East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, August 08, 2019, Image 7

East Oregonian : E.O., August 08, 2019, Page 7, Image 7

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Newspaper Page TextOFF PAGE ONE Thursday, August 8, 2019 East Oregonian A7 Guns: Debate over gun laws continues in wake of shootings Continued from Page A1 loopholes in the state’s law to prevent people who pose a risk of harm to themselves or other people from having guns. The next reforms could come from the remnants of Senate Bill 978, which was on track for passage in the 2019 Legislature. The bill would have required gun owners to secure their guns, would have imposed regulations on “ghost” or 3-D printed guns and require gun owners to report lost and stolen guns. Gov. Kate Brown con- ceded to Republican demands to kill the bill to end the ﬁ rst walkout by Sen- ate Republicans in May. “Gov. Brown has consis- tently said that each session we do a little more to tackle common sense ﬁ rearms leg- islation, and the passage of HB 2013 was that step this year,” said Kate Kondayen, a spokeswoman for Brown, in an email. “Whatever step forward we can take on com- mon sense ﬁ rearm safety is positive, whether that’s incremental or sweeping.” Kondayen provided no speciﬁ cs. Brown, however, reacted quickly to the latest mass shootings. “How can we all wake up this morning and not resolve to put an end to this sense- less gun violence?” Brown tweeted Sunday, Aug. 4. “Many of us feel powerless today after the events this weekend, but there is power in your voice, and power in your vote, and I encourage you to leverage that to take action.” Some voiced frustration with Democrats. “Any Oregon Democrats tweeting/talking about gun violence this week should be asked why they traded away gun safety legislation this session,” tweeted Colin Clemente Jones, a former president of the City Club of Portland. “Their cries of powerlessness would be more credible if they didn’t, you know, have the power to pass and enforce laws.” The surrender on the ses- sion’s major gun reform leg- islation disappointed activ- ists agitating for tighter state laws. Students from March For Our Lives, the activist orga- nization spurred by the 2018 shooting in Parkland, Flor- ida, showed up at the Oregon Capitol to voice their displea- sure with legislators after learning of the May deal. It hit especially close to home after a close call at Portland’s Parkrose High School, where a football coach tackled a student who brought a gun to the school. And now, the incidents in El Paso and Dayton should be another reminder, said Wylie Thompson, a student activ- ist with the Oregon branch of March For Our Lives. “Having this happen just has to bring a refresher to the legislators that this can hap- pen here,” Thompson said, “And this legislation is nec- essary to prevent something like this from happening again.” Uhlig, though, described Brown as a “gun sense champion.” “We know she wants to see stronger responsible stor- age laws in Oregon, and gun violence prevention,” Uhlig said. “She’s been a constant supporter of ours for a long time. So we understand that tough decisions had to be made.” Burdick stressed the reforms didn’t fail — they were traded away. “I deﬁ nitely saw a path- way for that bill,” Burdick said. “And it did have a num- ber of subjects in it, all of them enjoying broad public support, including support from gun owners, if you look at the polling.” Sen. Rob Wagner, D-Lake Right to carry gun laws in the US Most states permit, with minimal requirements, the carrying of a concealed weapon. Concealed carry permit granted upon completion of requirements. Some discretion over the issuance, but generally grants permits. No permit required to carry concealed firearms for lawful purposes. Rights restricted, very limited issue. R.I. Del. D.C. SOURCE: NRA Oswego, introduced the most comprehensive gun con- trol bill of the 2019 session, requiring a permit to buy a gun. Wagner crafted the bill with Oregon students push- ing for gun reforms after Parkland. But the proposal — Sen- ate Bill 501 — didn’t even get a legislative hearing. Wagner said the uphill battle is frustrating for the students he worked with on the proposal. “They are disaffected with the political process, and I can see why,” he said. Wagner said impact- ful gun controls should be a priority for the 2020 Legislature. What Wagner views as minor, common-sense tweaks struggle to ﬁ nd sup- port, he said, in part because of what he sees as the power of the gun lobby. “We will take our wins where we can get them,” he said, adding that he plans to continue working with youth in crafting policy. “We favor legislation that will save lives in whatever form it will move,” Uhlig said. “I think we are quite used to working incremen- tally as we continue to edu- cate communities and edu- cate our legislators about how we’re feeling, and about how gun violence affects everyone.” Burdick, who was ﬁ rst elected in 1996 on a platform that included gun safety, said Oregon Democrats should make guns an issue in 2020 campaigns. But, Burdick said, they’d also be wise to name speciﬁ c policies to tighten gun laws — such as more robust back- ground checks — rather than knocking on voters’ doors and espousing the beneﬁ ts of “gun control,” a broad phrase that can put some off. At least one concrete pro- posal has come into view, though. Supporters of Initiative Petition 40, which would require gun owners to store their guns securely, ﬁ led an effort last month to get the issue on the ballot in Novem- ber 2020. Petitioners hope that law- makers pass a safe storage bill during the short session in 2020, but are moving for- ward with the initiative pro- cess to put it before voters in Cattle: Bulls value estimated at $7,000 each Continued from Page A1 The average value of a Hereford bull, said Shane Bedwell, chief operating ofﬁ cer at the American Her- eford Association, is $5,000. However, because of their genetic line, Marshall esti- mated the bulls at Silvies Valley Ranch were worth about $7,000 each. Marshall said that even though livestock workers are on the property with the cattle every day, it’s a rough, forested terrain so it’s understandable that the bulls weren’t