Travis W. Childers

U.S. Representative Travis W. Childers of Mississippi is the CCRKBA Gun Rights Defender of the Month for October.
Rep. Childers is chief sponsor of H.R. 6691, the most recent version of the proposed Second Amendment Enforcement Act.
In nominating the Congressman from the Magnolia State for the Award, John M. Snyder, CCRKBA Public Affairs Director, explained that, “in order to understand the public service that Rep. Childers has rendered to Americans’ gun rights, it is important to consider the situation in which he has acted.”
“For years,” Snyder continued, “congressional gun right defenders have been incensed over the extreme gun laws in the District of Columbia, a federal city over which Congress has ultimate authority. The Washington, D.C. gun laws, enacted by District politicians after Congress granted home rule to the District, have prohibited law-abiding District residents from possessing handguns even within their own homes.
“Second Amendment supporting Representatives and Senators have sponsored federal legislation to overturn the severely restrictive District of Columbia gun laws. At the same time, District residents have pursued Second Amendment arguments in the courts in an effort to overturn the District gun laws on a constitutional basis. This approach finally bore fruit in June when the U. S. Supreme Court declared, in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, that the prohibition on handgun possession is an unconstitutional violation of individual Second Amendment gun rights.”
Snyder added that, “While this decision was a victory for gun rights, District officials adopted new regulations which, while ostensibly in keeping with the letter of the Supreme Court decision, continued to undermine its spirit. These officials are trying to make it so difficult for law-abiding District residents to possess handguns that it will be almost impossible for them legally to do so. They also continue to consider semiautomatic handguns as machine guns and to prohibit citizens from possessing them.
“A number of Representatives, from both political parties, want to thwart this attempt by District politicians to in effect vitiate the Supreme Court gun rights decision. It appears there are a sufficient number of Representatives willing to sign a discharge petition to force the anti-gun Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, to allow consideration of such a bill. However, in order to avoid such a confrontation, Congresswoman Pelosi reportedly indicated she would be willing to allow such a bill to come to the floor of the House provided it enjoyed bipartisan support.”
Snyder noted that, “by stepping into this situation, Congressman Childers, a conservative Democrat, takes a leadership role in Congress as a top gun right advocate. He most certainly deserves this Award.”
When Rep. Childers introduced H.R. 6691 in August, he stated that, “the Supreme Court recently upheld Americans’ fundamental right to bear arms, and the legislation ensures that this decision is not infringed upon. I am proud to have introduced the Second Amendment Enforcement Act with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to protect the rights of gun owners. I will continue to fight for the constitutional rights of Mississippians and all Americans.”
He noted H.R. 6691 would repeal the D.C. ban on semiautomatic handguns, repeal the requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home, repeal extensive D.C. bureaucratic requirements of the D.C. gun registration system, and allow D.C. residents to buy handguns in Virginia or Maryland.
Childers was born in Booneville, Mississippi. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi.
While a student at Ole Miss, Childers became licensed as a Real Estate Salesperson. After graduating he joined a real estate business eventually establishing Travis Childers Realty and Associates, a successful Northeast Mississippi real estate firm. He and his wife Tami also own Landmark Community, a personal care home, and Landmark Nursing Center..
In 1991, Childers was elected Prentiss County Chancery Clerk. He was reelected five times. In 2001-2002, Childers served as president of the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association.
Childers was elected to Congress earlier this year in a special election when incumbent Rep. Roger Wicker was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Haley Barbour after long-time Sen. Trent Lott vacated the post.
Travis and Tami have two children, Dustin and Lauren.