Buckley first moved to the United States in 1985. He later moved to Maryland in 1992. He is a successful businessman in Annapolis, opening four restaurants and a café. In June 2018, while he was in office, the "Capital Gazette" shooting happened in Annapolis, leaving five dead. After the shooting, he called for stricter gun control in the U.S., similar to laws passed in Australia following the Port Arthur massacre of 1996.