Damadar

How many times have people made stupid jokes about you "knowing nothing" in the past 6 years or so?

What did you go to jail for?

I rather enjoyed Goosebumps as a kid. The Monster Blood books, specifically.

Did you write all of the GooseBumps books yourself, or like K.A. Applegate, act as more of a supervisor to other ghost writers?

(The Cataluna chronicles were also really nice.)

Ooh, a tough question. On the one hand, I would hate to be singled out by the NRA or any other group as being anti-gun. On the other hand, I could lose all support if I don't come out in favor of gun control.

Thanks! This is the kind of tough question I was wanting!

I think the time to talk about guns, and their affects on peoples lives is whenever someone wants to have the conversation. I think asking people to "wait" for the "appropriate time" is just a way to never have the conversation. If you're afraid to have a conversation, you shouldn't be working for the public.

That said, I own two pistols myself. I recognize the emotional plea for wanting to ban firearms; I don't think that's a good answer, and there are several studies that show the effect of bans on guns are not directly attributable to a drop in gun violence. Other policies and initiatives that went along with the 1994 AWB were more helpful.

Still, it's too easy for someone to decide they're going to kill a large number of people. Law enforcement agencies should have tools, (such as the Red Flag laws being discussed right now) to proactively intervene when there's a threat to others, or a possibility of self-harm. This should go through the courts, and there should absolutely be a pathway to regaining those weapons once the danger has passed - whatever the criteria for that may be.

Closing the gun show loophole is another good idea. I have an idea, I'll float it here. Tell me what you think:

In Missouri, if you're a private gun seller, selling at a gun show, you are only allowed to sell to Missouri Citizens. (That's my understanding; I could be wrong. Feel free to correct me and cite a statute!) If Gun Shows were responsible for issuing a permit-to-purchase, you'd have background checks for every firearm sold at a gun show. (Gun show dealers, to my understanding, who are Licensed Shops, still have to follow NICS rules for background checks, even at gun shows.) The gun shows would work with the local sheriff's department to run a MULES background check to ensure the person is safe to buy a firearm. If they pass, they get a permit; they show the permit (and ID) to the guy at the gun show, and they get to buy the gun.

That's an idea, anyway. I'd also be in favor of raising the age of purchase to 21, or examining, (I haven't fully dived into it) a revival of Missouri's permit to purchase program that was removed around 2007.

Thanks for your question!

What are your legislative priorities for Missouri?

Focusing on education, primarily. Modifying the foundation formula to be more generous to schools to provide updated equipment, as well as better salaries for teachers. I'd also like to see Missouri move to a ranked-choice voting setup, to allow people to accurately represent themselves without feeling like their vote is powerless.

How do you feel about the alleged misconduct of Governor Grietens?

I'd like to see the judicial process move forward on it, and keep the politics out of it. The House is currently doing an investigation; that's fine. I feel like trying to set a trial date for November 5th was stupid. If he broke the law in this manner, he should be subject to the appropriate punishments as set forth by Missouri law.

I don't know the guy, I don't know anyone involved. This is something worth investigating, absolutely. I don't know (or have an opinion) on whether or not he actually committed the crime, as I don't have enough information available.