FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion / Politics
Governor suggests new gun control plan
Governor Kate Brown
announced Friday “Orego-
nians United to End Gun
Violence,” a plan to ad-
dress gun safety in Oregon
and across the country.
Governor Brown was
joined by Congresswoman
Suzanne Bonamici, Mult-
nomah County District At-
torney Rod Underhill, faith
leaders, advocates for gun
safety, and more than 30
other community leaders
from across Oregon to call
for an end to gun violence.
“Since I was sworn in as
Governor 17 months ago,
more than 600 Oregonians
have died from violence
inflicted by a gun,” Gover-
nor Brown said. “Violence
answers nothing, offers
nothing, solves nothing. If
we want to end violence,
we must instill hope and
create opportunity. I call
on each of us, as Orego-
nians and as Americans,
to join this call to end gun
violence now.”
Brown will take immedi-
ate action through ex-
ecutive order to strengthen
existing Oregon law,
giving Oregon State Police
and local authorities more
tools to track and analyze
gun transactions.
These tools can be used
in the prosecution of illegal
firearms sales and help to
keep guns from falling into
the wrong hands.
Additionally, Brown’s
executive order estab-
lishes a new work group to
review and assess firearms-
related domestic violence.
The work group will
make recommendations
for a statewide policy that
enhances the safety of do-
mestic violence survivors.
The executive order also
directs the Oregon Health
Authority to report annual-
ly on gun violence and its
effect on public health, and
when warranted, recom-
mend polices to increase
gun safety in Oregon.
Brown also committed to
working with the Oregon
Legislature during the
2017 session to pass criti-
cal gun safety measures.
The following three
legislative priorities were
outlined by Brown:
Close the “Charleston
Loophole.” In Oregon, if
the state police are unable
to determine a person’s
eligibility to purchase a
firearm within three days,
current law requires ap-
proval of the sale of the
firearm. Governor Brown
will prepare legislation that
will make sure individuals
who should not own a gun
are not able to obtain one
simply because authorities
were unable to complete
the background check
within current timelines.
Close the “Boyfriend
Loophole.” By expanding
the types of relationships
that qualify under “domes-
tic violence” charges, those
convicted of certain crimes
of domestic violence and
stalking will no longer
have access to firearms.
Ban extended-capacity
magazines. Outlaw
the future purchases of
extended-capacity maga-
zines in Oregon. This type
of ammunition enables in-
dividuals to fire repeatedly
without the need to reload
and increases a shooter’s
ability to injure and kill
large numbers of people.
With support from Sena-
tor Wyden and Congress-
woman Bonamici, Gov-
ernor Brown also called
on Congress to act now
to pass national firearms
safety legislation in a letter
to Oregon’s congressional
delegation.
“Every day in the United
States, 22 people die from
homicidal gun violence,”
Governor Brown said.
“I urge Congress to ban
assault weapons and
strengthen anti-terrorist
legislation by passing the
common sense ‘No Fly, No
Buy’ ban.”
Supporters of Gover-
nor Brown’s “Orego-
nians United to End Gun
Violence” plan include
representatives from the
following organizations:
Everytown for Gun
Safety
Gun Owners for Respon-
sible Ownership
Americans for Respon-
sible Solutions
Ceasefire Oregon
Oregon Coalition
Against Domestic and
Sexual Violence
Volunteers of America
Oregon
Oregon Health & Sci-
ence University
Basic Rights Oregon
Q Center
Ferrioli responds to gun control proposal
Salem, Ore.—Senate Re-
publican Leader Ted Fer-
rioli (R-John Day) released
the following statement
following Governor Kate
Brown's announcement
Friday of her gun control
plan that includes requir-
ing Oregon State Police to
retain firearms transaction
data for five years:
"Kate Brown's reckless
attempt to politicize gun
control while tension is
significantly heightened
across the country may
propel us into a debate on
the confiscation of private
property and criminaliza-
tion of law-abiding citizens
and cause the kind of prov-
ocation almost guaranteed
to produce more violence
and anger.
