"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

 

Since our nation's founding 247 years ago, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have defined the American dream. In the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers set the goal of building a land where all could live freely and peacefully.

 

As your Congressman, I will always defend your rights from those who seek to destroy life, threaten our liberties, or endanger your pursuit of happiness as an American citizen.

 

That’s why throughout my time in Congress, I have been a leading proponent of protecting your Second Amendment rights. In recent weeks, I have led multiple pieces of legislation that reverse government overreach into your home and on your right to keep and bear arms.

 

Earlier this year, President Biden’s ATF established a new pistol brace ban which turned many combat wounded veterans and law-abiding citizens into felons overnight. 

 

These braces were first designed to help wounded veterans continue to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Following the Biden administration’s latest regulation, I took to the House floor to sponsor the legislation to block it and am proud my bill passed the House with bipartisan support.

 

Although our resolution was just a few votes short of passage in the Senate, I will always defend your Second Amendment rights and will never stop fighting for our nation's heroes who have sacrificed for our country.

The ATF’s brace rule illustrates the dangers of an unchecked federal agency that is willing to go around Congress and the millions of constituents we represent. 

 

As Congress’ leading defender of the Second Amendment, I will continue to focus on solutions that protect our rights.

 

President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where people 

were free.”

 

While there are many things that can divide us, being American unites us all and it's up to us to preserve our nation for the next generation.

 

This month we celebrated Independence Day — one of the most important holidays in our country, and I am, and always will be, proud to be an American. 

 

I am especially grateful to the millions of patriots who have served our nation in uniform and sacrificed along with their families, many of whom call our region home, for our freedoms.

 

As we commemorate the founding of our nation, I hope you were able to enjoy time with family and friends to celebrate the rights we enjoy as Americans and all the things that make our country the greatest on Earth.