2014 MT Senate debate: on Gun Control

Amanda Curtis: Supports expanding background checks

Conservatives have pounced on her writing in a socialist newsletter, along with her video diary. In one entry, she said she had to stop herself from "walking across the floor" to "punch" Republican legislators who voted to make gay sex illegal in Montana. In another, she wore a hooded sweatshirt to commemorate the death of Trayvon Martin.

Champ Edmunds: 2nd amendment is about tyranny, not hunting

Edmunds: Strongly Disagree.

Question topic: Briefly list political or legislative issues of most concern to you.

Edmunds. Gun Rights: We must defend our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The 2nd amendment is about tyranny, it is not about hunting. National Debt. The borrower is servant to the lender. We need to be a debt free Government and a debt free nation.

Amanda Curtis: Common-sense solutions like expanding background checks

State Rep. Amanda Curtis, D-Butte, told how at age 17, in May 1997, she and her family were awakened by a call from the police in the middle of the night telling them to come to a Billings hospital. They learned her 16-year-old brother had shot and killed himself playing Russian roulette at a party.

"I would be willing to bet that every single one of you that's here today either has been directly affected or knows someone who has been directly affected by gun violence." Curtis, who is considering a race for the U.S. House, called for common-sense solutions. "If Montana has 2.5 times the suicide rate of states with comprehensive background checks, maybe we should try that out," said Curtis, a high school math teacher.