×

Yaw addresses guns, taxes, other issues during town hall

Guns, taxes and drugs were foremost on the minds of people questioning state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, on legislative issues during a telephone town hall meeting Monday night.

Yaw said he does not support a ban on assault weapons but rather a means of making schools, where a number of mass shootings have occurred, more safe.

“You can put an assault weapon in your home, and it won’t do anything on its own,” he told one caller. “We have thousands of people killed by cars every year and we don’t ban cars.”

Yaw said a state Senate Committee is looking into school security.

“There is no question about it, you need to keep people from getting in the building,” he said.

He said there is no state legislation that would arm teachers in schools.

Yaw said if teachers carried guns they would certainly need to be well-trained in the use of firearms. He noted that many schools in his own district are as far as a half hour from a police response.

The lawmaker was asked by a caller how much he has accepted in campaign funding from the National Rifle Association.

“I have been advised I cannot talk about that on this program,” he said.

He suggested the caller talk to him after the program.

Yaw said he cannot favor a property tax reform measure that would increase the personal income tax and the sales tax.

He noted Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to introduce a Marcellus Shale Tax to raise some $247 million in revenues.

“Any proposal I’m involved in will preserve the impact fee,” he said.

So far, some $200 million in impact fee revenues from natural gas drilling, he noted, have come to his Senate district.

It’s money, he added, that helps the counties or municipalities where the drilling takes place.

Yaw briefly commented on Congressional redistricting.

The state Supreme Court, he said, decided it could redraw the maps better than the Legislature.

“I don’t like what happened,” he said.

Two callers expressed concern about the problems of obtaining pain medications they need.

“I don’t think there is any intention of denying them to those who need them,” Yaw said.

He said state lawmakers cannot regulate what particular medications pharmacies carry.

One caller queried Yaw on Sunday hunting.

Yaw said his constituents are split on allowing it.

He advised those interested in the topic to let their lawmakers know their thoughts on the issue.

Yaw said he does not support term limits for lawmakers.

“Every lawmaker faces a term limit when they come up for re-election,” he said. “Every four years I have to face an election.”

Term limits, he said, are an easy way out for people not facing up to their own responsibilities as voters.

Yaw said he can get behind voter identification.

“I would support it,” he said. “I go to places all the time when I have to show I.D.”

Yaw said he has introduced legislation to ensure people leasing land for drilling receive their fair share of royalty payments.

One caller called Wolf a big disappointment who has failed to keep his promises.

Yaw said some of the budget problems of last year could be attributed to the governor’s insistence on spending money that wasn’t there.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today