Too many Americans die each year due to violence, suicide, or accidents involving firearms — and the unwillingness of some lawmakers to address this problem has left our citizens and our children vulnerable.

As a former federal law enforcement officer, I carried a gun and two extra magazines every day. Because of that, I understand the responsibility that comes with carrying a firearm. I also recognize that most gun owners who own to hunt, for example, are understanding of the responsibility that comes with gun ownership. I support the Second Amendment. I also believe that commonsense gun safety laws are necessary to curb the gun violence epidemic we are facing today.

Addressing gun violence and protecting lives should not be a partisan issue; it is a public safety issue. I support the application of the same background check standard for all firearm purchases, and I have voted multiple times to close online and gun show loopholes. States that require background checks for all purchases have fewer suicides by gun, fewer law enforcement officers shot and killed, and fewer women killed by an intimate partner. 94 percent of Americans support background checks for all firearms purchases, as well as the Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

I have also voted in favor of additional, commonsense gun legislation — such as limiting high-capacity magazines, strengthening Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), and raising the assault-style weapons purchase age to 21. I also support a ban on the manufacturing, sale, and transfer of assault-style weapons, which was in place from 1994 to 2004 and dramatically reduced the number and lethality of mass shootings in America.

I also support ensuring that states have the ability to provide current information to the NICS database to ensure informed background checks, and I support funding the research of gun violence as a public health issue. Members of Congress must have the courage to address this problem and implement policies that will help keep our children, law enforcement officers, and communities safe.

• Cosponsored and voted to pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act to require universal background checks on all firearm purchases.


• Voted to pass the Enhanced Background Checks Act, which would close the Charleston Loophole.


• Voted to pass the Protecting Our Kids Act, which includes eight commonsense gun violence prevention measures — including raising the assault-style weapons purchase age, promoting safe storage of firearms in homes with children, and cracking down on straw purchases that lead to violent crimes.


• Voted to pass the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation, which was signed into law by the President and closes the “boyfriend loophole,” strengthens background checks, incentivizes the adoption of red flag laws, and invests in mental health resources.


• Serves as a Member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.


• Cosponsored legislation to fund gun violence prevention research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


• Cosponsored the Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety (TAPS) Act to prevent targeted violence directed against children, law enforcement, and communities.