Stockman was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, near Detroit. In 1992, Stockman ran as a Republican for the House of Representatives against Jack Brooks. Stockman was unsuccessful in his campaign, but in 1994, Stockman unseated the 42-year incumbent Brooks, then chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Stockman's congressional office received negative press on the day of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The office received a faxed memo from the Michigan militia which made a reference to the bombing. However 50 other officials and politicians received the same fax, yet only Stockman's office turned the document over. He relayed the fax not to government authorities, but initially to the National Rifle Association.

When Republicans gained the House, Stockman authored a bill to eliminated 3 full committees and 27 subcommittees.

The Anti-Defemation League once branded Stockman as "the King . . of the Extremest Electorate."http://www.adl.org/mwd/elect96.asp

Stockman became known for his close ties to a large number of right wing militia groups while in office. Stockman also wrote an article which appeared in the June 1995 issue of Guns and Ammo magazine, claiming that the raid on the Branch Davidian church in Waco was conducted by the Bill Clinton administration "to prove the need for a ban on so-called assault weapons."

He was fined $40K by the FEC for running fake newspapers that published stories favorable to him.

In an official letter dated March 22, 1995, Congressman Steve Stockman wrote to Attorney General Janet Reno claiming that "reliable sources" (Guns and Ammo) had informed him that several federal agencies were preparing a paramilitary style attack on the militias, whom he described as "Americans who pose no risk to others."

According to Gun Owners of America, Stockman once offered up an amendment to a bill that would have deleted every gun control provision that passed in the 1994 crime bill -- including the ban on semi-automatic firearms and large magazines. http://www.gunowners.org/aw9616.htm