s State Capitol Building is engraved with words coined by philosopher and Capitol thematic consultant Hartley Burr Alexander, “The Salvation of the State is Watchfulness in the Citizen.” Vigilance to secure our rights is no more important for any other right than it is for our Second Amendment.
Law-abiding citizens have the right to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms, and – as your elected representative – I have a duty to actively defend the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
I have serious concerns about ongoing attempts to encroach on the Second Amendment and am actively working to fight them. To this end, earlier this month I joined many of my Congressional colleagues in a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) opposing its tactics implementing the Safer Communities Act. While I opposed its passage, this law was enacted in 2022 and created a program to fund “red flag” programs at the state level.
Red flag laws and other ill-conceived proposals to limit firearm rights are bad policies with the potential to violate Americans’ rights to due process, and our letter to the DOJ raises concerns with the unlawful awarding of grants to states that do not currently have red flag laws. It would be inappropriate for DOJ to award red flag grants to states which do not have red flag laws, and DOJ must clarify their criteria for awarding these funds.
In January of 2022, San Jose, California became the first city in the United States to mandate liability insurance and an annual fee for gun owners. To protect Second Amendment rights at the federal level, I am a cosponsor of the No User Fees for Gun Owners Act. This measure would prohibit state governments from violating Second Amendment rights through the imposition of insurance requirements, taxes, or fees as a condition of gun or ammunition ownership.
I am also a cosponsor of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This bill would establish a framework for carrying or possessing concealed firearms when bringing them across state lines, allowing individuals eligible to carry a concealed firearm under one state’s laws to carry or possess a concealed handgun in other states which permit them to carry concealed firearms.
Earlier this year, Nebraska joined 26 states to enact a constitutional carry bill into law. This law allows Nebraskans 21 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit, and I applaud the leadership of Governor Pillen to defend Nebraskans’ Second Amendment rights. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would implement federal protections to ensure Nebraskans are able to exercise these constitutional rights recognized by our state while they are traveling in other states which allow either constitutional carry or concealed carry with a permit.
Preserving freedom for ourselves and future generations depends on our diligence to safeguard the wisdom of the Constitution. I will continue working with my colleagues to defend and preserve the Second Amendment.