Congressman Bentz speaks on gun bills

By Oregon Campaign Watch,

The Baker City Herald asked Congressman Cliff Bentz his position on two gun control bills before Congress, HR 2377 (Red Flag bill) and HR 7910 (bans certain rifles to people under 21, bans large magazines). Here is a portion of the article;

“Bentz opposes both bills. Each of these laws, if enacted, would be litigated, delayed in implementation, and in several cases, held to be unconstitutional,” he wrote in an email. “What we should immediately do is forcefully tell the Department of Justice to prosecute individuals who lie on their background checks, end straw firearm purchases, conduct more detailed background checks, enhance (within the law) the capabilities of law enforcement agencies gathering background information, and crack down on people selling firearms from their personal collection without a dealer’s permit. Instead of politicizing the response, we should be actually enforcing our existing laws and addressing the mental health crisis that results in these terrible events.”He pointed out he has co-sponsored other legislation that would allow schools to take unused COVID-19 funding and hire more school resource officers and mental health guidance counselors.“Confiscating guns will not solve this problem,” he wrote. “The rights protected by Second Amendment are integral to American liberty.”

Previously, after the Uvalde shooting Congressman Cliff Bentz emphasized school safety as the key direction Congress should take;

“Our schools must be protected at all costs. There is nothing more important than our children and they must be kept safe. We must ensure that our schools are provided with necessary resources to protect against attacks such as this. Some are saying that this horrid crime justifies limiting our Second Amendment rights. With this I disagree. The Second Amendment is a vital part of our Constitution, and while much must be done to ensure the safety of our citizens, infringing on Constitutional rights is not the answer. Please join me in not only praying for every family affected from this horrific event, but also in acting, immediately, to improve the security of our schools.”

Oregon Catalyst