On the subject of gun control, the 3rd Congressional District challengers are predictably divided. But there’s division even within the parties as to how to address the issue. Some argue there isn’t an issue at all.
Candidates vying for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, met with The Columbian’s Editorial Board on Wednesday to consider questions submitted by readers. Topping the list was gun control and regulation of assault weapons. Herrera Beutler did not attend.
Democrat Dorothy Gasque argued assault-style weapons should be limited to those who have served in the military or police officers who have received appropriate training.
“Outside of that, I don’t think the average American needs one,” Gasque said.
Democrat David McDevitt agreed with Gasque’s proposal but said the Fifth Amendment poses a problem, because if the government begins removing assault weapons, each individual must be compensated fairly.
Carolyn Long, also a Democrat, said the National Firearms Act could be utilized as a tool to begin fixing the problem. The act was originally enacted in 1934 and required automatic weapons to be registered with the government. Long added that the law would require gun owners to have additional training and an extended vetting process.
Michael Cortney, a Republican, also supported an extended vetting process. He proposed implementing the three-day waiting period for all gun purchases.
“Everybody should have to go through some kind of vetting process,” Cortney said. “As far as an assault weapons ban, it’s like Reagan says, we’re not going to stop people from doing crazy things but, by drying up the market, we can make it more difficult.”
Democrat Martin Hash was joined by Republican Earl Bowerman in opposing additional firearm regulations.
“I’m not going to split the nation in half on something that will cause civil war,” Hash said.
Clarifying whether there’s a gun issue at all, Bowerman said, “I think we have a problem with violent people.”
Tariffs and trade
As to trade, the candidates were asked to consider current tariff policy impacts on Washington as a trade-dependant state.
On this, the candidates agreed tariffs negatively impact Washington.
Despite that impact, Bowerman said, he supports what the president is doing because “I am strongly in favor of American jobs and that is what tariffs do.”
Hash said the president is trying to force balanced trade, citing inequities in tariffs between trade nations.
“I’m not going to defend Trump, but I will say the guy knows how to be in an adversarial relationship,” Hash said.
Cortney argued that the power to regulate trade should return to Congress as intended. The president’s conduct will make it difficult to negotiate with foreign nations in the future, he added.
McDevitt characterized the tariffs as a travesty.
“Prices for everything within our country are going to go up, disproportionately damaging and hurting the people in the middle class and lower,” he said.
Gasque said tariffs have been harming the consumer class for the last 40 years.
“Americans can’t afford to buy American, and they haven’t been able to for a while,” she said. “We need to look at this holistically.”
Long added that Congress needs to stand up to the president.
“He’s imposing these tariffs under the guise of national security,” Long said. “It’s going to hit us particularly hard.”
Deficit
By 2019, the federal deficit will likely pass $1 trillion, according to estimates released Tuesday by the Office of Management and Budget.
Bowerman said the deficit is rising despite tax cuts and what he said was an increased rate of revenue collection by the government.
“We have a spending problem, not a taxing problem,” he said.
Hash said the fix is easy: print more money.
“We can basically print as much money as we want as long as consumption is greater than production,” he said. “We could print money and pay for everything.”
Gasque, Long and McDevitt were joined by Cortney in arguing a fix lies in the tax structure.
“If we cut military spending by 50 percent — which I don’t see happening — we could use that set of money to pay for all necessary social programs to keep the safety net alive,” McDevitt said.
Long argued that cutting social programs like Social Security and Medicaid is exactly what the GOP has planned as a result of the tax cuts and rising deficit.
“We have to recognize that for many people, that’s what they rely on to get by,” she said.
Cortney added that in the past, the wealthy were taxed at rates much higher than today and “they were still getting rich,” but it set up the next generation for success.
“Politics has gotten so divided by money and bickering,” he said. “We’re leaving our children a really crappy future.”
