Democratic Female Senator Defends Second Amendment Gun Rights

By Ready to Fire News On Apr 20, 2018

It’s not every day when you hear about a Democratic senator facing down their party over Second Amendment gun rights — but add in the fact that she’s female, and you really have a story the left will struggle with.

That’s why it’s so important to gun owners across the country to understand that they are finding support in what seems like the most unlikely places. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat from North Dakota, is passionate about protecting each American’s right to bear arms. Her dedication to this cause may not be winning her any new friends in her party, but she’s become a rallying cry for conservatives who are looking to cross party lines with their message of Second Amendment freedoms.

Unlike many other leading Democrats, Heitkamp is more than willing to break from the party line to resist restrictions on gun ownership such as expanded background checks for sales at gun shows and online firearm sales. This may have something to do with the fact that Sen. Heitkamp hails from North Dakota, where you will find some of the highest gun ownership rates in the country. She’s holding firm on her stance even after additional pressure was applied by the recent shooting in California that left 14 dead.

Some analysts question whether Sen. Heitkamp is making a political play, especially since Donald Trump won North Dakota by a landslide of 36 points in 2016. This deeply conservative state only elected her by a very slim margin at her last re-election bid, and with another coming up soon it could be that she’s making a political move by backing Second Amendment gun rights. However, she continues to hold firm and expand her talking points around reduced gun control on topics as controversial as whether or not individuals with mental health issues should be restricted in terms of gun ownership — noting that it would strip citizens of their civil liberties much as search and seizure would.

While Senator Heitkamp declined to back some gun-related regulations, she was in favor of preventing individuals on the federal no-fly list from purchasing any type of firearms.

Senator Heitkamp says she firmly believes in protecting Second Amendment gun rights, but is also in favor of keeping our schools safe — something that resonates with conservative Republicans around the country from a variety of backgrounds. Expanded drills for schools, hardening the schools and continually looking for ways to prevent devastating attacks such as those in recent years can help reduce the overall impact of any incident that does occur. Focusing on guns is thought to take the limelight away from the root problem, such as schools that lack adequate security measures to protect children and teachers.

As long as there are individuals like Senator Heitkamp who are willing to step not only beyond party lines, but outside the bounds of what is expected of women statistically, the conversation will continue to be shared with a broader audience throughout the country. It’s only through these conversations that we can hope to have any long-term changes that will protect our citizens without taking away the inalienable right to keep and bear arms as granted under the Second Amendment.

~ Ready to Fire News