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NATION/WORLD Saturday, January 9, 2016 Guns fact check: 2EDPDÀXEV$7)GXWLHV7UXPSWDONVELJ Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s executive actions on guns have sparked renewed debate about how far the government should go in limiting gun sales. Obama took questions in a televised town hall meeting Thursday night, while leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump weighed in on the debate at a rally in New Hampshire. A look at some of their comments and how they compare with the facts: OBAMA: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is “a law enforcement agency working under the FBI that is doing enormous work in going after criminals and drug cartels, and have a pretty dangerous job, so it’s not as if doing background checks or auditing gun sales is all that they’re doing.” THE FACTS: Obama got his own administration’s organizational chart wrong. The agency is actually a component of the Justice Department ZKRVHWRSRI¿FLDOUHSRUWVWRWKHDWWRUQH\ general, just like the FBI. Background checks aren’t done by ATF, but are conducted by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. While ATF agents can inspect federally licensed gun dealers’ records once every 12 months, the reality is that inspections are much rarer. The agen- cy’s 629 inspectors were only able to look at 10,429 of the more than 141,000 dealers — roughly 7 percent — in 2014. OBAMA: “I think it’s useful to keep in mind, I’ve been, now, president for over seven years, and gun sales don’t seem to have suffered during that time. They’ve, they’ve gone up. I’ve been very good for gun manufacturers.” THE FACTS: He’s right on this point. While gun sales data aren’t AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster As tears low from his eyes, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. VSHFL¿FDOO\ DYDLODEOH $7) GRHV WUDFN JXQPDQXIDFWXULQJ¿JXUHVDQGQRWHGLQ LWV¿UHDUPVFRPPHUFHUHSRUWWKDW production nearly doubled from 2010 through 2013, from 5.4 million weapons to 10.8 million. 7KH QXPEHU RI )%, ¿UHDUPV EDFN- ground checks has also steadily risen VLQFH2EDPDWRRNRI¿FH%ODFN)ULGD\ 2015 set a record for background check requests in a single day when the agency processed 185,345 of them. OBAMA: “One of the most frus- trating things that I hear is when people say, who are opposed to any further laws, why don’t you just enforce the laws that are on the books? And those very same members of Congress then cut ... ATF budgets to make it impossible to enforce the law.” THE FACTS: The ATF budget has actually grown slightly under Obama. In EHIRUHKHWRRNRI¿FHWKHDJHQF\ had a budget of just under $1 billion. Since then, the administration has requested about $1.1 billion annually, and Congress has generally approved it. The lone exception was 2013, when the president asked for $1.15 billion and Congress trimmed that to $1.07 billion. TRUMP: “I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools ... and on military EDVHVP\¿UVWGD\LWJHWVVLJQHG2." 0\¿UVWGD\´ THE FACTS: Trump can’t possibly deliver on that pledge. The Gun-Free School Zones Act is a federal law that was passed in 1990 and signed by then-President George H.W. Bush. Congress would have to overturn the 25-year-old statute to make the change he advocates. )%,VD\VUHIXJHHVXVHGVRFLDOPHGLDWRSODQ¿JKWLQ6\ULD Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An Iraqi man bragged about his experi- HQFH ¿JKWLQJ LQ 6\ULD DQG the skills he developed as a teenage insurgent as he urged a fellow Iraqi refugee in the U.S. to join him in what both hoped would be martyrdom, according to GRFXPHQWV ¿OHG LQ IHGHUDO court. Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento, described KLV H[SHULHQFH ¿JKWLQJ against Syrian government soldiers in heroic terms and promised in 2013 he would train Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, of Houston, in how to use weapons and sneak LQWR 6\ULD WR MRLQ WKH ¿JKW DFFRUGLQJWRDQ)%,DI¿GDYLW unsealed in federal court in Sacramento. The two Iraqi-born Palestinians used social media to discuss their plans, according to federal author- ities. The communications provided the link that led to terrorism-related charges against the men this week. Al-Jayab faces up to eight years in prison on charges of WUDYHOLQJ WR 6\ULD WR ¿JKW in late 2013 and early 2014 and lying to U.S. authorities about his travels. Al Hardan faces up to 25 years in prison and is charged with attempting to provide mate- rial support for