The Issues

The 2nd Amendment protects every citizen’s right to keep and bear arms as an essential element of preserving a free society. While living in Louisiana, I had a conceal and carry license, and I am proud to be a responsible gun owner. Unconstitutional gun bans, like the one in place in the City of Chicago, effectively ensure that only criminals have access guns and weaken the law-abiding majority’s natural right of self-defense. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear McDonald vs. the City of Chicago, which challenges the handgun ban's legality. Oral arguments are scheduled for March 2. I will continue to watch this and similar cases closely.

READ MORE:  5th District -- Quigley-backed Chicago handgun ban: Negligible results, still unconstitutional (Op-Ed)

I believe that American citizens are protected by the U. S. Constitution no matter where our own government finds them or holds them. As a veteran I believe that America must honor its treaty obligations towards uniformed members of foreign militaries because the safety of our own captured servicemen and women depends on the respect we show the Geneva Convention and the manner in which we treat enemy prisoners of war.

The way in which we treat terrorists and other non-uniformed agents who have chosen to live outside of international law and are not covered by treaty says more about us than about the terrorists. America must carefully balance the value of intelligence garnered through torture with the resulting danger to captured Americans and the loss of moral authority. I oppose the use of torture because it is not clear enough that torture produces an intelligence advantage over non-torturous means to justify the sympathy that our use of torture provides to terrorists.