2020 Gun Rights Candidate Survey Answers

Question 1:

Anti-gun organizations, often funded with out-of-state resources from Michael Bloomberg, have been clamoring for legislation to end virtually all private party firearms transfers in Missouri unless they submit to a federal NCIC check, thereby adding themselves and the firearm to a federal database. As we’ve seen, this legislation does little to stop crime but creates statewide databases of gun owners – which can be used against them later.

Question: If elected, would you OPPOSE ‘Universal Gun Registration’ laws that would ban virtually all private party firearms transfers, and make criminals out of gun owners in Missouri who transfer firearms amongst themselves (including their children and grandchildren,) without first obtaining government permission?

Yes­­­_____                    No______

Question 2:

‘Extreme Risk Protection Orders,’ commonly referred to as ‘Red Flag Orders,’ would allow an embittered ex- spouse, a former partner, a co-worker, etc., to petition liberal court judges to confiscate firearms from gun owners merely because they claim the gun owner could be dangerous – before the gun owner has been charged, indicted or convicted of a crime. In almost all cases, these are secret ‘ex-parte’ court proceedings that the gun owner in question knows nothing about, stripping him of his due process rights as well as his Second Amendment rights.

Question: If elected, would you OPPOSE ALL ‘Red Flag Orders’ (including those that do not include ex-parte hearings) or similar legislation that would strip Missouri citizens of their right to keep and bear arms before they have been convicted of a disqualifying offense in a court of law?

Yes _____                 No _____

Question 3: 

Anti-gun lawmakers, the media, and Bloomberg funded activists have been demanding a ban on the possession of or future sales of the AR-15 (and the standard 30-round magazines that accompany them) along with hundreds of related firearms simply because of their cosmetic features, despite the fact that this is the most popular firearm in Missouri and is used for defense against criminals and tyranny every single day.

Question: If elected, would you OPPOSE legislation banning the manufacture, sale, current or future possession of semi-automatic firearms like the AR-15, as well as the magazines that accompany them, recognizing that these restrictions do nothing to stop crime but only serve to harass gun owners and make Missourians less safe?

Yes _____                 No _____

Question 4:

The state legislature in almost two dozen states have already passed legislation that makes criminals out of law abiding 18-20 year old citizens who buy rifles and shotguns, even though federal law provides for this. These are citizens who can serve in the military, vote, pay taxes, get married, have careers and enjoy every other aspect of being a legal adult.

Question: If elected, would you OPPOSE legislation that would makes criminals out of law-abiding Missourians between the ages of 18-20 for simply buying a firearm for self-defense?

Yes _____                 No _____

Question 5:

Gun control activists have long desired a mandatory 3-day waiting period before law abiding citizens would be able to exercise their 2nd Amendment freedoms and purchase a firearm for self-defense. This, despite the fact that the madmen in some of the worst mass shootings in America, like the one at Virginia Tech or the nightclub in Florida, purchased their guns AFTER submitting to these waiting periods. Of course, these waiting periods do nothing to stop violent crime and only leave law abiding citizens vulnerable during times where they need a firearm the most.

Question: If elected, would you OPPOSE any legislation that would place unconstitutional waiting periods limiting when a law-abiding citizen in Missouri could purchase a firearm for self-defense?

Yes _____                 No _____

Question 6:

In 2016, the Missouri Firearms Coalition successfully advanced Constitutional Carry and Stand-Your-Ground law through the Missouri legislature, overriding then-Governor Jay Nixon’s veto in the process. Passage of S.B. 656 means that law abiding gun owners no longer are required to obtain government permission in order to carry a firearm for self-defense. Further, the law allows gun owners who are under attack from a violent criminal to use reasonable defensive force, including deadly force, without first having to retreat. In recent years, legislation has been filed to repeal Missouri’s Constitutional Carry and Stand-Your-Ground law.

Question: If elected, would you OPPOSE any effort to repeal Missouri’s Constitutional Carry and Stand-Your-Ground legislation?

Yes _____                 No _____

Question 7:

Most mass shootings happen in so-called ‘Gun Free Zones,’ areas where law-abiding citizens are forced to disarm, which has quite literally resulted in violent criminals targeting these locations. This prevents law-abiding citizens from defending themselves, their loved ones, and other innocent people around them. Despite this, Missouri law specifies eighteen locations that are off-limits to gun owners. Legislation has been introduced in previous years to rid Missouri of these ‘Gun Free Zones,’ but legislative leaders have held this bill back.

Question: If elected, would you support legislation that would repeal ‘Gun Free Zones,’ recognizing that they only make law-abiding Missourians vulnerable to criminals who view these locations as inviting targets?

Sponsor________          Cosponsor________           No________

Question 8:

The presumed Democratic nominee for the White House, Joe Biden, has publicly stated that if he becomes President, he’s “coming for them”, referring to AR-15’s and hundreds of similar firearms that Missourians use every day for protection against criminals and tyrants. During the 2020 legislative session, the Missouri Firearms Coalition introduced the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA,) which says that federal gun control laws are null and void in the state of Missouri, and further directs Missouri peace officers to only enforce gun laws that are passed by the legislature here in Missouri and that are in accordance with the Second Amendment to the United State Constitution. This legislation had almost 90 cosponsors in the Missouri House but did not become law in 2020.

Question: If elected, would you support the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which would provide gun owners in Missouri with vital legal protections against future federal gun control?

Sponsor________          Cosponsor________           No________