CAMPAIGN 2006: Kentucky Democrats Speak Out

Would you vote for a Democratic candidate in the state primary without knowing where that candidate stands on health care?  The deficit?  Iraq?  The response to Hurricane Katrina?  Or your right to keep and bear arms?

Amendment II Democrats asked your Kentucky Democratic candidates, and they're responding.  Don't go to the polls without learning where your candidates stand on the Second Amendment.  This section will expand as more candidates respond, so check back often!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Kentucky's Primary Election was on Tuesday, May 16, 2006.  Candidates listed below have either won their primary battles or are facing runoff elections.  Thank you for voting!

 

QUESTION 1: Which, in your opinion, should assume the predominant role in enacting legislation governing the possession and use of firearms by law-abiding citizens?

QUESTION 1	Federal Government	States	Equal Responsibility
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 2: If elected, would you support legislation establishing a mandatory firearms safety class, including classroom assignments and an accuracy test on an appropriate firing range, for all prospective gun owners in the United States?

QUESTION 2	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 3: If elected, would you support legislation that would restrict or ban sales of semi-automatic firearms to law-abiding citizens?

QUESTION 3	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 4: If elected, would you support legislation requiring law-abiding citizens to obtain a Federal permit in order to own a firearm?

QUESTION 4	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 5: Pertaining to the Federal permit mentioned in Question 4, what firearms should be covered under such a permit? (Multiple selections are permitted)

QUESTION 5	No Federal permit	All handguns	All rifles and shotguns	Semi-automatics only	Certain calibers only	All firearms
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp	X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 6: If elected, would you support legislation that would outlaw private ownership of .50-caliber rifles?

QUESTION 6	Yes	No	Restrict to NFA	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 7: In your opinion, how do you feel about the current level of Federal legislation protecting citizens from unscrupulous, unsafe, and/or irresponsible firearms manufacturers?

QUESTION 7	We need more	We need less	It's just right	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp			X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 8: In your opinion, how do you feel about the current level of Federal legislation protecting children from gun-related violence in public schools?

QUESTION 8	We need more	We need less	It's just right	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp			X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 9: What is your personal opinion about proposed "shoot first" laws like the one enacted in the State of Florida in 2005?

QUESTION 9	They increase crime	They decrease crime	No effect	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp	X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 10: Provided that the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) is preserved in its entirety, if elected, would you support lifting Federal bans on the manufacture of NFA firearms (machine guns, revolving cylinder shotguns, etc.) for the civilian market, and would you support lifting Federal bans on sales of NFA firearms to law-abiding citizens who meet the stringent requirements of the NFA?

QUESTION 10	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp	X

COMMENTS
None to report.

QUESTION 11: Are you in favor of Federal legislation that prohibits individuals who are convicted of domestic violence (including misdemeanor charges) from possessing firearms?

QUESTION 11	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
Kenneth Stepp: I had a client once that couldn't get a job because, years before, he had pled guilty to a misdemeanor of domestic violence, and Federal legislation provides that no such person is allowed to purchase ammunition.  He applied for a pardon, and the State of Florida pardons board (the Governor and Cabinet) granted him his pardon, and he was able to pursue a career requiring wearing a firearm in his holster during his job.  I am against piece-meal cutting away at the Second Amendment by taking away the right to possess arms from certain unpopular groups of people.

QUESTION 12: Are you in favor of Federal legislation that prohibits individuals who are charged with domestic violence (including misdemeanor charges) from possessing firearms unless or until they are found not guilty in a court of law?

QUESTION 12	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
Kenneth Stepp: I had a client once that couldn't get a job because, years before, he had pled guilty to a misdemeanor of domestic violence, and Federal legislation provides that no such person is allowed to purchase ammunition.  He applied for a pardon, and the State of Florida pardons board (the Governor and Cabinet) granted him his pardon, and he was able to pursue a career requiring wearing a firearm in his holster during his job.  I am against piece-meal cutting away at the Second Amendment by taking away the right to possess arms from certain unpopular groups of people.

QUESTION 13: Are you in favor of Federal legislation that prohibits individuals who have been convicted of misdemeanor possession of illegal drugs from possessing firearms?

QUESTION 13	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
Kenneth Stepp: I had a client once that couldn't get a job because, years before, he had pled guilty to a misdemeanor of domestic violence, and Federal legislation provides that no such person is allowed to purchase ammunition.  He applied for a pardon, and the State of Florida pardons board (the Governor and Cabinet) granted him his pardon, and he was able to pursue a career requiring wearing a firearm in his holster during his job.  I am against piece-meal cutting away at the Second Amendment by taking away the right to possess arms from certain unpopular groups of people.

QUESTION 14: Are you in favor of Federal legislation that prohibits individuals who have been charged with misdemeanor possession of illegal drugs from possessing firearms unless or until they are found not guilty in a court of law?

QUESTION 14	Yes	No	Undecided
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp		X

COMMENTS
Kenneth Stepp: I had a client once that couldn't get a job because, years before, he had pled guilty to a misdemeanor of domestic violence, and Federal legislation provides that no such person is allowed to purchase ammunition.  He applied for a pardon, and the State of Florida pardons board (the Governor and Cabinet) granted him his pardon, and he was able to pursue a career requiring wearing a firearm in his holster during his job.  I am against piece-meal cutting away at the Second Amendment by taking away the right to possess arms from certain unpopular groups of people.

QUESTION 15 (Last question): In your opinion, did the Founding Fathers intend the Second Amendment to guarantee an individual right to bear arms or a collective right (National Guard, state militias, etc.), or both?

QUESTION 15	Individual right	Collective right	Both
(KY-5) Kenneth Stepp			X

COMMENTS
Kenneth Stepp: The Founding Fathers had left their farms and homes and entered a popular armed uprising against the most powerful empire in the world, and had outgunned the Redcoats.  No, these were not a quiet group of squirrel hunters, discussing when squirrel hunting season opens, they were hardy revolutionaries.  Thomas Jefferson, the founder of the Democratic Party explained, "That government governs best that governs least."  True then, and true today.  I support the laws against convicted felons possessing firearms, but I oppose extending those restrictions against people accused of misdemeanors, people convicted of misdemeanors, nor people accused of domestic violence.