“Instead of attacking the
freedom and rights of law-
abiding citizens through
gun registries and bans, we
should unite to address the
real problem of inadequate
mental health funding that
leaves struggling individu-
als without the help they
desperately need.
"The Governor will not
mention that many mass
shootings in Oregon have
been by people who cannot
legally own or possess a
firearm, but obtained ac-
cess to firearms illegally,
including by theft. Treating
the cause of the problems
leading to hostility, includ-
ing inadequate mental
health care, is the only
way to reduce incidents of
random gun violence in
Oregon and throughout the
nation."
OFF also responds to gun control proposal
Submitted by the
Oregon Firearms
Federation
One day after a truck
was used to murder over
80 people in France, Kate
Brown and other liberal
hacks held an anti-gun
press conference that had
more cops than reporters.
As always, surrounded
by armed guards, Gov-
ernor Brown called for a
ban on standard capac-
ity magazines, an end to
the safeguard that allows
Oregonians to transfer
firearms when the Oregon
State Police don't do their
jobs and an expansion of
attacks on people who
are accused of domestic
violence but never actually
charged or convicted of
anything.
Congresswoman Su-
zanne Bonamici lied and
said it was legal to go to
another state and buy a
gun with no background
check, and demanded that
Congress disallow persons
on the "no fly" list from
buying guns. In a moment
of irony no rights hater
could ever grasp, Bonamici
quoted Congressman John
Lewis, who was of course,
on the "no fly" list.
Governor Brown said:
"Since I was sworn in as
Governor 17 months ago,
more than 600 Oregonians
have died from violence
inflicted by a gun,"
But no one noted that the
vast majority of deaths by
gunfire are suicides. That
does not fit the politically
correct narrative.
Brown also called on
Congress to ban modern
firearms.
"Every day in the United
States, 22 people die from
homicidal gun violence,"
Governor Brown said.
"I urge Congress to ban
assault weapons and
strengthen anti-terrorist
legislation by passing the
common sense 'No Fly, No
Buy' ban."
Members of the so called
"faith community" an-
nounced their intention to
ban modern firearms and
magazines via ballot mea-
sure, called gun owners
"the enemy," and said God
was on their side.
In calling for the maga-
zine ban Brown, amaz-
ingly, said:
"When a man intent on
killing as many people as
he could entered the Pulse
Nightclub in Orlando,
he did so with extended
capacity magazines. Those
magazines allowed him
to fire his weapon repeat-
edly without stopping to
reload, without any pause
that might have given his
victims or law enforcement
a chance to stop him."
The sheer lunacy of her
remarks is staggering. The
Orlando killer was in the
nightclub for three hours
before police took ac-
tion. Does Brown actually
believe he was shooting for
three hours without reload-
ing? The reason so many
people died was because
they were not prepared
and not allowed by law to
defend themselves.
Brown also said :
"Additionally, I am
directing Oregon State
Police to proactively notify
local law enforcement if a
person prohibited by law
from buying a gun tries to
buy one."
You mean they don't do
that now? The fact is, an
OSP trooper is dispatched
every time there is a gun
transfer denial and when
they find a prohibited per-
son attempting a transfer,
they do ... nothing.
Of course, not a word
was mentioned of the real
cause of most mass shoot-
ings. Radical Islam.
2017 is going to be the
rockiest year yet for gun
rights. In spite of the real
dangers facing Americans
every day, Brown and her
cohorts will be doing all
they can to strip you of
your rights.
— Special Column —
So I was
thinking ...
Wasting time
By Jimmy Ingram
Special to The Baker County Press
Wasted time is part of life. After all, we
can’t be productive all the time. But some-
times we find ourselves spending time do-
ing things that afterward seem completely
ridiculous. The “under the radar” time
wasters are the ones that really get us...
5-cent deposits: The other day I took
a couple small bags of aluminum cans
to the recycling machines at Safeway,
something I rarely do. I patiently waited
my turn line for 10 minutes to experience
the mind numbing act of force-feeding
one sticky, not-quite-empty can at a time
into a machine that seemed to have a
mind of its own. After several minutes
listening to the crunching of aluminum
cans and experiencing emotions of anger
and denial that some had been unfairly
rejected, my mission was finally complete.
