House District 34B Candidates Tackle Gun Violence, Other Issues in LWV Forum
Early voting is underway for the Aug. 12 special primary election that will trim a field of three DFL candidates running for the late state Rep. Melissa Hortman’s House District 34B seat.
The race also includes one Republican, Ruth Bittner, a local real estate agent. The DFL candidates are Brooklyn Park City Council Member Christian Eriksen, former Brooklyn Park City Council Member Xp Lee and Hennepin County prosecutor Erickson Saye.
House District 34B covers portions of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids.
On Thursday, the League of Women Voters hosted a forum for all the candidates that allowed them to discuss a range of issues.
One of the questions they were asked was whether they would support additional legislation to address gun violence. The topic was top of mind due to Rep. Hortman and her husband, Mark, being fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home. Authorities said the shootings were part of a targeted plot to kill lawmakers.
Here’s how each candidate responded:
Christian Eriksen (DFL)
It’s a tough question to answer in one minute. Some time ago, somebody asked our police chief what caused him to lose sleep tonight. And it didn’t take him long to answer that it was 14-year-olds with guns. … There’s an immense number of problems that lead to that. There is more than one gun per person in the United States. The market is flooded with firearms. It’s easier than in many places in the world to acquire them. And we need to close loopholes like straw buyers … And lastly we need to create a society in which our 14-year-olds don’t feel like owning guns is the best way for them to have power and voice.
Ruth Bittner (R)
Yes, this certainly is a sensitive issue on many fronts. And we need to walk a balance on this one. So on one hand, we have to protect liberties. And on the other hand we have to protect people. I believe we have made a lot of progress in allowing people to safely have guns for those that should have them. There are protections in place that don’t allow people who shouldn’t have them to get them legally. Now, there are ways for them to get them, and that is illegal. I believe that has been a lot of back and forth in Minnesota over the years on gun laws, and I believe we are actually in an okay place. I think the restrictions that we currently have in place are to safeguard individuals and our community.
Xp Lee (DFL)
We are here .. again, because of a really tragic situation where the individual involved had 50 guns at his place. So … you know … it’s not necessarily a gun problem — or a rights problem. What I will do is work toward a statewide buyback program. So what we need to do is to be able to get guns off the streets that people don’t need anymore. But also expand the ERPO, which is our red flag laws, to really dive deeper into folks that have mental health, or other wellness issues, that of course could be a larger risk to themselves and society.
Erickson Saye (DFL)
This has been an ongoing issue. I feel as a prosecutor this is something I deal with on a daily basis in my work whether it’s adult gun violence or youth gun violence. One of the things we do in Hennepin County is when youth comes in with a case, we give them options, depending on the case, for diversion. Diversion is a program where we partner with community, and they get mental health services and they get resources, and just see what is the underlying issue. One of the things I want to do if elected is to create a proactive process rather than reactive. I see youth coming into my office when they’ve already done something bad. I’d rather pour into them to keep them from doing something bad. Giving them resources, community center, access to those mental health services now, which is going back to that education piece, right. Making sure we have other options, rather than turning toward guns, than using gun or stealing cars. So when we pour into our youth at an early stage, the outcome is a lot more successful.
Candidates were also asked to give their thoughts on ranked-choice voting, how to ensure safety of elected officials, how to keep students safe in schools, and how to better work with others who have viewpoints different than their own.
The special election for the House District 34B seat is Sept. 16 with early voting starting Sept. 2.
You can view the full candidate forum at https://reflect-ccx.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/38328?site=8
