Marilyn N. Musgrave

Congresswoman Marilyn N. Musgrave of Colorado is the winner of the CCRKBA Gun Rights Defender of the Month Award for July.
 In nominating U.S. Rep. Musgrave for the Award, John Michael Snyder, CCRKBA Public Affairs Director, said that, “during these times, when so many in the national  media attempt to glamorize so supinely such anti-gun women politicians as Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Patty Murray of Washington State and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, it is well to recognize the statesmanlike activities of such pro-gun women public officials as this forthright Colorado defender of the individual Second Amendment civil right of law-abiding American citizens to keep and bear arms.  Throughout her public career, Congresswoman Musgrave has been an articulate defender and promoter of the right to keep and bear arms, and she surely is most deserving of this Award.”
 Recently, Musgrave was a prime spearhead in the formation in the U.S. House of Representatives of the Second Amendment Caucus, a group of pro-gun Representatives who realize that the Second Amendment “refers to the individual citizen’s right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of defense, recreation and collection.”
 Musgrave’s support of the right to keep and bear arms, however, goes back to her days in the Colorado State Legislature, where she worked hard to lay the groundwork for Colorado’s current concealed carry law.  She served in the Colorado State Senate from 1998 to 2002 and, before that, in the Colorado State House, from 1994 to 1998.  Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, she is running for reelection this November.
 During her membership in the 108th Congress, she is working to make sure that the 1994 Clinton ban on semiautomatic firearms sunsets in September as proposed.  She writes that H.R. 2038, proposed by Reps. Carolyn McCarthy of New York, John Conyers of Michigan and others, to reauthorize and even expand the ban, is “a violation” of the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
 Musgrave herself is a cosponsor of H.R. 990, the proposed Secure Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2003, a bill she says would ensure that Colorado concealed carry permit holders will be able to protect themselves while traveling out of state.  She helped in House passage of H.R. 1036, the proposed Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a bill to stop frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dealers.  The proposal is still pending in the U.S. Senate.
 “The Constitution,” Musgrave declares, “plainly states that private firearm ownership is necessary for both personal and national defense.  Although many politicians today are trying to erode our civil rights under the guise of protection, I will continue to work hard to restore our Second Amendment rights.”
 She writes she is a cosponsor of H.R. 2906, to reduce unnecessary paperwork and government intervention in firearm sales, and opposes H.R. 3237, a bill to expand the NICS background check system.  She is a member of the Congressional Sportsman Caucus.
 Born July 27, 1949 in Greeley, Colorado, Marilyn grew up in rural Weld County, a place where, she says, a wide blue sky meets fields of corn, hay and other agricultural staples.
 She says also that, growing up, she liked reading and sports, and learned to work hard at an early age.  As a student at Eaton High School, she remembers when politics first came alive to her.  “A teacher in my government class inspired me,” she says. 
 Her interest in politics continued in her years as a Social Studies student at Colorado State University.  Marilyn remembers being disturbed by themes of socialism.  “Some professors wanted guaranteed income for everyone,” she recalls.  “That didn’t make sense to me.  I asked, ‘What about those who work hard, and get an education?  Shouldn’t they enjoy what they work for?”
 She married Steve Musgrave while attending Colorado State University, where they both worked their way through college.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies.  After graduation, Marilyn taught school in Eastern Colorado.
 While living in Morgan County, Marilyn and Steve started an agricultural business, an experience she says has given her a personal understanding of the concerns and needs of small businesses.
 Marilyn and Steve raised four children, Chad, Becky, Amy and John, and now have five grandchildren.
 Now, in the House of Representatives, Mrs. Musgrave sits on three committees: Agriculture; Education & the Workforce; and Small Business.