I collected my ticket just in time to catch
a few impatient looks from the people in
line behind me with shopping carts full of
cans (God help them). It just so happened
that on this day I made the mistake of
glancing at my watch before and after my
quest for the return of my 5-cent deposit .
A time investment of 25 minutes had left
me with $2.90. I now stood annoyed and
sticky handed, wondering what I should
do with the 15 rejected cans I still had left.
I also wondered if I could have dug $2.90
out of my couch cushions in lesser time. I
realize recycling is good for the environ-
ment, but I think next time I’ll save that
25 minutes and donate my cans to a kid
looking for candy money. Or maybe leave
them in my driveway with a sign reading
“free nickels.”
Television: I spend little time watch-
ing anything but sports on TV, but every
once in a while the sports world hits a lull
and I’m forced to discover what else is
on TV... and it’s horrifying. Staged reality
shows, judged singing and dancing com-
petitions, CSI Klamath Falls (not really,
but I’m sure it’s coming), the list goes
on. I’m sure there are some shows worth
watching but they seem to be few and far
between. The truth is, rarely do I turn off
the TV having learned anything, laughed
out loud, or been thoroughly entertained.
And yet at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday what do
I say to myself? “I wonder if there’s any-
thing good on TV.”
Waiting on hold: few things are a more
annoying time waster than waiting on
hold. “Please stay on the line and one of
our customer service representatives will
be with you shortly.” While we’d like to
believe it’s true, we know it’s probably
not. In an attempt to keep us calm, we
are subjected to 30 second intervals of
smooth jazz periodically interrupted with
a reassuring female voice letting us know
that help is on the way. Five minutes go
by, then 10, 15. Hanging up now is not an
Submitted Photo
Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and
father of two who enjoys people
watching within our wonderful
community and beyond.
option because you’ve toughed it out this
long. Suddenly you feel like a marathon
runner, willing yourself not to collapse
in the last mile of the race. Finally after
25 minutes on hold you hear the voice of
the person you’ve been waiting to talk
to. Well, sort of. The rep you have barely
speaks English and evidently YOU aren’t
speaking very good English either because
they don’t understand your problem. After
10 minutes of futility, you find out it isn’t
really their department. You’ll need to be
transferred to a different representative.
What has now turned into a 45-minute
process has you wondering if the $4 dis-
crepancy on your cable bill is really worth
it. Maybe it’s a matter of principle. Mostly
it’s a huge waste of time. Ironically, a few
days later you’ll receive an automated
phone call or email survey asking how
your customer service experience was.
My usual response is, “It was recorded for
quality, right? Why don’t you listen and
be the judge.”
Searching for savings: few things
motivate Americans more than the idea
of being able to save a few bucks. We all
know someone who will drive around for
20 minutes trying to save 5 cents a gallon
on gas; the people who will spend $50
driving to Boise to save $45 on groceries
by buying things in 30 pound boxes at
Costco. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bar-
gain shopper just like everyone else. I also
know that I have wasted a tremendous
amount of time in my life trying to save
a dollar here and a dollar there. While
all those savings DO add up, so does the
time. Most would say that the biggest
benefit of online shopping is the competi-
tive pricing. I would argue that the biggest
benefit is the time saved by not having to
drive the wheels off your car looking for
what you want or need.
Worrying: probably the biggest time
waster of all. I come from a long line of
worriers and at times trying not to worry
feels like fighting the tide. Did I pay that
bill? Is my kid getting sick? Did my last
commentary in The Baker County Press
make me sound crazy? Time spent worry-
ing is time wasted. Whatever is going to
happen in life is going to happen. People
will think what they want to think. Those
of us who make a habit of wasting time
stressing out about life’s uncertainty need
a productive outlet—something to do to
keep our minds occupied. I just wouldn’t
suggest can recycling, bad reality TV, or
calling customer service phone numbers.
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