Second Amendment

Congresswoman Harshbarger on a gun boat at the border

I come from a family of sportsmen and avid hunters and, as a gun-owner myself, I understand the importance of protecting our Second Amendment rights. Years ago, when our family-owned pharmacy was robbed at gun point we were able to protect our family of employees by exercising our Second Amendment rights. I believe all Americans should have the right to defend themselves. Rest assured that I will oppose efforts to restrict our Second Amendment rights.

The harsh reality is that President Biden is making good on his campaign promise to restrict our constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights. That said, I am working hard to defend them, and you, from his executive overreach.

In May, I joined many of my congressional colleagues in stating our strong opposition to President Biden’s nomination of Mr. David Chipman as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Read more our effort on Fox News: House Republicans push impeachment resolution against Chipman as decision looms.

In June, I joined 141 of my colleagues in demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the ATF withdraw recent proposed guidance on stabilizing braces. This disturbing guidance would tax gun owners, take away the ability for disabled veterans to exercise their second amendment rights and turn millions of law-abiding citizens into criminals overnight. The ATF has stated “the brace concept was inspired by the needs of disabled combat veterans who still enjoy recreational shooting but could not reliably control heavy pistols without assistance.” Should this guidance go into effect, a disabled combat veteran who has chosen the best stabilizing brace for their disability is now a felon unless they turn in or destroy the firearm, destroy the brace, or pay a $200 tax.

I have co-sponsored the following pro-Second Amendment legislation in the 117th Congress:

  • H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide a means by which nonresidents of a state whose residents may carry concealed firearms, may also do so in the state.
  • H.R. 95, the Hearing Protection Act. This legislation amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to remove silencers from the definition of firearms, and for other purposes. Therefore, if enacted, it would fix the over-regulation of suppressors to increase access and safety for sportsmen and women. It would also eliminate nonsensical burdens to acquiring a suppressor and ensure the purchase of the suppressor is subject to the same background check process required to purchase a firearm without additional or unnecessary regulation.
  • H.R. 993, the 2A Preservation Act. This act would prohibit the use of FY 2021 appropriation funding to enforce any ATF measure, law, regulation, or guidance.
  • H.R. Res. 388, this resolution introduced by fellow Tennessean Rep. Scott DesJarlais expresses the sentiment of Congress that President Biden's gun policies are unconstitutional and should never be approved.
  • H.R. 3823, the Protecting Individual Sovereignty Through Our Laws (PISTOL) Act.This act would prevent the DOJ from classifying firearms with stabilizing braces as “short-barreled rifles,” subjecting them to regulations and taxes.
  • H.R. 1534, the Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act. This legislation would prohibit the President from administratively imposing gun control. It would also prevent any government official from prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transfer of a firearm or ammunition during a disaster or emergency. 
  • H.R. 3820, the Firearm Due Process Protection Act. This act enforces the existing requirement that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System make a final disposition of requests to correct its records within 60 days ensuring timely due process.
  • I signed an Amicus Brief to the U.S. Supreme Court standing with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association as they sued big-government bureaucrats who told Americans that they couldn’t carry a gun without proving they had a good enough reason for the biased, anti-gun officials. Unlike Tennessee, a state that respects our Constitutional rights, we must stop other states that are neglecting our RIGHT to keep and bear arms by requiring citizens to prove that they have a reason to carry before they can exercise their right. This undermines what I believe it means to ‘have a right’ and what it means to have our laws be written under the authority of our Constitution.