In 2014, national attention was drawn to the peaceful campus of Seattle Pacific University. There, a gunman had entered its science-and-engineering building and fired upon students, leaving a college freshman dead.

The gunman had acquired his gun legally, but in Washington State, voters must now consider if expanded background checks would prevent similar tragedies.

Two opposing initiatives will be on the November ballot. One proposes universal background checks, to cover “loopholes” like personal transfers, Internet transactions and gun show sales. The other says that no background checks can be implemented without a “uniform national standard.”

Read more about the debate at the Washington Post’s GovBeat blog— and check out some of the accompanying videos.

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