WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, on the House Floor in opposition to H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446.

“Madame Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446.  

“In the last week, I’ve received over 1,000 letters from constituents in strong opposition to these anti-gun bills. Here is a sample of a few of them:

“H.R. 8 will make it impossible to sell or loan guns to my relatives and trusted friends.” 

“These bills appear designed to impose restrictions on natural rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.”

“Stand for our rights and oppose these measures with every tool in your grasp.”

“I absolutely will fight these measures with every tool in my grasp. These Rights to protect my life, liberty and property were granted to me by God and cannot be taken from me by D.C. bureaucrats.    

“I grew up in the Deep South at a time when black Americans were unable to defend themselves. After the Civil War, Black Codes and Jim Crow laws prohibited people of color from owning firearms. In the mid-1950s, Martin Luther King, Jr. kept firearms for self-protection, but his application for a concealed weapons permit was denied because of racist gun control laws in his state.   

“As a child, my dad witnessed an altercation between his father and a southern white man who thought my grandfather was being disrespectful and threatened to teach him a lesson. Later that night, he drove up to my grandfather’s home with a bunch of his friends standing on the forerunner of a Model T Ford.  

“My grandfather was prepared—he and his brothers hid around his front porch. As these bullies and cowards approached the house, they heard the click of rifles and left just as fast as they came.

“Without ever firing his gun on another human being, my grandfather’s right to own a firearm ensured his rights to protect his Life, Liberty, and Property. 

“Thank you, and I yield back.”