Voters should be permitted to carry a gun to their polling place to protect themselves against intimidation, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said Thursday during a House Judiciary Committee markup session on new guns laws.
Gaetz referenced an amendment proposed by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., during the hearing.
"I sort of like Massie's legislation that maybe everyone who's a voter or on their way to vote ought to have the opportunity to carry a firearm to ensure that they're not subject to any intimidation," Gaetz said.
The Massie amendment was proposed — but failed 24-20 — during debate on a gun law that would raise the age to legally buy a semi-automatic firearm to 21 and one to ban "straw purchases," which are when a proxy buyer purchases a gun for someone who does not pass a background check, according to The Hill.
There are almost 12 states that ban guns at polling sites, including California and battleground states Arizona, Florida, and Georgia, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Five battleground states do not ban guns at the polls: Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to The Hill.
The House Judiciary Committee moved a number of new gun bills to the House floor, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said they will be voted on next week.
via newsmax