Mark Darr <
[email protected]>
11:07 AM (5 hours ago)
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the protection of your Second Amendment rights. I want you to know that I stand in full support of those rights as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and the Arkansas State Constitution.
Many of those seeking to impose gun control are trying to convince us that they support guns because they like to hunt. Hunting is great, but it is not the sole reason we have the Second Amendment. Our state constitution clarifies that citizens' right to keep and bear arms is "for their common defense." That is an important distinction.
President Reagan said, "Our nation was built and civilized by men and women who used guns in self-defense and in pursuit of peace." Millions of American gun owners are peaceful, law-abiding citizens. Taking their rights away will do nothing to protect our country. We need to be tougher on criminals, not those who abide by the law already. And, we do need to take a look at our health care system to see what improvements can be made to those who are dealing with mental health issues. It is an often-overlooked area that deserves more attention.
Essentially, when it comes to the gun rights debate, I believe we should be working to expand our rights, rather than restrict them. Some in government think they can solve everyone's problems by passing more restrictive laws. I think Americans have more freedom when we have a more restricted government.
Thank you for writing to communicate your concerns. I appreciate your opinion and stand with you. I hope that by standing together, our voices will be heard, the Constitution will be upheld, and freedom will prevail.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Darr
Lieutenant Governor
