It seems like every time we turn on the news, we hear about another shooting or an act of violence somewhere in our country.
These are terrible and despicable acts, and my heart goes out to every community and individual that has endured one of these tragedies. In order to address these acts of violence, the Missouri Senate formed the Interim Committee on Public Safety.
This interim committee has been tasked with looking at ways to improve public safety throughout Missouri.
As the vice-chairwoman of this committee, I believe there are steps our state can take to improve public safety and decrease violent crimes; however, we must be absolutely certain that these steps do not go too far and trample on the constitutional rights of our fellow citizens.
During the committee’s first hearing, doctors, lawyers, law enforcement officers and numerous other individuals presented their suggestions on how to address these issues.
Several of these individuals presented practical ways to address violent crime throughout our state.
Unfortunately, I believe others simply wanted to talk about ways to restrict our citizens’ Second Amendment rights. In my opinion, ideas such as “red flag” laws are not the answer to our state’s public safety issues. The idea of allowing someone’s Second Amendment rights to be taken away before a crime is even committed is wrong and unconstitutional.
Instead, our state should be focused on issues such as improving mental health and addressing drug-related violence. We must do everything we can to destigmatize mental health issues and encourage those who are struggling to reach out and seek help.
In addition, I believe our state needs to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to get drugs off of our streets. Whether it’s improving retention rates among law enforcement officers or promoting programs that reduce recidivism rates among offenders, we must give law enforcement the help they need to keep our communities safe.
I would like to thank B.J. Johnson, Craig Heidemann and David Muir for taking time out of their busy schedules and providing their unique insight into the public safety issues facing our state. I am grateful they chose to participate in the legislative process, and I am hopeful that the testimony they provided will play a role in the legislative solutions developed by the committee.
As we move forward, I will continue to support solutions that increase awareness for mental health issues and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to do their jobs. I do not, and will not support any legislation that infringes upon your Second Amendment rights in the name of public safety. I firmly believe the right to keep and bear arms is critical to the self-defense of every Missourian.
During the committee’s first hearing, doctors, lawyers, law enforcement officers and numerous other individuals presented their suggestions on how to address these issues.
Several of these individuals presented practical ways to address violent crime throughout our state.
Unfortunately, I believe others simply wanted to talk about ways to restrict our citizens’ Second Amendment rights. In my opinion, ideas such as “red flag” laws are not the answer to our state’s public safety issues. The idea of allowing someone’s Second Amendment rights to be taken away before a crime is even committed is wrong and unconstitutional.
Instead, our state should be focused on issues such as improving mental health and addressing drug-related violence. We must do everything we can to destigmatize mental health issues and encourage those who are struggling to reach out and seek help.
In addition, I believe our state needs to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to get drugs off of our streets. Whether it’s improving retention rates among law enforcement officers or promoting programs that reduce recidivism rates among offenders, we must give law enforcement the help they need to keep our communities safe.
I would like to thank B.J. Johnson, Craig Heidemann and David Muir for taking time out of their busy schedules and providing their unique insight into the public safety issues facing our state. I am grateful they chose to participate in the legislative process, and I am hopeful that the testimony they provided will play a role in the legislative solutions developed by the committee.
As we move forward, I will continue to support solutions that increase awareness for mental health issues and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to do their jobs. I do not, and will not support any legislation that infringes upon your Second Amendment rights in the name of public safety. I firmly believe the right to keep and bear arms is critical to the self-defense of every Missourian.
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