Bill puts the ban on
19 assault weapons
The vote was as close as a snipe shooter's best shot,
’the House passed a bill banning 19 assault weapons,
but the effects of the ban probably won’t be felt — at
least for quite some time.
Supporters ranged from today's president to presi
dents from terms past, big game hunters to police offi
cers; but the other side of the argument was there to cast
their vote as well. Representatives who voted against the
ballot voiced concern that the bill really won’t do much
at all.
Not doing mtlch is a feeble excuse to vote the bill
down. Even if one life is saved because of the ban, it
deserves approval. Sadly enough, the bill won't make
drastic changes.
The legislation stops gun manufacturers from pro
ducing and selling 19 assault-style firearms. It also stops
manufacturers who produce copycat models and limits
magazines to 10 rounds. But, if you've got one of them
now — h'ufd rfrf to it. There is nothing in the ban that
requires owners of such guns to turn them over to the
authorities.
Assault weapons are, like their name sounds, used for
assault, used to kill people. Certainly you won’t see
someone hunting game with an AK-47. According to the
head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,
you’re certain to see assault-type weapons in the hands
of criminals rather than law-abiding citizens. This is
where the problem comes into play.
I .aw abiding citizens abide by the laws. The law-abid
ing citizens with the assault weapons probably aren’t
the threat The criminals w»ho use the weapons will,
without a doubt, still use them. They may be more
expensive to get, but they will get them and they will
use them.
Because they have been banned, another market is
open for criminals to tackle. The underground market
for assault weapons will turn quite profitable in the
future. Banning the manufacture of the weapons will
make it more difficult to get the weapons, but at the
same time they will become more appealing to criminals
simply because they are against the law and they will be
expensive to get.
It w'as reported that only 10 percent of gun-related
crimes committed between 1988 and 1991 used assault
weapons. It was reported, however, that crimes involv
ing assault weapons are on the rise.
Banning the production of the guns is a step in the right
direction in the fight against guns, but if legislation is
going to have an effoct on gun control then it must be
drastic and complete. There was really no reason for any
of the representatives to vote against the ban. but in order
for the legislation to be effective, it must be followed up.
The anti-crime bill passed last fall needs to bo ful
filled. Tho new assault ban and the anti-crime bill are
steps in the right direction toward taking guns out of
the hands of people who don’t deserve them. A yes
vote is common sense becauso any move toward gun
control is necessary in this country. Tho intentions are
good, but tho effects won’t be felt for quite some time.
Oregon Daily
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LETTERS
Disservice
1 ft*** 1 it is my duly to tiring to
light ttu* truth about multiyear
incidental fee funding. The May
2 Emerald editorial inc orrectly
stated that "under the ASUO
c onstitution, ballot measures are
unconstitutional if they have
multiyear funding ” I have no
idea where the Emerald "dis
covered" this section of the
ASUO c onstitution No such
provision exists Actually, we
have iiet'ii doing multiyear fund
ing for years.
This year s interventionist
Constitution Court dug out a
court opinion from the 1970s
that stated sludent programs
could not receive funding from
the tiallot for more than one your
at a time and incorrectly applied
it to all incidental fees funding.
In order to clear up the confu
sion regarding multiyear fund
ing, I have been working with
the administration to clarify the
matter in the Clark Document,
which outlines the relation
between tint ASUO and Univer
sity administration over the
inc idental fee process
The Constitution Court chose
to ignore the < larifiiulion and
lurc hed forward with an incor
rect review of Ballot Measure 9,
which provided multiyear fund
ing for a rec reation and fitness
c enter. In light of the Court's
confusion. 1 chose to put the
matter lieiore the students.
What disturbs mu most is not
the over/ealous Constitution
Court, or even the general cam
fusion. hut the disservice the
Emerald did to students bv
spreading lies about their gov
erning document, the ASUO
constitution.
Next time maybe you should
actually read the constitution, or
at least ask someone who has
Eric M. Bowen
ASUO president
PTA 86s OCA
The Oregon Parent Teacher
Association recently passed a
resolution opposing the Oregon
Citizens Alliance's measure of
discrimination targeting Ore
gon's homosexual citizens. The
PTA declared "prejudice against
homosexuals — children, teaiii
ers. parents — would affect stu
dents " (77ie Orrgoninn, Mav 4)
Over 400 PTA delegates, rep
resenting over 28,000 PTA
members statewide, attended
the convention and worked
together to pass this resolution.
Yet OCA Director I.on Mahon
had the usual head-in-the-sand
effrontery to seek to discredit
the members of this organiza
tion by claiming this "is another
example of how far this new
way of looking at right and
wrong has captured the estab
lishment of this state.”
The PTA. not exactly a bas
tion of "liberal" thinking, took
the just and right stand oppos
ing the harm that discrimination
and divisiveness inflicts on cit
izens and communities. There's
no "new way" about it. The
PTA's job is to protect parents,
teachers and i hildren from the
ill effects of bigotry and dis
crimination — the stock-in-trade
of the OCA. The PTA recog
nized the need to take a stand
Good for the PTA and the
growing list of community
groups and religious organiza
tions networking together to put
a stop to the blight of bigotry
taring promoted by the OCA.
Carol Berg
Eugene
Students lose
It seems that the University
has found yet one more way to
spite individuals attempting to
graduate on time Most students
who were planning to graduate
next year should now find it
extremely difficult — if not
impossible. A recent curriculum
decision changed most of the
three-credit classes to four cred
its Because the University lim
its students to 1H credits a term,
one must now nay extra to take
the classes he/sne needs to grad
uate.
Contrary to popular belief,
future students will not Irene fit
from this change, either. Four
credit classes will ensure that
students will remain in school
for over four years. There is not
enough room in each individ
ual's schedule to take the class
es required within that student's
respective major/ntinor depart
ments Indeed, students will get
loss for their money — even if
those classes are intensified.
A solution, short of repealing
this change, would be to either
allow these students to exceed
the credit limit at no charge, or
tailor major and minor require
ments within the departments to
match the former system. If
nothing is done about this, 1 will
expect the office of Academic
Advising and Student Services
to be extremely lenient with
petitions dealing with this mat
ter.
I urge the students who are
concerned about this to cut this
letter out. sign it and send it to:
the University president’s office,
the Dean of Students, your
major/minor department offices,
or academic advising and stu
dent services. This matter will
affect all students, so as a warn
ing. plan accordingly.
Joshua Thomas
Public Liaison
ASUO Student Senate
Nixsux, Rob rox
I'm very tired of reading let
ters that condemn Mr. Reeves
column (ODt., April 2H) that
painted Richard Nixon as the
dishonest man he was. 1 too am
weary of all the postmortem
praise our 37th president has
been receiving. I will lie the first
to admit that his foreign polk y
was not only insightful, but bril
liant. I will also he cniick to
point out his political begin
nings. such as Ins seat on the
House Un-American Activities
Committee and the infamous
Checkers speech. It is clear that
when it came to furthering his
political ambitions, he had no
morals. Those who praise him
would do well to remember the
bombings that occurred in Cam
bodia were exposed after the
fact It was clear then that he
was lying and I find it hard to
lielieve that some peoples' mem
ories are so short.
It is time that his memory is
treated with the respect that it
deserves, which is the same
respect that should be given to
any person who has abused a
position of power. Just because
lie was president at one time
doesn't make the man sacred.
After all, this is republic — not a
thoocracy.
Mats White
Political Science / History