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Wednesday, March 3, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
The Nugget Newspaper Crossword
Bill allowing gun ban in
public buildings advances
By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service
By Andrew Selsky
Associated Press
SALEM (AP) 4
Democrats in an Oregon
Senate committee on
Thursday, February 25,
unanimously approved a bill
that would allow jurisdic-
tions to decide whether peo-
ple with concealed handgun
license can bring guns into a
public building.
Over the opposition of
Republicans and numerous
gun owners, the Judiciary
Committee recommended
the bill be passed by the full
Senate with amendments. If
it passes there, it would then
go to the House.
Under current Oregon
law, a person with a con-
cealed handgun license can
possesses a firearm or other
weapon while in a public
building. The bill authorizes
any city, county, commercial
airport, school district, col-
lege or university to limit or
preclude a concealed hand-
gun licensee from possessing
firearms in public buildings.
The issue is even more
important in the aftermath
of the January 6 assault on
the U.S. Capitol, said Sen.
Ginny Burdick, a Portland
Democrat. In a virtual public
hearing Monday on the bill,
she cited a U.S. Department
of Homeland Security bul-
letin on January 27 that
warned extremists may be
emboldened by the breach
of the U.S. Capitol to target
elected officials and govern-
ment facilities.
<More than 300,000
Oregonians have concealed
handgun licenses. Right
now, all of these people have
access to public buildings.
As a person who works in the
Capitol and has watched the
armed protests at our Capitol
and around the country, the
protections offered by Senate
Bill 554 cannot come soon
enough,= Burdick said.
Sen. Fred Girod, the
Senate Republican leader,
testified that he9d feel
defenseless without a gun.
He and his wife both have
concealed handgun permits,
he said.
<This building, I hate to
tell you, is not safe,= Girod
said, testifying by video from
his Capitol office. <I9ll be
darned if I9m going to be a
sitting duck for someone that
comes in here and wants to
start shooting. That9s just not
right.=
Sen. Kim Thatcher, a
Republican and vice chair
of the committee, said 2,000
pieces of written testimony
have come in. It underscores
the passion people feel in
support of, and opposition to,
gun control.
Many residents objected
to the measure.
<Airports and schools will
become an even more attrac-
tive target for criminals who
don9t have to worry about a
law-abiding citizen conceal-
ing the means to fight back,=
wrote Anthony Fields of
Milwaukie.
Proponents noted that
jurisdictions would be able
to decide how to proceed.
For now, the law gives them
no say in the matter.
<School districts are pow-
erless to keep parents from
bringing guns to parent-
teacher conferences or to
sporting events; city councils
and county commissions can-
not keep audience members
from bringing firearms to
contentious debate,= Burdick
said. <In the Oregon Capitol
we cannot keep angry pro-
testers from bringing loaded
AR-15s into the building.
And yes, that has actually
happened.=
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FIRE DISTRICT: Staff and
volunteers working to
support vaccine effort
Continued from page 4
the Fire District added five
additional phone lines to the
three currently used. Even
with eight available phone
lines, and a cadre of volun-
teers staffing the lines, many
people were unable to sched-
ule an appointment.
<We had about 65 voice-
mails on the COVID line
by the time the appointment
slots had been filled,= said
Bialous.
<The overwhelm-
ing response when some-
one made it through and
got scheduled was sincere
gratitude and excitement to
get their vaccine,= said Spor.
<It is very important for
the Sisters-Camp Sherman
Fire District to be a part-
ner in providing healthcare
to Sisters Country resi-
dents,= said Roger Johnson,
fire chief for the District.
<We are happy to assist
Deschutes County Public
Health in their efforts to
provide COVID-19 vaccina-
tions to our most vulnerable
citizens.=
More information will be
shared about future vaccine
clinics when it is available.
For information on the
safety, and other frequently
asked questions about the
vaccine, visit www.covid
vaccine.oregon.gov.
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