P4 THE SPOKESMAN • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 Marijuana Continued from P1 Redmond city staff drafted a se- ries of dispensary regulations ahead of the meeting. These proposed reg- ulations — which can be found at the Redmond City Council website — include not allowing marijuana businesses in residential zones. These businesses must be farther than 250 feet away from any pub- licly owned facility like a park, tran- sit center or day care facility, and more than 1,000 feet of a school or another marijuana business, the proposed regulations state. The proposed regulations would also require marijuana businesses to use an air filtration and ventila- “If the feds legalize marijuana, then guess what? We no longer have a prohibition against giving them a business license. Then it’s, where do you put a marijuana business?” — Redmond Mayor George Endicott tion system to confine the plant’s odor to within the store as much as possible. In the recent past, Endicott has said that he’s in favor of allowing dispensaries in Redmond, but only after the federal government legal- izes it nationwide. Lindsey Pate, CEO of craft cannabis company Glass House Grown and president of the Cas- cade Cannabis Association advo- cacy group, said she finds the City Council’s further discussion on marijuana encouraging. “I don’t know if we’re in the right position to do a retail store in Red- mond, but if I had the money, I would 100% jump on that,” said Pate, who lives outside Redmond. e e Reporter: 541-617-7854, jhogan@bendbulletin.com Gun storage requirement up for debate in Legislature BY PETER WONG Oregon Capital Bureau Another gun regulation bill is headed for a legislative debate and vote, this time in the Oregon House. House Bill 2510, approved March 30 by the House Health Care Com- mittee, would require the storage of firearms with trigger or cable locks, in a locked container or in a gun room. An offense is a Class C viola- tion, which carries a maximum fine of $500, unless someone under age 18 obtains access, in which case it is a Class A violation with a maximum fine of $2,000. No jail time is im- posed for violations. The committee vote was 6-4. All Democrats voted for it, and all Re- publicans against it. On March 25, the Oregon Senate voted 16-7 to approve a bill mak- ing state buildings — including the Capitol — off-limits to firearms carried by concealed-handgun licensees. Senate Bill 554, which went to the House, leaves it up to local governments to decide that question for their own buildings. Oregon is among the states with no laws regulating gun storage, ac- cording to the pro-regulation Gif- fords Law Center. Laws in Califor- nia and Washington apply to some aspects of storage. When the House Health Care Committee heard the gun storage bill March 11, almost 400 pieces of testimony were submitted for and against House Bill 2510. Some people submitted more than one. “We cannot gun-proof children,” Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, pediatri- cian at Doernbecher Children’s “We cannot gun-proof children. We must child-proof guns.” — Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, pediatrician at Oregon Health & Science University “This bill will subject hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens with potential criminal and civil liability overnight for actions that are perfectly legal today.” — Paul Donheffner, with the Oregon Hunters Association Hospital at Oregon Health & Sci- ence University, testified. “We must child-proof guns.” Between 1999 and 2019, he said, Oregon averaged 3.5 deaths by fire- arms per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 2.3 per 100,000. For youths under 19 during the period, he said Oregon averaged 6.3 deaths per 100,000, compared with the national aver- age of 5 per 100,000. “Gun violence is one of the leading causes of death for peo- ple my age,” Hope Williams, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Oregon, said in a state- ment after the vote. “We want to feel safe at home and in our com- munities and that starts with se- curely storing firearms to prevent gun violence.” Students Demand Action, to- gether with Moms Demand Ac- tion, constitute Everytown for Gun Safety. “Even in a pandemic, our com- munities are continuing to endure gun violence everyday,” Elizabeth Klein, a gun violence survivor and volunteer for the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action, said. “And, unintentional shootings and gun suicides have continued to rise over the past year. Secure storage is an effective and easy way to help pre- vent these tragedies. But Oregon’s gun-rights advo- cates staunchly opposed the bill. “This bill will subject hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citi- zens with potential criminal and civil liability overnight for actions that are perfectly legal