Rally, march to educate and
to promote safe firearms use
■ A gun safety rally on Wednesday and a march set for mid
May are not anti-gun; they’re anti-gun violence
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
Following numerous school
shootings around the country and
stagnating gun control legislation,
Eugene gun control advocates are
organizing two events to give a lo
cal edge to gun control efforts.
The Community Action Fo
rum, an Oregon advocacy group,
is hosting a gun safety rally at the
Downtown Athletic Club on
Wednesday to promote stricter
gun control laws and educate
people about the risks associated
with owning a firearm.
Featured speakers will include
Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey; Sen.
Ginny Burdick, D-Portland; and
Million Mom March organizer
Lisa Lauren Thirkill.
A march intended to pressure
lawmakers into controlling access
to firearms will take place on
Mother’s Day, May 14, at the Eu
gene Water and Electric Board
plaza. The Eugene Million Mom
March is one of many “echo
marches” around the country that
will coincide with a larger march
in Washington, D.C.
The rally will not be a protest
or demonstration but instead will
focus on providing information
about gun safety issues, said Dan
Close, a professor at the College of
Education and member of the
University Institute on Violence
and Destructive Behavior.
“We are not anti-gun,” Close
said. “We are anti-gun violence.”
Citing the increasing number of
( ( You can’t solve all the
problems with guns with
one ballot measure, but
background checks are
key.
Hali Burley
gun safety rally
coordinator
child deaths attributed to firearms,
Close said that the aim of the
group is not to take away guns but
instead to push for stronger child
access prevention laws, something
that is bitterly contested by pro
gun groups such as the National
Rifle Association, which main
tains that locking up guns makes
them useless for self-defense.
“The vast majority of gun own
ers are responsible,” Close said,
but those with children "often
don’t assess the risk” of keeping a
loaded firearm in the home.
CAF strongly advocates trigger
locks, which its members say are
not currently mandatory but are
cheap, easy to use and readily
available at most gun stores.
The problem, Close said, is the
“conflict between people who own
guns for self-defense, keeping them
loaded in the home, and those who
practice ‘safe storage,’ or keeping
the guns and ammo separate.”
Close will speak at the rally on
why gun safety is a critical issue
for households with children.
Burdick, who will speak about
the importance of background
checks, is currently collecting sig
natures for a November ballot ini
tiative that would require checks
at gun shows.
Torrey will speak about Eu
gene’s efforts to support gun con
trol measures.
“We want to let people know
about the various issues that
threaten our kids,” said Hali Bur
ley, former schoolteacher and
event coordinator for the rally.
She also stressed the need for
background checks and ex
pressed support for Burdick’s bal
lot initiative.
“You can’t solve all the prob
lems with guns with one ballot
measure, but background checks
are key,” she said.
Burley and Close both said that
Wednesday’s rally will be fun and
informative, with food and a
marimba band. The rally begins at
7 p.m. and is free to the public.
Holocaust Remembrance Week
Monday, May 1, 2000, 6:30 pm, EMU Amphitheater
The ceremony sets the tone for the 24 hour reading of Holocaust victims'
names and establishes a supportive community for those involved.
Hlttfli9ii|a(tfeKNa»s
Monday-Tuesday, May 1-2, 2000,
7:00 pm-7:00 pm, EMU Amphitheater
Holocaust victims' names will be read by
volunteers in ten minute intervals.
_For more information call the JSU at 346-4366
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