by arguing that most vehicles on the road will be powered by electricity rather than gasoline by the time the improvements are made to the highways and bridges. Gun control In 1988, Franchot sponsored legislation that restrict the sale and manufacture of handguns. The bill passed and became law on May 23, 1988. Minimum wage Franchot expressed concern over a proposal from Governor Martin O'Malley to increase the state's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2017, saying that legislators should consider its potential negative impacts on small business owners. In 2020, Franchot refused to pause the automatic increase in the state's minimum wage during the COVID-19 pandemic. National politics Franchot endorsed U.S. Senator from Illinois Barack Obama for president on January 10, 2008. He endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president on November 17, 2015. Franchot endorsed Senator Amy Klobuchar for president on February 17, 2020. Redistricting Franchot supports using a bipartisan commission consisting of an equal amount of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to draw the state's congressional and legislative districts. He also supports splitting the state legislature's 47 multi-member districts in 141 single-member districts. Franchot supported a 2012 ballot referendum to repeal the state's congressional maps. The measure was rejected 64%–34% in November 2012. Social issues Franchot supports the removal of Confederate monuments in Maryland, rallying for the removal the Talbot Boys statue on social media. The Talbot Boys statue, the last Confederate monument on public land in Maryland, was removed in March 2022. In December 2012, Franchot said that he would allow same-sex married couples to file taxes jointly. Taxes Franchot opposes levying a carbon tax, saying that it's more important to get a buy-in from fossil fuel companies to develop carbon capture technology. Franchot opposed legislation introduced during the 2012 legislative session that would levy a fuel tax indexed to inflation. After Governor Hogan signed legislation enacting a 30-day gas tax holiday amid the Russo-Ukrainian War, Franchot said that "the hammer" would fall on gas station owners who refused to lower fuel prices. In April 2022, Franchot wrote in an op-ed to Maryland Matters encouraging the Maryland General Assembly to extend the state's 30-day gas tax holiday by an additional 90 days. In May 2022, Governor Hogan wrote to Franchot asking him to suspend the mandated gas tax increase, to which Franchot replied asking Hogan to declare a state of emergency to suspend the