Last weekend, Newstalk 870 talked with Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim about the many issues facing gun rights in America today.

We asked Sheriff Lathim many of the same questions we posed recently to Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane.

Sheriffs have come into the spotlight in the last few months as the debate over guns has heated up. Local law enforcement is viewed by many as the real "line of defense" for citizens' Second Amendment rights. Here are some of the questions we asked Sheriff Lathim plus his answers:

Newstalk 870:  What is your view of the (now dead) bill that would have mandated annual home searches by law enforcement to see if citizens' guns were "properly stored?"

Newstalk 870: "What is your view on universal background checks for gun purchases?"

Newstalk 870: "Many sheriffs have said they will refuse to enforce new gun laws that infringe on Second Amendment rights. What are your thoughts?"

Newstalk 870: "As some in the media would leave people to believe, semi-automatic weapons are a big part of incidents and crime in America today. Are they showing up at crime scenes in the Columbia Basin?"

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