“We let those kids down in a host of ways.”
That was the assessment of Rep. John Curtis, R-Ut. regarding the recent shootings at a Florida high school. The newly-elected Congressman made the comment during a Carbon County Town Hall meeting held Friday at the USU Eastern Jennifer Leavitt Student Center.
The Town Hall meeting was one of 15 such meetings Rep. Curtis has held around the state as he positions himself for reelection.
The former Provo Mayor won a special election last fall to fill the unexpired term of former Third District Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who resigned. Curtis is being challenged in this year’s election by Republican candidate Chia-Chi Teng, who was defeated by Chaffetz in the 2016 Primary Election. No Democratic candidate has formally declared.
The Carbon County Town Hall meeting was attended by about three dozen interested citizens, office holders and candidates for local and state office. Curtis spoke of many issues of local interest, including continuing energy development, management of public lands, National Monuments designation, the Antiquities Act, tariffs, the Federal Budget, and others. But the most time by far was spent on the question of balancing public safety with Second Amendment rights.
“I believe we can bring the safety people are looking for without infringing on the Second Amendment,” Rep. Curtis affirmed. But he said the people who know the very most about guns go silent when the debate comes up. He continued, “Those of us who understand guns need to lead the debate. We understand how to make guns safe better than anybody else.”
Curtis said the Federal Government, State Government, Local Government, families and individuals are all responsible for gun safety and, “We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about anything.” He said thoughtful people need to have a meaningful discussion, but the question is, “Will the government act?”
Rep. Curtis said one of the ways we let those kids in Florida down was in the number of people who came in contact with the shooter but did not act. He advocates enacting state legislation to establish a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO). He said, “I think it’s a logical, thoughtful thing to do that would make a difference.” He said nobody thinks a mentally unstable 19-year-old should be able to buy a firearm, and we should spend some time talking about how that never happens.
Curtis continued, “We must also admit that we have a background check that is flawed in many, many ways. It doesn’t do what we set out for it to do.” He noted government agencies are supposed to report information that is used in a background check into a data base, but not all of them are reporting in. The House has passed a bill to require reporting, but it hasn’t made it through the Senate. “This is something we should do immediately,” he declared.
The Freshman U.S. Representative also believes the individual states should take the lead in gun safety. He concluded, “I actually think that states are an amazing proving ground for ideas. If we can’t get the Federal Government to do it, states have the ability to experiment. It’s one of the beauties of control going back to the states.”
Curtis said his committee assignments include the committees on Foreign Affairs, Small Business and Natural Resources. The latter, he said, “is very pertinent for my district. I’m very excited about that.”
Rep. Curtis town hall turns into 2nd Amendment vs. gun control debate
U.S. Rep. John Curtis gestures during a town hall meeting at USUE on Friday.