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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2019)
4A WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 The Observer OUR VIEW Gun storage measure is confusing No responsible gun owner would object to the basic premise that guns should be stored in a way designed to ensure that nobody who shouldn’t have access to the guns will have it. The National Rifl e Association, no fan of restric- tions on gun owners, emphasizes safe handling and storage of fi rearms. One of the NRA’s gun safety rules puts it this way: “Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons.” This is basically the ostensible purpose behind a ballot measure that Oregonians could vote on in November 2020 if supporters gather suffi cient signatures. But that measure, No. 40, also includes some provisions that seem intended more to discour- age people from owning guns at all, rather than to prompt them to safely store their fi rearms. Section 1 of the measure requires gun owners to “secure” all fi rearms, or face potential fi nes. The measure defi nes a “secure” gun as one with an engaged trigger lock or cable lock, or that is stored in a “locked container, equipped with a tamper-resistant lock.” The measure also calls for the Oregon Health Authority to adopt temporary rules by Jan. 1, 2021, setting minimum specifi cations for those locks and containers, and to adopt permanent rules for those specifi cations by July 1, 2021. Using locks, or locked containers, is a legitimate, and common, way for gun owners to secure their fi rearms. But the measure would also impose on gun own- ers a much more stringent, and potentially unreal- istic, legal standard. It reads in part: “... a fi rearm is not secured if a key, combination or other means of opening a lock or container is readily available to a person the owner or possessor has not authorized to carry or control the fi rearm.” The key phrases in the preceding sentence are “or other means” and “readily available.” If we’re going to require gun owners to secure guns with locks, it’s sensible to also ensure that they keep track of the keys, or combinations, that open those locks. But mandating, at penalty of law, that gun own- ers also ensure that nobody can have “other means” to access a locked gun is such a broad requirement that in effect it means if anybody gets your gun, by any means, it’s your fault, legally speaking. What if the “other means” is a pair of bolt cutters, an item that’s “readily available” at any hardware store? The measure also states that “space within a vehicle” does not qualify as a container that meets the requirement for “secure” storage. This ignores the growing availability of lockable storage spaces, particularly in pickup trucks, which could be nearly as secure as a locked container inside a home. Measure 40’s backers have good intentions, but the initiative doesn’t deserve voters’ support as written. MY VOICE Our Vietnam veterans deserve a memorial in Salem by 2022 O n Nov. 11, 1969, Operation Fulton Square in the Quang Tri Province was in full force with the assistance of the 1st Marine Division, 101st Airborne Divi- sion and the 5th Infantry Division. This was one of 20 operations active through- out Vietnam. There were more than 500,000 United States military personnel assigned to the Vietnam War Zone. Yes, Veterans Day 50 years ago was very different than this year. While today we have troops assigned to opera- tions in the Middle East, we must real- ize that in 1969 the Vietnam War was raging. Identifi ed as the second most deadly year of the Vietnam era, 11,780 United States warriors were killed in action in 1969. All totaled, more than 58,000 of our troops died in Vietnam, and 710 were from Oregon. Man of those who survived the war and returned home were not welcomed or treated with respect or honor. Most of these dedicated soldiers never heard the words “thank you” or “welcome home.” As a result, when it came to Veterans Day in 1969 and subsequent years, most Vietnam veterans did not wish to participate. These warriors did their duty, served our country and were rebuked because of an unpopular war. Sal Esquivel, former Oregon legisla- tor and a Vietnam veteran, stated: “We were not supported in the fi eld, we were not supported by our government, we were not supported by the people and many of us were treated poorly when we came home.” When you look around our Capitol City of Salem, you can fi nd memorials built to honor the veterans of every war and confl ict with the exception of Operation Desert Storm and the Viet- nam War. Once again, there is evidence of the poor treatment received by our Vietnam veterans. Oregon can do better. There are Oregonians who want everyone to remember our Vietnam veterans. A Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds to the south of the World War II Memorial is proposed. My Voice Write to us ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Bates has resided in Boring for 42 years and is a life member of the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America. He serves as chair of the Committee on Memorials and Remembrance and as president of the Vietnam War Memorial Fund. My Voice columns refl ect the views of the author only. My Voice columns should be 500-700 words or as space allows. Submissions should include a portrait-type photograph of the author. Authors also should include their full name, age, occupation and relevant organizational memberships. We edit submissions for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We do not fact check. We reject those published elsewhere. Send columns to La Grande Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, 97850, fax them to 541-963-7804 or email them to news@lagrandeobserver. com. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters are limited to 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s address and phone number (for verifi cation purposes only). We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We do not fact check. We will not publish poetry, consumer complaints against businesses or personal attacks against private individuals. Thank-you letters are discouraged. Email your letters to news@ lagrandeobserver.com or mail them to La Grande Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, 97850. Over the past two years, dozens of volunteers have attended meetings and performed research. The end result of these efforts is a viable design for a Vietnam Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds. The proposed Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds will remember the Oregonians who gave the ultimate sacrifi ce in Vietnam. It will honor the four Oregon families who lost two sons to that war. In addi- tion to historic accounts of the Vietnam War, the design includes a memorial to the six Oregonians who died in Opera- tion Desert Storm. Just as Oregon saluted the Great- est Generation with a World War II Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds, it is time for Oregon to do the SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION STAFF Phone: SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 34% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 541-963-3161 to subscribe. Stopped account balances less than $5 will be refunded upon request. Subscription rates per month: By carrier...............................................$11.80 By mail, all other U.S. .............................. $15 A division of same for the Vietnam War veterans. The Vietnam veterans are the sons and daughters of the Greatest Genera- tion. The Vietnam veterans went to war to serve as their fathers and mothers did. It is fi tting that our Oregon State Capitol Grounds would honor these two generations. With the completion of the Vietnam War Memorial, together these two memorials will honor more than 75% of Oregon’s war dead. But, memo- rials do not just honor those who died. Memorials honor all who served. Veterans Day is designated to honor our military veterans who are still with us. The average age of our Vietnam veterans is now older than 70. We are slowly losing our Vietnam veterans. To show our Vietnam veterans the esteem they deserve, a goal has been estab- lished to honor them with a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds by Veterans Day 2022. Will you join this effort? Please send your contribution by check to: Vietnam War Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 1448, Boring 97009. You can donate by credit card on the secure website at: www. vietnamwarmemorialfund.org. On Veterans Day, we should thank all of our veterans for their service. Especially our Vietnam veterans. 541-963-3161 An independent newspaper founded in 1896 (USPS 299-260) The Observer reserves the right to adjust subscription rates by giving prepaid and mail subscribers 30 days notice. Periodicals postage paid at La Grande, Oregon 97850. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except Dec. 25) by EO Media Group, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260) COPYRIGHT © 2019 THE OBSERVER The Observer retains ownership and copyright protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. Toll free (Oregon): 1-800-422-3110 Fax: 541-963-7804 Email: news@lagrandeobserver.com Website: www.lagrandeobserver.com Street address: 1406 Fifth St., La Grande POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 Periodicals postage paid at: La Grande, Oregon 97850 Publisher........................................Karrine Brogoitti Home delivery advisor.................Amanda Fredrick Regional circulation director ....................Kelli Craft Customer service rep ......................... 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