Kasich: No assault weapons ban, but enforce gun laws

Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he’s against banning assault weapons, but he favors keeping guns out of the hands of mentally ill people, and wants tough enforcement of existing firearms laws.

Kasich, who was endorsed for re-election last year by the National Rifle Association, talked about gun laws Thursday in a meeting with The Des Moines Register’s editorial board. Although the Republican presidential candidate created enemies in the gun lobby by voting for a ban on certain semi-automatic assault weapons while in Congress in 1994, he has since reversed his stance on the issue.

“I don’t believe the law had any real effect, and I don’t want to put laws on that are not effective,” Kasich said. He added, “I don’t want to communicate to people that I want to take their guns away.”

The governor said he’s concluded that people do have a right to protect themselves. But he would enforce gun laws on the books and he would insist that states report data about mentally ill people so they are not permitted to purchase guns.

He also said policymakers need to dig deeper into the issue of mass shootings, looking at the underlying social causes to ensure that when people have problems they have somewhere to turn for help.

“I think mental health is a big issue in this country, and we are going to have to spend some money on it,” Kasich said.

The governor also said he would “scrub” a no-fly list and give people on the list due process, but he would then not permit them to purchase guns. President Barack Obama has said it is “insane” that people on the no-fly list can buy guns.

Here is what Kasich said on some other issues:

EXPERIENCE: "Maybe it doesn't seem in vogue, but I think experience really does matter," said Kasich, who served 18 years in Congress — including time as House budget committee chairman — and has been Ohio's governor for five years. He points with pride to his work in the 1990s to develop a balanced federal budget, his reputation as a military reformer in Washington, D.C., and his leadership in Ohio to improve the state's finances, cut taxes and diversify the state's economy while working to protect the poor and disabled. "Our credit is rock solid. Our pensions are in good shape," he added.

GAY RIGHTS IN THE WORKPLACE: Kasich said he signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination in state government, but any effort to ban anti-gay discrimination in the private sector would need to be approved by Ohio legislators. “I don’t think it is going to happen. I don’t think the Legislature is going to do that, but I am not for discrimination,” he added.

NATIONAL SECURITY: The governor said the U.S. shouldn’t be a world policeman, but it has a responsibility to provide leadership. This includes arming the Ukrainians, and providing reassurances of U.S. support to Russia’s neighbors in Finland and Sweden.

“I don’t think you need to make Russia an enemy, but Russia needs to understand, no more incursions. You are not going to invade NATO countries. If you do, you are creating a major conflict with us,” he said.

He favors a similar firm stance toward China, ensuring the Chinese understand the ramifications of cyber-attacks, as well as territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In the Middle East, Kasich said he doesn’t believe U.S. troops should be involved in toppling Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, but he does believe American forces should have a role in destroying ISIS as part of an anti-terror coalition. At home, anti-terrorism task forces should have the resources they need and there should be an emphasis on cyber-security, he added.

IOWA CAMPAIGN: Kasich said he’s placed more emphasis on the Feb. 9 New Hampshire presidential primary, which comes eight days after the Iowa caucuses, because the Granite State has a smaller population and a smaller geographic area that allows for more efficient campaigning. The RealClearPolitics.com average of seven polls in Iowa shows Kasich in 10th place here with 1.6 percent support, while an average of three polls in New Hampshire shows him in fifth place with 7.3 percent.

Kasich has spent 10 days campaigning in Iowa this year, and he won’t return again until after Jan. 1.

“Gov. Branstad told me, ‘When are you going to visit all 99 counties?’ I got that, but I don’t have time to visit all (99 counties),” Kasich said.

RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD: Kasich acknowledged he wasn’t a friend of the ethanol industry while in Congress, but he doesn’t see any reason now to disrupt the federal standard that requires transportation fuels to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels. “I believe in these alternative fuels, and I believe they are important. So count me in. You don’t need to worry about me.”

CLIMATE CHANGE: “I believe humans affect it. ... We should have been on this a long time ago. We should have been on efficiency and renewables,” he said. “But I think we need to be careful and not put a lot of people out of work.”