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32 Wednesday, April 1, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon A working vacation... The Nugget Newspaper Crossword By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service photo by Jerry baldoCk eastern Washington university students working on a Habitat for Humanity home during a spring break build. Gun COnTROL: Opponents say measures ineffective Continued from page 14 to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine. A second offense would be a felony, with a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The bill would take effect 90 days after it’s passed. The debate is falling along familiar lines. Gun-control advocates say the bill would make it tougher for people who shouldn’t have guns to get ahold of them. They acknowledge that background checks won’t prevent all gun- related violence, but they say the background-check requirements haven’t caught up with the information tools of the Internet age. My goal is to keep individuals who shouldn’t have access to guns from having easy access to guns. — Floyd Prozanski “My goal is to keep indi- viduals who shouldn’t have access to guns from having easy access to guns,” said Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a Eugene Democrat who is sponsoring the bill. Gun-rights supporters say the bill would trample on their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. They say the bill will only affect people who try to abide by the law, because crafty criminals won’t be deterred from find- ing a weapon. They also com- plain that the Oregon State Police background-check sys- tem sometimes returns faulty results. “If they were saying, ‘Yes, it’s an inconvenience for you people, but at least we’re getting bad guys off the street,’ I’d still object to it philo- sophically, but they’d have a practical argument,” said Kevin Starrett, head of the Oregon Firearms Federation. “But they’re not getting bad people off the street.” The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a pub- lic hearing on the measure 8 a.m. Wednesday at the state Capitol in Salem. Members of the public are invited to testify, but there’s no guar- antee that everyone will get a chance. Oregonians can also email or call their senator. Contact information for all 30 sena- tors is on the Legislature’s w e b s i t e , w w w. o r e g o n legislature.gov. For the past four years, the Oregon Senate’s 16-14 divide between Republicans and Democrats has been a road- block for gun-control initia- tives. Democratic Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose, who represents a rural area and takes a skeptical eye toward gun restrictions, has joined all 14 Republicans to block them. But after Democrats picked up two additional seats in the November election, the bill now faces much stron- ger prospects of success. The tougher challenge could be in the House, where lawmakers face more frequent elections and haven’t been asked to weigh in recently on gun con- trol. Democrats have 35 of the 60 seats, however, so the bill can survive even if four Democrats are opposed. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says Oregon would be the eighth state to require background checks on private gun sales and the fifth since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. The seven states with expanded back- ground checks are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Washington. — Last Week’s Puzzle Solved — This Week’s Crossword Sponsors Monday - Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday Monday - Saturday 11:30 a.m. to Close Closed Sunday 303 W. Hood Ave., Sisters • 541-549-4994 • www.theclearwatergallery.com Essentials Skincare Arctic Berry Peel & Peptide Illuminating System In-Salon Treatment Facial, $50 OR Luxurious At-Home Weekly Spa Treatments, $129 (4-month supply) FREE gift with purchase! Top-quality services featuring Eminence organics products. 541-480-1412 | 541-588-6271 | 492 E. Main Ave. | Mon-Sat Flexible Hours | www.SistersEssentials.com Join us for Breakfast Friday F d • Saturday S d • Sunday S d 541-549-2572 | 250 W. Cascade Ave. Check our website for hours, www.sistersdepot.com