terrorists. Al-Jayab’s attorney on Friday criticized U.S. poli- ticians who he said “have grossly mischaracterized the nature and scope of this case” to tie it to the debate over whether the United States is doing enough to screen refugees. “There is no threat that this man poses or no indica- tion that he’s engaged in any activity since his return two years ago. The only activ- ities that were interrupted were his studies and his work,” defense attorney Ben Galloway said. U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Delaney ordered him held without bail. It’s not clear how Al-Jayab and Al Hardan met online, although the )%, DI¿GDYLW GHVFULEHV DW least one apparently mutual acquaintance. The criminal complaint against Al-Jayab recounts a series of communications with different people, none RI ZKRP LV LGHQWL¿HG 2QH called “Individual I” is Al Hardan, according to Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney in Sacramento. ‘O God, grant us martyrdom for your sake.” — Aws Younis Al-Jarab, alleged terrorist resources to the group beginning around May 2014. Court documents did QRW SURYLGH VSHFL¿FV DERXW the allegations. Al Hardan told the judge he lives in a Houston-area apartment, is married and has a child. Al Hardan’s AP Photo/Bob Levey Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, left, is escorted by U.S. brother said his sibling told Marshals from the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse on him Friday in a telephone Friday in Houston. call from the Federal Deten- Federal authorities say although he later described tion Center in Houston that Al-Jayab emigrated from ¿JKWLQJDORQJVLGHWKHJURXS he is innocent of the charges. Saeed Faraj Saeed Al Syria to the United States as “If it weren’t for the Hardan of Houston said a refugee in October 2012, State’s bloodletting, I would living in Tucson, Arizona, KDYH EHHQ WKH ¿UVW RQH WR their family had always felt and Milwaukee until join it,” he said, according that “ISIS is no good” and “ISIS is not Muslim.” November 2013, when he to the FBI. )HGHUDO RI¿FLDOV VD\ WZR ZHQWEDFNRYHUVHDVWR¿JKW Al Hardan, 24, appeared of Al-Jayab’s brothers in He returned to the United in a Houston federal court States in January 2014 and Friday. Prosecutors charged Milwaukee and a cousin in lived in Sacramento. He has him with attempting to California also were arrested been a computer science support the Islamic State and but those arrests are not major at a Sacramento accused him of providing related to national security. college since last fall. Al-Jayab and Al Hardan communicated in April 2013, and Al Hardan H[SUHVVHGLQWHUHVWLQ¿JKWLQJ in Syria. “O God, grant us martyrdom for your sake ZKLOH HQJDJHG LQ ¿JKWLQJ and not retreating; a martyrdom that would PDNH \RX VDWLV¿HG ZLWK us,” Al-Jayab wrote to Al Hardan, according to court documents. Al-Jayab said he had The 23rd edition of the Melonville Comedy Festival will already fought in Syria, feature three headlining stand up comedians. These starting when he turned comics are in demand corporate show entertainers. 16, according to messages between the two men quoted in court documents. He promised to provide 4 3 3ĨĂǀŽƌŝƚĞ3ŽŶ3ƚŚĞ3ŶĂƚŝŽŶĂůůLJ3ƐLJŶĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ3 weapons training to Al 3 Žď3ĂŶĚ3dŽŵ3ZĂĚŝŽ3^ŚŽǁ3ĂŶĚ3DŽƌŶŝŶŐƐ3 Ž 3 Ŷ3ϵϳ3ZŽĐŬ͘3,Ğ3ŚĂƐ3ĂƉƉĞĂƌĞĚ3ŽŶ3>ĂƚĞ3 Hardan and advised him on E 3 ŝŐŚƚ3ǁŝƚŚ3ŽŶĂŶ3K͛ƌŝĞŶ͕3ŽŵĞĚLJ3 how he would be assigned 3ĞŶƚƌĂů͕3^͕34͕3&Ky͕3Dds3ĂŶĚ3Dd͘ WR WKH EDWWOH¿HOG RQFH KH arrived in Syria. Authorities say Al-Jayab fought twice in Syria, including with a group later DI¿OLDWHG ZLWK ,VODPLF 6WDWH 3 ƌĞǁ3ŝƐ3ŵĂŬŝŶŐ3ŚŝƐ3ƐĞĐŽŶĚ3ĂƉƉĞĂƌĂŶĐĞ3 between November 2013 Ă 3 ƚ3ƚŚĞ3DĞůŽŶǀŝůůĞ3ŽŵĞĚLJ3&ĞƐƚŝǀĂů͘3 3 ƌĞǁ͛Ɛ3ƌĞĚŝƚƐ3ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ3ĂƉƉĞĂƌĂŶĐĞƐ3Ăƚ3 and January 2014. He told ǁ 3 ĞƐƚ3ĐŽĂƐƚ3ĐŽŵĞĚLJ3ĐůƵďƐ͕3ĂŶĚ3ŝƐ3ĂůƐŽ3ĂŶ3 authorities he had traveled 3ŝŶ3ĚĞŵĂŶĚ3ǀŽŝĐĞ3ŽǀĞƌ3ĂĐƚŽƌ͘ to Turkey to visit his grand- mother, which prosecutors say was a lie that could send him to prison. Court documents rely heavily on Al-Jayab’s social media communication, 343ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ3ĐŽŵŝĐ3ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ3ŝŶ3ďŽƚŚ3ĂŶĂĚĂ3 much of which is in Arabic, 3ĂŶĚ3ƚŚĞ3hŶŝƚĞĚ3^ƚĂƚĞƐ͘3dƌĂǀŝƐ3ǁŝůů3ďĞ3ƚŚŝƐ3 3zĞĂƌ͛Ɛ3ĞŵĐĞĞ͘ travel records and Internet IP addresses. Prosecutors did not provide additional Special Olympics Tickets $35 per person information. Doors open at 7:00, Show starts at 8:00 In several messages, Tickets