today,” Paul Donheffner, legislative committee chairman for the Oregon Hunters Association, said in testimony to the committee. Kevin Starrett is director of the Oregon Firearms Federation, which bills itself as a no-compro- mise group on gun rights. It even disparaged Republican lawmakers working on regulation of firearms sales at gun shows in 1999, a year after the group’s founding. The bill did not pass, but voters approved a related initiative measure in 2000 by a 62% majority. Starrett had harsher words for lawmakers during his committee testimony. “Gun owners in Ore- gon have been remarkably well-be- haved,” he said. “But if you keep rewarding criminals and punishing the law-abiding, don’t expect them to stay that way.” Habitat for Humanity to accept more applications SUBMISSIONS Letters and columns Join in on the topics we’re covering. The Spokesman welcomes letters to the editor and guest columnists. Submissions may be edited or rejected for clarity, taste, libel and space. They must be signed and include an address and a tele- phone number where the writer can be reached during business hours. Full addresses and phone numbers will not be published. For more information, call 541-633-2166. To submit, email is preferred: news@redmondspokesman.com. Or, mail to: P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708 Accepting veteran applications Honor Flight of Central Oregon is accepting applications for the next flight to Washington, D.C., for Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. A veteran must have served anywhere in the Armed Forces between Nov. 1, 1955, to April 30, 1975, and live within Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties, not have visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in the past, and be physically able to travel and have a guardian. Applications for veterans, guardians and volunteers are available online at: www.honorflightofcentraloregon.org/board-portal Flights Continued from P1 Trips are free to the vets, but guard- ians who help them along the way pay $1,200. Overall, cost to Central Oregon Honor Flight is about $70,000 for the airline tickets, wheelchair rentals, bus transportation, meals and hotel rooms. A medical doctor and a nurse will travel with the group. The organizers continue to fundraise and seek donors, but now that a new date is set, there will be more fundrais- ing activity. Vietnam veterans will be allowed along on this trip for the first time, too. Prevatt, who works for Dutch Bros Ways you can support Thelma’s Place: NEWS BRIEFING Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for the Quince Townhomes in Redmond through April 30. This contemporary style townhome community includes 10 units in a land-lease development located near the Redmond commercial district at the north end of town. The three-bedroom two-bath homes include a garage. Applicants must meet min/max income guidelines for home loan approval and have a 620 minimum credit score. Applications are available during open hours at the Bend ReStore, Mon-Sat 1-6 p.m. or online at bendredmondhabitat.org/habitat-homeown- ership. An application form in Spanish is available on the Latino Com- munity Association, latinocommunityassociation.org. For more information, email homeownership@brhabitat.org or call 541- 385-5387, ext. 102. Submitted photo A Central Oregon vet looks over the Korean War Memorial during one of the recent Honor Flight trips to Washington, D.C. • Vehicle donations • Cash donations • Sponsorships • Volunteer CHILD CARE AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM Your support makes a difference! Redmond: 541-548-3049 Day Respite and Support Groups www.thelmasplace.org coffee, says the company has contrib- uted about $50,000 over several years of the flights, which have usually left from Portland. “We want to leave from Redmond so the local contributors can see our vet- erans off from our airport, and be here when they return. It will help with our fundraising efforts,” Prevatt said. Prevatt, 48, was a Marine corporal, 1st Battalion, moving to Bend in 2008. “I met Dick Tobiason in 2015 and went on an honor flight as a team leader and was hooked ever since.” In 2017 he joined the board and became the group’s local president. For more details, go to www.honor- flightofcentraloregon.org Joe A Lochner Insurance Agency Inc. Joe Lochner, Agent 123 SW 5th Street Redmond, OR 97756 Bus: 541-548-6023 joe.lochner.h5mi@statefarm.com Fax: (541) 548-6024 State Farm, Bloomington, IL 1211999 PLAY FOR FREE ONLINE Milestones Email news@redmondspokesman.com to request an engage- ment, wedding, anniversary or birthday announcement form. For more information, call 541-383-0304. To ensure timely publica- tion, The Spokesman requests that forms be submitted within one month of the celebration. CROSSWORD • SUDOKU WORD SEARCH www.bendbulletin.com/puzzles