• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

Sunday night, an Idaho state lawmaker fears her second amendment rights are in jeopardy.

Rep. Christy Perry had a table this weekend at Boise's first gun show since the Sandy Hook elementary shootings in Newtown, Conn. last month.
 
"One man should not be dictating the law in this country and that's really where the fear comes from," Perry said.

The Nampa legislator and her husband own a Treasure Valley gun shop. Perry believes the Obama administration is disrespecting a number of  responsible gun owners as it aims to curb the growing gun violence across our nation.

"People buy guns for a number of reasons," Perry said, "they collect them, they love the history of them, they like to shoot them and sometimes they'd like to have the gun that their grandpa had."

In his first term, President Obama presided over several mass shootings. Since Newtown, Obama's urged action to enforce tougher firearm regulations.

Last week Vice President Joe Biden headed a task force that met with the NRA and other groups to come up with a plan to enact stricter gun laws. On Tuesday, Biden will deliver his recommendations to the president.

One Boisean argues demand is currently at an all-time high because many gun owners fear stricter legislation.

"Self-loading automatic rifle, any type of a magazine that will hold greater than 20 rounds, it's pretty much name your price," gun collector Chet Edwards said.

Both Edwards and Perry say while the administration goes after guns, it's missing the larger issue.

"There's nowhere to house the mentally ill," Edwards said. "It's a recipe for disaster, it shouldn't infringe on folks like us at all. It's not my problem."

"Go back and look at all these shootings," Perry said. "Every single one of them includes a person who had an issue beginning with a mental illness."

Vice President Biden says his task force also focuses on adding resources to the mental health field.  However, Christy Perry argues those in the White House are pushing an agenda without respectng the laws they're sworn to uphold.

"Gun owners are very much in favor of balancing public safety and gun ownership," Perry argued. "But, they really feel in this particular case this is a rubber stamp process that will be shoved through on an executive order. And, that violates every right that I can think of."