available at Al-Jayab criticized Islamic Hermiston Chamber of Commerce NO REFUNDS • 21 & OVER for more info: 541-561-7488 State for killing Muslims, BEST STAND-UP COMEDY ON IT'S WAY TO HERMISTON! Melonville Comedy Festival January 30, 2016 Hermiston Community Center GREG HAHN DREW BARTH TRAVIS NELSON East Oregonian Page 9A REFUGE: Ward said he is ‘keeping all options open’ Continued from 1A that they have no intention of honoring the sheriff’s request to leave. Because of that, there are no planned meetings or calls at this time,” Ward said. But Ward said he is “keeping all options open.” Bundy’s group — calling itself Citizens for Constitu- tional Freedom — comes from as far away as Arizona and Michigan. Bundy’s protest at the refuge is a continuation of long-running arguments that federal policies for manage- ment of public lands in the West are harming ranchers and other locals. Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who in 2014 was at the center of a tense standoff with federal RI¿FLDOVRYHUJUD]LQJULJKWV Ammon Bundy has been demanding that federal land in Oregon’s Harney County be turned over to local resi- dents to be managed. 2UHJRQ *RY .DWH Brown on Thursday called the occupation of the wild- life refuge “unlawful” and said it had to end. “It was instigated by outsiders whose tactics we Oregonians don’t agree with. Those individuals ille- gally occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge need to decamp immediately and be held accountable,” she said. Federal, state and local law authorities have been closely monitoring the situation at the refuge but have so far taken no action against Bundy and his followers, apparently to avoid a confrontation. Ward has been the most visible law enforcement authority during the occupation, and his strategy so far has been to try to show Bundy that locals oppose the occupation and want them to leave. CARTY: Construction expected to be back to full strength in few weeks Corson said they are now working with those sureties by Standard & Poor’s earlier to update the construction that year. cost and schedule. Another agency, “Part of our job is to Moody’s Investor Service, mitigate risk by putting in also downgraded its rating DSSURSULDWH ¿QDQFLDO VDIH- of Abengoa from B1 to B2, guards, and that’s what we with a stable outlook. did,” Corson said. “It seemed to us there Construction was already ZHUHVLJQL¿FDQWTXHVWLRQV´ DERXWSHUFHQW¿QLVKHGDW said John Stephens, a Port- Carty when Abeinsa began land lawyer representing turning approximately 500 Calpine. workers away from the The PUC ultimately site on Dec. 14. Four days denied the petition for declar- later, PGE ruled Abeinsa in atory ruling, and PGE moved default of its contract and forward with Abengoa. PGE took over the site. spokesman Steve Corson Since then, construction said the company closely has gradually ramped back evaluated all bids, as well up and Corson said they as an independent evaluator, expect to be back to full and decided Abengoa had strength in the next few provided appropriate assur- weeks. ances. “We’re pleased to have “We felt comfortable, the project back underway,” the independent evaluator he said. “We remain felt comfortable, and the convinced this will be a 38& KDG DOVR DI¿UPHG ZH very valuable and reliable used an appropriate process resource for our customers in evaluating the bidding,” moving forward.” Corson said. Carty was expected to There is no such thing come online in mid-2016, as a risk-free project, though that could change. Corson said, especially PGE says it plans to provide on a 440-megawatt, $514 an update on the work million power plant. PGE schedule in February. did have a performance ——— bond worth $145.6 million Contact George Plaven through Liberty Mutual at gplaven@eastoregonian. and Zurich North America. com or 541-966-0825. Continued from 1A Phone and Internet Discounts Available to CenturyLink Customers The Oregon Public Utility Commission designated Centu- ryLink as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential voice lines are $14.48-$16.55 per month and business services are $20.31- $27.25 per month. Speciic rates will be provided upon re- quest. CenturyLink participates in a government beneit program (Lifeline) to make residential telephone service more afford- able to eligible low-income individuals and families. Eligi- ble customers are those that meet eligibility standards as deined by the FCC and state commissions. 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