Wednesday, August 14, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 5
Commentary...
Things have changed when it comes to guns in America
By Linda Weber
Guest Columnist
The issue of gun vio-
lence and mass shootings is
in full-throated debate once
again. Each time this hap-
pens I pause to reflect on my
own upbringing and my own
feelings.
I was born into a gun
culture. My father was a
gunsmith. I remember sit-
ting at his workbench as he
reloaded shells. It was fasci-
nating, learning about prim-
ers and powder and wad-
ding and how the whole of
it fit together. I remember
the molten lead he poured
to craft bullets and wonder
if the exposure caused his
dementia in later years. My
memories of my father are
nearly all colored by guns,
gun activities, gun parapher-
nalia, gun discussions and
stories.
My brothers were never
allowed to have BB guns.
They were always cautioned
with stories of someone who
lost an eye from a stray BB.
Our safety and the safety
of those around us was his
first concern. Our family
vacations were hunting and
camping trips, complete
with old and young gath-
ered around the campfire at
night swapping stories of
the one they shot or the one
they missed or the big one
with the gigantic rack that
was taken down by a single
well-placed shot. The cama-
raderie was genuine, the
laughter infectious and the
stories bigger and grander
with each telling.
In fourth grade I went
on a weekend hunting trip
with my dad. We left after
he closed the gun store on
a Friday evening and drove
late into the night. We
arrived long after dark and I
fell asleep in our tent. Daddy
let me sleep as he and the
other men made their way
out of camp for the morning
hunt. One old lady was left
behind to get me breakfast
and look after me.
It was mid-morning when
the first pickups returned to
camp. Excitement flared
around my father9s truck.
I rushed to see what all the
commotion was about and
saw a big black mangy bear
stretched out the full length
of the truck bed. Daddy
stood beside it with a wide,
happy grin. The story was
that he was on a stand when
a big buck appeared at the
edge of the clearing. Daddy
readied his gun for a shot
that would preserve the tro-
phy rack and not do dam-
age to the meat. He focused
on the deer, ready to take
his shot when something
else loomed, a bear chas-
ing the deer. Daddy9s shot
hit the bear and missed the
deer. Everyone hooted and
laughed until they dou-
bled over. I took it all in,
You work hard to achieve your goals,
we will work hard to protect them.
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proud and excited. My first
solo hunting trip and we9d
bagged a bear. Daddy cut a
long-clawed paw off for me
to take to Show-and-Tell.
When I turned 12 I
joined the Junior Rifle Club.
Daddy was the coach. In
the years prior to my join-
ing the club he coached a
team of four, including one
girl, to the National Junior
Rifle Championship. I loved
shooting my 22. A member
of the Junior NRA, I proudly
wore my patch. On my six-
teenth birthday Daddy gave
me my own Winchester 22
rifle, with Redfield sights
and a hand-crafted black
walnut stock he made him-
self. It was a work of his
hands and I treasured it, win-
ning first place that year in
C Class, Prone and Sitting,
at the Oregon State Junior
Rifle Championship.
I also remember the
anguish he felt when he sold
a handgun and the man went
home and committed sui-
cide. I remember him telling
about refusing to sell a gun to
a young man because some-
thing <didn9t feel right.=
That young man purchased
his gun elsewhere and shot
a family member. Daddy
grieved over events like this
and was jubilant when the
federal government enacted
the first background check
laws in the Gun Control Act
of 1968. He was vocally
opposed to <machine guns,=
or any high-capacity maga-
zine, or semi-automatics not
intended for hunting or sport
shooting. AK-47s would
not have been on his list of
acceptable firearms.
In 2000, when I ran for
State Representative, Ginny
Burdick promoted a bill
for background checks for
purchases at gun shows. I
was lobbied hard to support
that proposal. I went to see
my father and discussed it.
I wasn9t certain where he
stood. I shouldn9t have been
surprised when he came
down on the side of back-
ground checks for all sales
and purchases of guns! I
announced my support of
Burdick9s bill and the NRA
ran a mail campaign and two
robo-call campaigns against
me.
Today I realize how little
has been done to stem the
tide of mass shootings. I
know in my heart my father
would have been opposed to
the AK-47 rifle as a sport-
ing gun. I find myself not
only opposed to this weapon
of mass murder, but unable
to any longer reconcile gun
ownership. Background
checks are a must. It is the
least we can do to offer a
measure of protection to our
children. After ponderous
hours of thought I have come
to believe that Congress
should reinstate the assault
rifle ban, institute a waiting
period to purchase any gun
from any source, conduct
deep background checks and
license gun-owners. Citizens
should put pressure on
stores such as Wal-Mart and
Bi-Mart to follow the lead
of Dick9s Sporting Goods
and stop selling AK-47s to
anyone. When weighing the
bottom line consider the cost
of a child9s life, a child who
could grow up to be the next
Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.
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in the heart of
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