Blaine Luetkemeyer: “Thank you, Congresswoman Hartzler. It's always good to work with another fellow Member from Missouri, the Show Me State…”

“Thank you, Congresswoman Hartzler. It's always good to work with another fellow Member from Missouri, the Show Me State, where we can give some folks a little insight as to what's going on. Mr. Speaker, when I was growing up in rural Missouri, firearms were a regular part of my life. Beyond learning how to safely handle firearms while hunting and shooting, I learned also to respect them. Like so many parents, I made sure those same lessons were instilled in my own children. It is because of the efforts of parents or adults who can have a positive influence on a child that the culture of safety and respect toward firearms have been so well maintained in rural America. Our communities and families work very hard to ensure this heritage, and it is very upsetting when lawmakers--many of whom know nothing about firearms--attempt to place limitations on our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment is, in fact, a primary constitutional right that sets America far apart from nations around the world. Our Founders got this right. They knew ensuring the right of a citizen to keep and bear arms would always be vital to ensuring personal freedoms. I have spent my time as an elected official--first in the Missouri State House of Representatives, and now in Congress--working to protect the Second Amendment.…”