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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 4, 2012)
A p ril 4, 2012 W ^Jortlanb (Obstruer Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. W? welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O pinion Page 9 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 sm all Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) It’s Past Time to Protect Children, Not Guns Our work to build safe communities M arian W right E delman T housands o f people across the country have poured into the streets, from N ew Y ork to Sanford, Fla., to dem and ju stic e for T ray von M artin. H u n d r e d s o f th o u s a n d s m o re stepped up to protest online. B ut m ore than a m onth after the 17-year-old w as stopped, stalked, shot and killed w hile w alking hom e from a convenience store, arm ed only w ith a bag o f Skittles and a can o f ic e d te a , h is k ille r, G e o rg e Z im m erm an, has not been arrested. T he C h ild ren ’s D efense F u n d ’s new report, P rotect C hildren, N ot G uns 2 012, is d ed ica te d to the m em ory o f the F lorida teenager and the thousands o f children killed by guns in A m erica, including the 5,740 children killed in 2008 and 2009 a c cording to the latest data from the U.S. C enters for D isease C ontrol and Prevention. W here is the outrage over every single one o f the thousands o f c h il dren and teens killed by guns, too m any by gun slinging A m ericans unrestrained by com m on sense gun control law s. F lo rid a’s “ Stand Y our G round” law , also know n as the “ shoot first, ask questions later” law , is now under national scrutiny. B ut w ill it and others be changed to p rotect c h ild re n ra th e r th a n g u n . by ow ners and sellers? A pril 16 m arks the fifth anniversary o f th e V irg in ia T e c h m assacre w here 32 students and faculty w ere k illed by a gun, 25 others w ere injured, and m any m ore w ere traum atized. Each y ear since then has seen gun victim s, inclu d in g young children, teen ag ers, you n g adults, a M em b er o f C ongress, a federal ju d g e, and m any m ore. D ays, w eeks, m onths and years go by and little or nothing is done to protect children instead o f g u n s. By any standards o f hum an and m oral decency, children in A m erica are u n d er assault, and by in tern a tional standards, A m erica rem ains the u n challenged w orld leader in ch ild ren and teen gun deaths. A nalysis o f the m ost recent data from 23 high-incom e countries re po rted that 87 p ercent o f all firearm deaths o f children u n d er 15 w ere in the U nited States. T he rate o f U .S. gun h om icides for teens and young adults 15 to 24 was 42.7 tim es higher than the overall gun hom icide rate for that sam e age group in the o th er co u n tries. W h y are c o m m o n -s e n s e gun regulations so shockingly absent in o ur country? E ven in the w ake o f the T u cso n tragedy and the near-fatal shooting o f one o f their ow n, C o n gress failed to act. C alls fo r banning high-volum e aram u n itio n c lip s and tightening up the federal background check sys tem w ere ignored. O ur leaders once again capitulated to the pow erful gun lobby o v er the rights o f c h il dren and citizens to life and safety. In N ovem ber, the U.S. H ouse o f R e p re se n ta tiv e s p assed the N a tional R ight-to-C arry R eciprocity A ct. If a sim ilar bill is passed by the S enate and becom es law , a person w ith a p erm it to carry a concealed handgun in one state, a person like G eorge Zim m erm an in Sanford, Fla., could carry that concealed w eapon in another state even if it w as against the second state’s law. Proponents o f such dangerous law s m aintain the fiction that guns prom ote personal safety. It is long past tim e to acknow ledge gun vio lence as a hugely serious threat to children, teens, and overall public health and safety. O u r leaders in W ashington, D .C. are not alone in refusing to m ake A m erica safer. Forty-tw o states have adopted preem ption law s to ensure state leg islatu res co n tro l o f gun policy, im peding the ability o f cities to d evelop local solutions to gun violence in their ow n com m unities. In 2011, K ansas, M ississippi and U tah enacted law s allow ing co n cealed w eapon p erm it holders to carry loaded, co n cealed firearm s in o r on the grounds o f elem entary and secondary schools. W ith all eyes on F lo rid a’s “ Stand Y our G ro u n d ” law, few noticed a law passed last year that, if upheld, threatens loss o f a m edical License for d o cto rs w h o . ask patients about w hether a gun is in the hom e although it is not at all unusual o r inappropriate for pedia tricians p articularly to ask patients and parents o f patients about p o s sible safety hazards in the hom e including guns. W e have so m uch w ork to do to build safe co m m unities fo r o u r ch il dren. W e need leaders at all levels o f gov ern m en t w ho w ill protect c h il dren o v er guns. W e need a relen t less, powerful citizens’ voice to break the gun lo b b y ’s veto on com m on sense gun policy. O u r law s m ust control w ho can obtain firearm s and close the gun show loophole, require co nsum er safety stan d a rd s and c h ild p ro o f safety features fo r all guns, and strengthen child access prevention law s that ensure guns in the hom e are stored safely and securely. A nd all o f us m ust take action and ask political candidates this fall w hat steps they w ill take to p rotect ch ild ren from guns. W e m ust re m ove guns from o u r hom es w here ch ild ren so often find them and put them selves and others in h a rm ’s w ay and com bat cultural g lo rifica tion o f guns and violence. As a nation, w e m ust asp ire and act to becom e the w orld lead er in p ro tectin g c h ild ren ag ain st guns rather than leading the w orld in child victim s o f guns. E very ch ild ’s life is sacred and it is long past tim e that w e protect it. Marian Wright Edelman is Presi- deatafthe Children's Defense F u n d .. Stairs (12-16 stairs - With O ther Services): $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 % ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949
