John,

As you know, Russian military forces are currently involved in a massive land invasion of Ukraine.

I will not mince words, what Putin has done is nothing short of a massive breach of international law and there is no place for actions like this in the world of 2022. It is on us to stand in solidarity with our European allies and implement serious sanctions on Putin, the oligarchs who keep him in power, and his government.

Now is the time to freeze access to the billions of dollars that Putin and his oligarch friends have tucked away in off-shore bank accounts from across the globe and isolate Russia’s already fragile economy.

As I write this brave Russian protestors are taking to the streets and risking imprisonment to vocally oppose Russia’s imperial misadventure. It’s time to stand with these protestors in their brave defense of peace and Democracy.

If we are truly the ‘leader of the free world’ it is on us to open our doors and help find homes for the millions of Ukrainian refugees who have been displaced by the war. Many of these refugees are flocking to Ukraine’s neighbors like Slovakia and Hungary and it’s on us to make sure that these bordering countries have everything they need to accommodate the flow of displaced persons.

Something which has stood out to me is the Ukrainian government arming its population for all out resistance against the Russian advance. Officials are saying that anyone who is willing to fight will receive a gun. While this is well and good there has also been a cascade of videos showing preventable firearm mishaps resulting from these newly armed Ukrainian citizens handling firearms for the first time. As any responsible gun owner knows it takes days, if not longer, of training and learning the best safety practices to properly handle a firearm.

When I was in High School I was witness to the 1992 Lindhurst mass shooting and hostage situation. While I escaped, I had many friends who were either killed or held hostage. Among those held hostage were two of my close friends. At one point the gunmen instructed my friends to go search the building for other hostages and it was while they were out looking that they found a jammed gun that had been dropped by the gunmen. They tried their hardest to unjam the gun so that they might turn it on the gunmen but it was to no avail. I constantly wonder what might have happened if they had received the proper training in firearms, might they have been able to unjam the gun and rescue their fellow students from the shooter?

It is for this reason that I am a huge advocate for proper gun training and education. If America were ever invaded or if a takeover like January 6th had been successful, it would be on us the citizens to defend our Democracy. Yet, I fear that many brave freedom loving Americans would simply be out of luck in a situation like this due to never receiving adequate training. It’s not too late to encourage legislation that promotes firearms safety training and I will proudly fight for this when I am elected.

While Putin and his cronies seek a world divided by hatred and strife, I seek one that is united by our common humanity and care for one another.

I pray for a peaceful resolution to Ukraine’s suffering without further escalation.

Jackie McGowan