Contrary to a lot of Republican beliefs that Democrats will go after your guns, I support the Second Amendment based on both my upbringing and my military service. I grew up going to gun ranges with my father. I later served in the Army Infantry, qualifying as an expert with the rifle, pistol, and M203 grenade launcher. Because of these experiences, I believe the Second Amendment protects the right of citizens to defend themselves and ultimately safeguard our nation against tyranny or oppression, whether foreign or domestic.

My mother, Betty Maeyens, was a HUGE influence on me and who I am today. I watched her lead by example. She was an avid reader who promoted the importance of a strong education and believed in supporting growth in humanity through that very education. Along with this, she believed in a society of strong women—women who are capable of doing anything men can do, and women who make their own choices about how they treat their own bodies.

I, as a man, cannot make choices about a woman's body. I do not know what it is like to be a woman. Taking away a woman's choice in how she lives her life is a form of bondage that I will NOT take part in.

I DO NOT stand for this administration's use of ICE in its current state. Have you ever asked yourself—or asked others—how such a large group of people, like ICE, could be properly trained in such a short amount of time? The answer is that they are definitely NOT trained. This is why you are witnessing so much civil unrest over this issue. I will fight to make sure immigrants are NOT profiled and that they maintain the same rights as the rest of our citizens.

I DO NOT agree with Trump’s corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Why would we once again rely on a doctrine that caused so many problems in the past? The Monroe Doctrine, originally created in 1823 to assert U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere, has often been used to justify interventions in Latin America.

It is troubling that Trump captured the President of Venezuela and then escalated conflict with Iran—two countries that hold some of the largest oil reserves in the world. Critics argue that these kinds of actions risk pulling the United States into conflicts tied to strategic resources.

We should be moving toward a petroleum-free society, not doubling down on a resource that is finite and pollutes the very world we are raising our children in.