Second Amendment

Floor Speech

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Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, with the recent announcement of new policies to restrict firearms, President Obama has yet again used executive overreach to force his agenda on the American people. Congress has already rejected these policies in a bipartisan fashion, and this action is another example of the President overstepping his constitutional authority to circumvent the people's voices in Congress. The administration's assault on Americans' constitutional rights must stop.

Time and time again, our courts have defended the Second Amendment, and Congress has voted repeatedly to reject new restrictions on our constitutional rights. For more than 200 years, the Second Amendment has been protected and championed by Americans, the courts, and Congress. We must stand together to defend and protect our constitutional rights. As a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, I am outraged by President Obama's actions and will fight to stop this executive order.

In my home State of West Virginia, using guns for sport and hunting is a way of life. We respect firearms and are taught at an early age how to use them. In many families, fathers and mothers teach their children how to hunt and, when they are old enough, they receive their own gun as an important coming-of-age tradition. West Virginians are not alone. Families across this country have these same traditions and sports.

As West Virginians, we know that law-abiding citizens are not the problem and our country was not founded on the principles of taking away rights from the people. Our rights cannot and should not be taken away. This administration is determined to attack our way of life, our traditions, and our constitutional rights. I wish I could say this is a surprise, but time and time again, this President has used executive actions and regulations to eliminate policies and rights he disagrees with.

Sadly, we have seen this far too often with the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, which has aggressively--aggressively--used regulations and rules to destroy our coal-mining communities, in particular, in my State of West Virginia.

I have fought to stop the EPA and will fight to stop President Obama's executive actions on gun control. As a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, I will use the power of the purse to eliminate funding for these new actions. As a Member of Congress, I am dedicated to working for our State and doing what is right for the people of West Virginia. I will continue to support our constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment, and push back on the administration's overreach into our lives, businesses, and communities.

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