Since well before our country’s founding, Americans have exercised the right to keep and bear arms, a right formally protected by the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791. As a lifelong defender of Second Amendment freedoms, I am committed to ensuring that any new proposals considered in Washington do not infringe upon the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of law-abiding citizens. In the wake of devastating tragedies, well-meaning people feel compelled to “do something” and the government, likewise, to intercede. But good intentions don’t often make good or constitutional laws, and they certainly are no match for those set on being lawless. The right to keep and bear arms is not one for hunters and sportsmen alone. For centuries, it has been a right for every American citizen to arm themselves to defend their property and the people they hold dear. And it is a right that cannot be infringed.