A5
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020
Oregon looks at gun locks
Housing: ‘Talks are proceeding well’
Continued from Page A1
Bill would give
violators fi nes
By FEDOR ZARKHIN
The Oregonian
Bills in the Legislature this
session would require Ore-
gonians to lock up their guns
when not in use and allow cit-
ies, counties and schools to
restrict where people can take
their guns.
Lawmakers and advocates
have tried at least three times
to enact what is the most con-
tentious of three gun control
proposals now before law-
makers: that owners store
their guns securely or face
substantial penalties.
But supporters appear
bullish that this is the year it
will happen.
“Kids are dying,” said
Hillsboro Democrat Janeen
Sollman, one of House Bill
4005’s main sponsors. “And
we need to make sure we’re
putting public peace, health
and safety above all.”
Sollman said 22 repre-
sentatives have signed on as
sponsors, as have six sena-
tors. Attorney General Ellen
Rosenblum supports the bill,
too.
It softens some of the
tougher aspects of previous
bills — it calls for fi nes not
criminal charges for viola-
tions and gives gun owners
more time to tell police if their
guns have gone missing.
The bill is suffi ciently
moderate, Sollman said, that
one of Oregon’s particularly
vocal gun control groups
doesn’t support it, while at
the same time it’s suffi ciently
strong that Oregon gun rights
groups are against it.
“I feel like we’re in a very
good place,” said co-sponsor
Rep. Rachel Prusak, D-West
Linn, touting the fact that nei-
ther the Oregon Firearms Fed-
eration nor Ceasefi re Oregon
support the bill. “To me, that’s
saying we have good policy.”
Even one of the Republi-
can minority’s most vocifer-
ous opponents to similar pro-
posals in the past thinks the
storage bill has a good chance
of passing.
“I just know that these gun
bills are a priority for many of
the leadership and the major-
ity party,” said Rep. Bill
Post of Keizer. “So I would
assume they’re going to push
these through.”
Sollman and the other
sponsors’ goal is to reduce gun
violence and youth suicide.
In 2017, 529 people died
from gun injuries across the
state, according to the Ore-
gon Health Authority, about
the same rate per 100,000
people as the United States
as a whole. About four in fi ve
of the gun deaths in Oregon
were suicides.
A 2019 study published in
the Journal of the American
Medical Association deter-
mined that getting adults to
lock up their guns could pre-
vent as many as 32% of youth
fi rearm deaths.
Already, people on all sides
have submitted hundreds of
comments to the Legislature
and testifi ed for nearly three
hours on Feb. 7 to the House
Judiciary Committee, the fi rst
stop for the bill.
One Oregon woman wrote
to recount the grief she has
suffered since her daugh-
ter killed herself after break-
ing up with her boyfriend and
turning his unlocked gun on
herself.
after a violation.
Other provisions would
require owners to lock their
guns before giving them
to somebody else and tell
authorities if their gun has
been stolen or lost within 72
hours of realizing it’s missing.
There’s also the possibil-
ity that Oregonians will vote
on the proposal in November,
if it doesn’t become law this
session. A prominent Portland
gun control advocate, Henry
Wessinger, is in process of
putting an initiative on the
ballot with a similar gun stor-
age proposal.
Gun rights groups have
challenged the initiative, and
Wessinger is waiting for the
Oregon Supreme Court to
make a ruling before he and
the organization he leads,
State of Safety Action, can
start collecting signatures.
‘THE GUN ENTHUSIASTS THINK
IT’S VERY DANGEROUS TO HAVE
A GUN-FREE ENVIRONMENT.
AND PEOPLE LIKE ME —
THE MORE GUNS, THE MORE
DANGEROUS. UNDER THIS BILL,
NEITHER SIDE WOULD PREVAIL.’
State Sen. Ginny Burdick
“Those who oppose
gun safety regulations are
clearly detached from this
gut-wrenching agony,” Juliet
Peterson wrote.
Medford resident Darren
Davidson, meanwhile, tes-
tifi ed that the bill is fl awed
because it “would ren-
der fi rearms useless when
most needed, in self defense
situations.”
