Republican Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, who died in a car crash with two members of her staff on Aug. 3, will be remembered as a strong proponent of Second Amendment rights, and a steadfast critic of gun control.
Just days before her death, reacting to the narrow passage of H.R. 1808, the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2022,” Walorski released a statement criticizing the 217-213 vote.
“Rather than fund the police, enforce existing laws, and get tough on crime,” Walorski said, “Democrats are choosing to target Americans’ fundamental right to keep and bear arms. As we witness week after week in cities across the country, criminals have taken over the streets and left a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Banning firearms doesn’t stop violence – it only punishes law-abiding gun owners. As a firm defender of the U.S. Constitution, I rejected this outrageous overreach and will continue to uphold Americans’ rights.”
Walorski represented Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District. Prior to her election to Congress, she served six years in the Indiana Legislature. She was running for another term, according to The Hill.
In 2016, Walorski supported legislation (H.R. 2406) called the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act.
She was a member of the Congressional Sportsmen Caucus and an avid outdoor enthusiast.
In 2017, Walorski supported National Concealed Carry Reciprocity. It passed the House but gathered dust in the Senate.
Killed in the crash with Walorski were Zachary Potts, an Indiana resident who served as the Congresswoman’s district director and also as Republican chair for St. Joseph County; and her communications director, Emma Thompson, who lived in Washington, D.C.
The driver of the other car, identified as Edith Schmucker, 56, Nappanee, Indiana, also died in the collision.
