Career
After graduation from college, Carter was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force through ROTC. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Reese AFB in Lubbock, Texas and was assigned to the 40th Tactical Airlift Squadron at Pope AFB in Fayetteville, North Carolina to fly the C-130 Hercules. Carter's most notable missions were flown in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Provide Comfort, and Operation Provide Promise.
Carter was assigned as an Instructor Pilot in the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus AFB in Columbus, Mississippi flying the T-38 Talon. After two years, Carter was assigned to the 48th Flying Training Squadron as an Instructor Pilot in the T-1A Jayhawk. In addition to training student pilots, Carter held a variety of staff positions including Strategic Plans Officer, Airspace Manager, Safety Officer, Current Operations Flight Commander, and Assistant Operations Officer. While stationed in Mississippi, Carter taught as an Adjunct Instructor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Carter's active military duty ended in 1999, after which he pursued a career in healthcare. Carter worked for Pfizer Inc., where he represented medications to physicians and hospitals. His specialties included Cardiology, Pediatrics, Urology, Rheumatology, Orthopedics, and Neurology. Carter served in the Air Force Reserve as an Admissions Liaison for the United States Air Force Academy.
Carter was elected to the Connecticut state House of Representatives in 2010, unseating incumbent Democratic State Representative Jason Bartlett by 4181 (52%) to 3920 (48%).
In 2012, Carter was elected to a second term after defeating his challenger, Democrat Steven DeMoura.
In 2014, Carter won third term after defeating his challenger, Candace Fay.
2013 Connecticut Gun Legislation
Following the Sandy Hook School shooting in which twenty first-graders and six educators were killed, Carter introduced legislation containing numerous gun control proposals, including universal background checks and restrictions on parole and early release for gun crimes. In 2013, and again in 2015, Carter also introduced legislation that addressed firearm access for people diagnosed with mental illness and determined to be at risk of harming themselves or others. Carter was the only representative for Newtown to vote against the new gun laws passed in Connecticut, citing the "over-reaching nature of the bill" and that the bill would "promote the growing rift between those that own guns and those that do not." Carter supports "No-Fly, No-Buy" legislation, as long it includes checks and balances for gun buyers wrongly placed on terrorist watch lists.