HB4005 spells out what
gun owners must do to pre-
vent their guns from getting
into the wrong hands and the
penalties for violating those
rules.
With some exceptions,
anyone with a gun not in use
would have to lock it up with
a trigger or cable lock or keep
it inside a locked container or
a gun room. It will be the Ore-
gon Health Authority’s job to
set the minimum standards
for lock devices under the bill.
The punishment for vio-
lating the law would be $500.
But if someone under 18 gets
the gun because of a violation,
the maximum fi ne goes up to
$2,000. In what would be the
biggest penalty, a gun owner
would be responsible for any
injuries caused by the gun at
any point within two years
Two other gun control bills
this session could be contro-
versial but so far are garner-
ing far less attention.
One would allow schools,
cities, counties and other local
jurisdictions to set their own
rules on where people can
carry guns.
Now, people with con-
cealed handgun licenses are
allowed to take their guns
into public buildings. Under
Senate Bill 1538, local gov-
ernment agencies could for-
bid that. The core principle
behind the bill, chief sponsor
Sen. Ginny Burdick said, is to
respect the different needs of
different communities.
“The gun enthusiasts think
it’s very dangerous to have a
gun-free environment. And
people like me — the more
guns, the more dangerous,”
the Portland Democrat said.
“Under this bill, neither side
would prevail.”
House Bill 4036 would
designate Portland Interna-
tional Airport’s passenger
terminal as a public build-
ing, adding it to the state’s
short list of places where peo-
ple need to have a concealed
handgun license to bring a
gun.
group, now a nonprofi t
called Copeland Commons,
hoped to create affordable
and workforce-priced hous-
ing in the building.
“Our talks are proceeding
well,” Garver said. “We’re
working through questions
that both sides of the part-
nership have and we’re
moving in a good direction.”
All plans are preliminary
at this point, and funding
will determine what can be
created. Innovative Hous-
ing is waiting for the state to
publish its guidelines for key
grants.
Bill Van Nostran, the pas-
tor of First Presbyterian who
spearheaded the effort to
buy the property, estimates
it will cost nearly $3 million
just to refurbish the building.
But Van Nostran said
they have also discussed the
possibility of applying for
permitting and funding to
build a second structure next
door to the east.
“It could almost dou-
ble the number of units,”
he said. “That just sounds
intriguing to me.”
The building — often
referred to as the State Hotel
— already includes 50 units
on its second and third
fl oors. Copeland Commons
hopes to make around 40
units available, but Van Nos-
tran said even more space
may be opened up on the
ground fl oor and in the base-
ment in partnership with
Innovative Housing.
Some retail space will
remain at the street level and
there are no plans to make
existing businesses move.
“We’ve tried to assure
(Terry Erickson , the owner
of Mallternative) it’s busi-
ness as usual,” Van Nostran
said.
Renovating the building
and operating it for housing
is a massive undertaking,
and one the board of Cope-
land Commons discovered
may be beyond them alone,
Van Nostran said.
Innovative
Hous-
ing would bring import-
ant resources, oversight and
expertise to the project, he
said.
For Innovative Housing,
it would make sense to have
another housing project in
Astoria.
The nonprofi t plans to
create 40 new studio and
one-bedroom apartments in
the former Waldorf Hotel,
also known as t he Merwyn.
“We always wanted to
have a companion prop-
erty to the Merwyn,” Garver
said. “The Merwyn on its
own is a little bit small to
operate at an optimal level.
It’s nicer when you have
companion properties so
you can share management
services and maintenance.”
Not only has First Pres-
byterian attracted the inter-
est of Innovative Housing,
but they have fi elded calls
from other churches in the
region about starting simi-
lar projects. They have also
received offers of volunteer
work groups.
“The bottom line for me
is that we, this small group
of interested Presbyterians,
set out to be a catalyst to
see if we couldn’t stimulate
interest enough and create
available, affordable hous-
ing,” Van Nostran said.
