Friends,
This week the House Committee on Public Safety heard two gun bills HF8, the 'Universal Background Check' bill, and HF9, the 'Red Flag' bill. I serve on this committee and joined ALL of my Republican colleagues and voted against both bills. Unfortunately, the Democrats are in the majority and they have simply become a party that no longer believes in our Second Amendment Rights.
Before the committee this week, my House Republican colleagues and I held a press conference to let the public know how bad these bills are. You can watch highlights from that press conference below.
There exist a myriad of problems with these proposals and I speak about them at depth in a video below. Chiefly, they don't come close to fixing the issues they claim to address. Gun violence will not be stopped by making law-abiding citizens jump through a complex new process. Taking away property without due process is always wrong, especially when it comes to our Second Amendment rights.
Like all my colleagues, I am saddened by senseless gun violence and the many stories of testifiers in support of these bills was emotionally powerful. However, in all these stories and, as is the case in the vast majority of gun violence cases, the crimes were committed by people who had obtained the guns illegally. These bills won’t effectively reduce violence because they won’t stop criminals intending to do harm as those criminals won't submit to a background check anyway. We need to address the real problem, starting with addressing the mental health crisis in our country. We should not be infringing on law-abiding citizens' rights
While the Democrats do have a majority in the House, both bills have more committee stops before they head to the House Floor and even then this will not be an easy vote for all Democrats. We need the Senate Republicans to stand strong together to make sure these bad bills do not become law.
Captain Jeffrey Vollmer Memorial Highway
My bill to rename a section of Highway 25 between Highway 7 and Highway 30 in honor of Captain Jeffrey Vollmer was heard in committee this week. Jeffrey Vollmer was a Captain of the Mayer Fire Department who tragically died of a heart attack while training in December of 2017. Captain Vollmer was only 40 years old and his death was felt hard by everyone in our community. Naming this section of highway in his honor will be a fitting memorial for a beloved community member.
Please Contact Me
We’re back in session, and we’ll be discussing countless ways to improve our state. I hope you’ll call, email, or visit to share your thoughts, ideas, or questions. As you know, I’m here to serve you and want to help in any way I can. My office is located on the third floor of the State Office Building, Office 349. If you are coming by the Capitol, please stop by my office!
Have a great weekend,
Jim