Six pledges to the citizens of Utah House District 6

A few people have asked if I plan to sign some of the legislative pledges floating around from various groups. Some I have signed, some I am considering and some I will not sign. Here, though, are my personal pledges to my constituents in Utah House District 6. (I may add to this list.)

​Utah House District 6 Pledge
I pledge to represent our entire district.

Transparency Pledge
I pledge to be as transparent as possible in all that I do and pledge to report back to you regularly.

Public Lands Pledge
I pledge to support all legislation and resolutions to urge the timely and orderly transfer of federal public lands within Utah to Utah. I have signed the Candidate Pledge of the American Lands Council expressing my commitment.

Party Caucus and Convention Pledge
As long as I am a Representative of the Utah House, I pledge to do everything possible to protect and promote Utah's caucus and convention system. I pledge to do everything I can to eliminate count my vote, the signature gathering process to get on Party ballots, removing SB54 and leaving only the caucus and convention system in place.

Utah has the honor and privilege of being one of only a few states where the people represent themselves in determining who will represent them. On caucus night, hundreds of people representing their families gather at their neighborhood caucus where they elect precinct delegates to represent them in vetting and determining their candidates for elected office. They speak with the candidates, asking them the tough questions. The candidates, in turn, must convince the delegates of their qualifications and ability to represent them as elected officials. It is a simple and grassroots process that follows the spirit of what our Founding Fathers wanted when they created this Republic. 

I honor the process. I have fought to protect it and the relevancy of the vote of delegates. I will continue to fight for it. I'm proud to be a grassroots conservative Republican. I'm proud of our Party and the unity they have developed to protect it.

In a mailer, count my vote (CMV) stated he (my opponent), "supports SB54, which allows candidates to reach the ballot by hard work, collecting signatures from fellow Republicans." Hard work? It must be harder than I thought to hire people to go out and get those signatures for you while speaking to very few of them. And it must be hard work sitting on the sidelines watching two actual Republican candidates campaign against each other talking with hundreds of delegates who represent thousands of people on the telephone, in their homes, during cottage meetings, debating, gathering endorsements and communicating a well thought out platform in preparation for an election at a convention of delegates. And the hardest thing of all must be watching the Party and its members determine together who their Party nominee(s) will be.

The mailer (paid for by CMV Utah) also said, "His opponent [referring to me] wants to go back to the old, insider-controlled caucus system." Frankly, that is liberal thinking, not conservative. Apparently, CMV, let alone my opponent, has no clue about the caucus system. And, I can't go back to it since I never left! I committed to it long ago and remain committed to it. Insider-controlled system? The only insider-control attempts I heard of were by proponents of CMV working to manipulate the results of the District 6 caucus election during convention -- but I'll chalk that up to hearsay.

I will side every time with the grassroots method of determining the Republican Party Nominee through the caucus and convention process. It is right; it is our right. I will fight the big dollar, liberal RINO methodology, and dirty big establishment politics.

Second Amendment Pledge
I pledge to fight against any legislation designed to restrict our Second Amendment right to own and bear arms, and to defend ourselves and our families. I pledge to promote, sponsor and support any legislation designed to protect and increase our Second Amendment rights or to eliminate current restrictive laws.

I have received an Aq rating from the NRA. A, for my responses to the NRA questionnaire and q indicating I don't have a Second Amendment voting record-- yet! I have also filled out and submitted the questionnaire of candidates for the National Association for Gun Rights. For whatever reason, I didn't receive their survey until after their deadline, but I submitted it anyway. They said I was probably in time to have my rating made public, but we'll see. I also signed their pledge to support or sponsor Second Amendment legislation each year I serve as your Representative.

I believe in open Constitutional and Permitless carry. I believe in unrestricted ownership of firearms, rifles and ammunition. I do not support or believe in the registration of arms or ammunition. That's the first step to the end of gun ownership and the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is the protector of the entire U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. If the Second Amendment were to fall, it would be the end of the power and glory of that sacred document and the end of our country as we know it and as our Founding Fathers made it.

My grandfather was an Army sharpshooter.  My father was also a sharpshooter. Both were avid hunters in the Arizona mountains. My brother and I grew up around guns and rifles and were taught by my dad and grandfather. We took the NRA gun safety course at age 8 with our .22 rifles. By age 10 we were dove hunting with our first .20 gauge shotguns. In later years, my brother became a marksman in the U.S. Navy. I focused on IDPA tournaments for a time, self-defense, gun collecting and began reloading my ammunition.

I proudly keep my carry permit on my person at all times, though I worry about the information and fingerprints I had to give up for that permit. I'm a hobbyist gun collector and trade and purchase firearms legally both privately and through gun dealers, though I worry about how I may be tracked by government agencies. I will neither confirm nor deny when I am carrying a concealed firearm. I believe in open and concealed carry equally -- with no restrictions.

I believe in complete gun safety and the proper training and learning of firearm operation. I do not believe in legislating gun training and safety, but feel strongly gun owners have a great responsibility to know their guns, how to use them, when to use them, and how to keep them safe. I have no sympathy or tolerance for gun owners who commit armed crimes. I have no tolerance for parents who own firearms and don't keep them safe around their children - there are far too many children killed, hurt or maimed after finding their parents loaded and unsecured firearm.

Principled Representation Pledge
I pledge to live by my principles as your Representative. As I've consistently stated many times and as found on the homepage of my website, "The Utah State Legislature needs principled representation to build a vibrant Utah.  As Utah House Representative for District 6, I will utilize my conservative principles to represent my constituents in the on-going fight for liberty, national and state sovereignty, freedom from federal overreach, a moral society, and protection of the principles established by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution of the United States. I will apply these ideals in practical ways for Utahns, with faith-based integrity, reason, and hard work."