Sullivan: Campaign kickoff on Feb. 23
Continued from Page A1
This year, a Knappa
teacher, Courtney Bangs, is
vying for the position. Bangs
has been endorsed by #Tim-
berUnity and has received
campaign contributions from
the timber industry, includ-
ing Hampton Lumber.
Sullivan said one of her
central goals is a balanced
and sustainable approach to
forestry management.
Her other goals include
expanding the county’s
workforce and local eco-
nomic opportunities, increas-
ing the county’s supply of
affordable housing and pro-
tecting water resources.
“Working together, we
can keep Clatsop County a
great place to live, to raise
worked in the local
families, and to
hospitality industry.
retire. I will use my
Her sister and broth-
experience and lead-
er-in-law, Iris Sulli-
ership at the county
van and Joe Garri-
level to fi nd com-
son, are founders of
mon ground to deal
the Blue Scorcher
with the opportuni-
Kathleen
Bakery and Cafe.
ties and challenges
Sullivan
Sullivan grew up
facing
Clatsop
in a small farming
County, especially
District 4,” Sullivan said in community in Michigan. She
earned a degree in second-
an email.
Commissioners selected ary education from Michi-
Sullivan in January to be the gan State University and a
board’s chairwoman after master’s degree from Ham-
she served as vice chair last line University in St. Paul,
Minnesota. She worked as
year.
Sullivan moved to Clat- a teacher in Brownsville,
sop County in 2007 from Texas, St. Paul, Minnesota,
Portland, where she managed and in rural Michigan.
Sullivan is hosting a cam-
an 80-unit affordable hous-
ing building for the Housing paign kick off party from 2
to 4 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the
Authority of Portland.
Since moving, she has Wickiup Grange in Svensen .
SWEET VALENTINE DEAL FOR THAT
SPECIAL SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE!
NEW PRICE AND MOVE IN READY!
364 Alpine Street
Seaside, OR 97138
RMLS 1943177
CMLS 19-1386
$419,000
3 br | 2 ba | 1924 sq ft
Providence’s North Coast cardiology team
invites you to celebrate your healthy heart.
We’re proud to welcome Gary Greenberg, M.D. to Providence’s cardiology team. From left to right:
Gary Greenberg, M.D.; Zach Caverley, PA-C; Robert Morse, D.O.; and Masud Ahmad, M.D.
Join us as we celebrate National Heart Month with these fun
and free heart-healthy offerings.
♥ Women’s Healthy Heart Tea
Join Providence Seaside registered dietitian, Beth Schwenk, RD, LD
to learn heart-smart eating habits. Light luncheon provided.
12:15 p.m., Friday, Feb. 14
Providence Seaside Hospital, Education Room A, 725 S. Wahanna Road
♥ Know Your Numbers
Knowing your numbers is important for heart health. This heart
health screening will help you identify your blood pressure, pulse,
height, weight and body mass index (BMI).
1-4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28
Providence Seaside Clinic, Suite 101, 725 S. Wahanna Road
Desirable Sunset Hills neighborhood on a beau-
tifully landscaped lot above the City of Seaside
within a mile of the new school campus. Original
brick fireplace with a new Lopi wood stove insert
and a pellet stove plus electric zonal heat. Lovely
backyard territorial views with multiple flowering
varieties for a serene ambiance. Create your own
space in the office/artist studio adjoining the newly
remodeled master ensuite bath. Features include
updated flooring carpeting, wood work, newer roof,
garage door, recently updated kitchen w/spacious
dining area and views of designer courtyard patio.
All in a single level plan!
♥ Heart Talk and Walk
Providence cardiologist, Robert Morse, D.O., and Zach Caverley,
PA-C invite you to join them for a presentation on heart health
followed by a walk on the prom.
10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 29
Best Western Plus Ocean View Resort, 414 N. Prom
Pam Ackley,
Broker
Tim Regan,
Broker
Real Estate Broker
503-717-3796
pamackley@gmail.com
pamackley.com
Real Estate Broker
503-738-2419
TimRegan@usa.net
timregan.withwre.com
Providence.org/northcoast
Lot size, price measurements, etc. based on information available from the MLS. Buyer to verify.
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY