Every primary election cycle brings important decisions about who will lead our state. I ask myself this question often: Which leaders can be trusted not just to talk about gun rights, but to defend them when it matters most—when the pressure mounts and the political winds shift? For me, the answer is clear: Ty Masterson.
This question comes from experience, not theory. Long before I was elected to the legislature, I was already on the front lines fighting to protect the Second Amendment through my personal advocacy work with organizations including 1 Million Moms Against Gun Control and Women for Gun Rights. Since taking office, I have continued that fight by working alongside Ty Masterson—who was instrumental in advancing these priorities through the Senate while I worked hard in the House—to pass meaningful pro-2A legislation.
One clear example of this during my time in office was the 2023 reduction of concealed carry license fees, which eliminated the significant fee to the Attorney General’s office and made licensing far more accessible. Ty understands that being charged to exercise a right is always wrong. Another example was HB 2501, which we passed this session to remove state criminal prohibitions on suppressors and short-barreled firearms while adding important liability protections for FFLs across the state. I’m grateful for Ty’s strong, consistent support on these policies that protect our liberty and expand freedom for law-abiding Kansans. We have delivered real results that make Kansas a model for constitutional protection, and I know what genuine commitment requires because I have lived it.
The right to keep and bear arms is not a political talking point. In Kansas, we do not have to wonder what freedom actually looks like on this issue. It is a constitutional liberty that protects individual freedom and embodies the principle that government derives its power from the people—not the other way around. Protecting that right demands leaders who are consistent, principled, and willing to stand firm when political pressure mounts.
Ty Masterson has proven to be that kind of leader time and time again.
Over his years in the Kansas Legislature and as Senate President, Masterson has built a reputation as someone whose convictions are not swayed by shifting political winds. Whether the issue is fiscal responsibility, protecting constitutional rights, or defending Kansas values, voters know where he stands. That certainty matters.
Too often, candidates campaign as defenders of the Second Amendment only to soften their positions, or abandon them altogether, once elected. Kansans have seen on the national stage politicians embrace gun rights when it is politically convenient and retreat when the national conversation changes. Masterson’s record tells a different story.
He has consistently supported policies that protect lawful gun ownership and has stood with Kansans who believe constitutional rights are not privileges to be granted by government, but freedoms to be preserved. We know this because of the wide-sweeping freedoms we experience and live out daily in our state.
In an era when gun rights face growing challenges nationally, state leadership matters more than ever. Governors appoint agency leaders and set the tone for how constitutional freedoms are treated in their state.
Kansas deserves a governor who views the Second Amendment not as an issue to manage, but as a right to defend. As voters evaluate the candidates in the Republican primary, they should ask themselves who has demonstrated the courage to stand by their convictions over the long haul. Who has earned trust not through promises, but through years of public service?
For me, Ty Masterson has earned my trust and respect in the protection of our individual liberty. Not because of slogans or endorsements. Not because of campaign rhetoric. Because he has spent years proving that when it comes to protecting the rights and values Kansans hold dear, he can be counted on.
