Jessica Benham - Candidate for HD - 36

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1. Do you support universal background checks, specifically SB88/HB673? Why or why not? *

Yes -- background checks are an essential mechanism for preventing gun violence.

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2. Do you support extreme risk protection orders (red flag laws), specifically SB90/HB1075? Why or why not? *

Yes, I support ERPO's, but as a person with a disability, I also want to make sure that ERPO's don't further victimize people with disabilities. I worked on city of Pittsburgh's ERPO to ensure that we properly defined who could initiate the ERPO process (for example, domestic abusers should be allowed to request ERPOs on someone) and to more closely define exactly what kinds of behaviors could trigger an ERPO.

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3. A. Do you support support a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, specifically HB307 (if you are a candidate for State House)? Why or why not? *

Yes -- but my concern is that "assault weapons" is not technical language. If we're banning particular types of weapons, we need enforceable, specific language in order to accomplish our goals.

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4. Do you support the expansion of firearms preemption, specifically SB531/HB1066? Why or why not? *

Municipalities should have the right to regulate firearms, provided they give clear notice (maybe signs along roads or something) of local gun ordinances so that firearm owners don't unintentionally violate the laws.

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5. What else would you like to let voters know about your stance on firearms legislation? *

I'm tired of going to funerals for teenagers and children from my neighborhood who are victims of gun violence, and I'm determined to fight for the best legislation possible to protect our families.