Continuing coverage of the League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night for those seeking State Senate seats looking at answers to the question of how to protect students from gun violence.

And the candidates had a minute to answer the question

My notes are below:

32nd District

Craig Wilcox

• 

  Mary Mahady

  Republican Craig Wilcox – pointed out that “some of the strictest gun laws do not reduce gun violence.”  He suggested assessing defensive measures, including additional resource officers.

• Democrat Mary Mahady – “The answer is not putting more guns or resource officers in schools.”  She advocated “common sense gun laws,” e.g., “banning bump stocks and multi-round clips.” She concluded, “Don’t make our teachers police.”

33rd District

Don DeWitte

• 

  Nancy Zettler

  Republican Don DeWitte – cited passage of the new law that allows”judges to remove guns from people” when a “family member thinks shouldn’t have them.”  He also favored prosecuting people who have improperly secured guns.

• Democrat Nancy Zettler – “We have one side always pointing to mental health issues, but we have to get serious, have to start talking about funding mental health programs.”  She added that we “need to have regulation of guns in this state and [gun] stores need to be licensed.”

26th District

Don McConchie

Tom Georges

• Republican Dan McConchie – pointed to the vast number of students who have gotten in an unsecured entrance.  “Schools is always acting in a defensive mode.”  He added that there should be “sufficient school resources officers and limited entrances
• Democrat Tom Georges – led with his support of the Second Amendment.  He favors “common sense gun laws” and says state needs to support mental health.  He related that he spent thirty-one years in the military .  “We did not carry weapons.”