On Thursday, Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) voted against two bills that he says would undermine fundamental rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.
"For more than two centuries, Americans have championed the guaranteed liberties in the Bill of Rights and subsequent constitutional amendments, knowing that each one plays a significant role in keeping our country safe and free," said Rep. Estes. "I trust the responsible gun owners in Kansas and across the country, and the two pieces of legislation passed today by a partisan House do more to punish law-abiding citizens than make effectual changes in deterring violent crimes."
Estes says the House-passed bills – H.R. 8 and H.R 1446 – establish additional and burdensome regulatory oversight over an individual's right to keep and bear arms, create criminals out of law-abiding citizens for handing a friend a shotgun to try at a shooting range or loaning a firearm to protect someone from an abuser, and disincentivize the FBI to complete background checks in a timely manner; he says neither bill would have prevented a previous mass shooting.
Rep. Estes says he and congressional Republicans have supported legislation to curb gun violence, like the Fix NICS Act of 2017, the STOP School Violence Act, and the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.
Estes represents Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; he serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means.