Republican Sen. Dean Heller was bullish at a luncheon Tuesday on the prospect that an on-again-off-again summit with North Korea would go forward, and he offered his take on the limited role he believes the federal government should have in curbing school shootings.
Heller gave a speech that focused on his legislative accomplishments, including a tax code overhaul, during a luncheon at UNLV hosted by the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce. He then took two questions from a moderator about gun violence and the country he referred to as the greatest threat to the U.S.
“I know the president called it off, but I think the whole purpose of that is to bring North Korea back our way,” Heller said about the summit. “I think this president has a unique way … to negotiate and I’m convinced that North Korea will come back at the end of the day. And that’s great news.”
Heller praised the progress that diplomats have been making during the Trump administration, and said a successful summit will depend on China and South Korea. China should be eager to support a peace because they don’t want a trade war, which Heller said could put a quarter-billion Chinese out of work overnight.
“If you were a dictator in a communist country, socialist country, the last thing you want is people unemployed,” he said. “So they’re motivated to make sure this works out with North Korea. We have everything to win and they have everything to lose.”
The senior Nevada senator, who faces what’s expected to be one of the toughest re-election battles in the country, also weighed in with his prescription for addressing school shootings.
“We’re in a terrible spot with these kinds of crimes,” he said. “It’s now become the crime of choice for young white male adults and we’ve got to figure out how to stop it.”
To read the complete article from the Nevada Independent by Michelle Rindels, click here.