found for a few days. “People always seem sur- prised that a cattle rancher wouldn’t notice some of his animals are dead right away,” said Jerome Rosa, executive director of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Associ- ation. “What they don’t real- ize is the enormity of these properties. Unless you’re in a plane or helicopter, you can’t see everything that’s happening.” Even stranger than the deaths, said Jenkins, are the mutilations. Only a few parts of the carcass were removed on each animal — the anus, scrotum, testicles and tongues. One bull was also missing its penis and the tip of one ear. According to Rosa of the OCA, it’s not unusual to ﬁ nd small body parts miss- ing in natural predatory cases. When coyotes and wolves ﬁ nd a carcass, Rosa said, they often go for the easy pickings ﬁ rst, chewing off parts like testicles and tongues. What’s strange about this case is that the areas with missing parts don’t appear to have been chewed. Jenkins, the deputy, said the wounds, when examined, appeared clean-cut. “The parts were deﬁ nitely cut out with a sharp blade,” he said. “There weren’t any signs of predatory eating or chewing. They were cut out by at least one person.” The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has offered a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible. A separate $25,000 reward is also being offered by an interested party. “Whenever there’s a case like this, all the conspiracy theorists come out,” said Jenkins. “Some say it was done by aliens. Others say it’s a cult doing a satanic practice. Some even think it’s the government. It’s a lit- tle ridiculous. I’m conﬁ dent some person or group did this, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.” Those with information about the case, said Jen- kins, should call the Harney County Dispatch Center at 541-573-6156. Marshall, of Silvies Val- ley Ranch, advises ranch- ers and other people to be careful. “This is a very dangerous situation,” said Marshall. “I want people to be extra care- ful to protect themselves and their livestock. It makes me sick that our gentle bulls were killed and mutilated in this way.” Marshall said that since the case opened last week, other farmers across the West have contacted him to share their similar stories of livestock mutilation. “People are looking for answers,” he said. “But right now, we don’t have any.” Charter: No Umatilla County manager measure Continued from Page A1 about the cost of a manager. Clatsop County, he said, with half the population of Uma- tilla County, hired a new manager for $160,000 a year plus beneﬁ ts. He also said he would not want a manager to act as a barrier between com- missioners and the public, a problem the county had under a previous board that used an administrator as a de facto buffer. Commissioner George Murdock stuck to his stance of support for the review com- mittee’s recommendations. “As I indicated publicly since day one, it is my intent to honor the work of that committee,” he said. “I also believe strongly that a matter of this magnitude relative to how Umatilla County is gov- erned should be commended to the voters for their input rather than decided by the commissioners.” And on that, the board voted 2-1 against putting the measure on the ballot. The board also split 2-1 in favor of letting voters decide on revising commissioner elections. The review committee’s recommendation continues the standard of electing com- NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING, OR YOUR MONEY BACK – GUARANTEED! 0 % 15 %OFF AND! FINANCING* missioners in the Novem- ber general election. But if no more than two candidates seek the ofﬁ ce, there would be no May primary election and the candidates would advance to the November general. If more than two run, the two with the most votes face off in the general. Shafer cast the dissenting vote. He advocated for using the state’s language on elec- tions, which would declare a winner in May if a candidate won with more than 50 per- cent of the vote. The three commission- ers united in favor of a ballot measure to revise the char- ter to use “Sheriff’s Ofﬁ ce” rather than “Law Enforce- ment Department” while specifying the sheriff’s func- tions according to Oregon law. The issue of a county man- ager, however, is not dead. Michele Grable, who headed up the charter review com- mittee, told the board it should follow Elfering’s suggestion to develop the concept. “You said we need more study on the matter, well, let’s study it,” she said. Murdock said the board at its next meeting will decide what reconsider- ation looks like. Promo Number: 285 Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm. Sun: 2pm-8pm EST Judge intervenes on behalf of threatened seabird in Oregon ruary 2018 to increase the seabird’s protections, con- cluding it was likely to go extinct in the foreseeable future. But, after a change in its membership, the commission reversed itself without explanation, and voted in June 2018 to deny the petition. Lane County Circuit Court Judge Lauren Hol- land said in an Aug. 1 ruling in Eugene that the commission was required to explain its reversal, and that it did not do so. “The Commission failed to provide a written basis for the denial,” Hol- land wrote. Cady said the ruling throws the issue back to the commission, which can either abide by its ear- lier decision to list the bird as endangered, or try to justify its later reversal with peer-reviewed scien- tiﬁ c evidence. “Oregon has allowed intensive clear-cut logging to continue in marbled murrelet habitat on lands owned and regulated by the state,” the conservation groups said in a statement. The National Audu- bon Society describes the marbled murrelet as a “strange, mysterious little seabird” and says its popu- lation has suffered serious declines in recent years as it continues to lose nest- ing habitat with cutting of old-growth forests in the Paciﬁ c Northwest. By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — An Ore- gon judge has ruled that the Oregon Fish and Wild- life Commission illegally reversed an earlier deci- sion granting endangered species status to the mar- bled murrelet, a small seabird that nests in old- growth forests. Conservation groups on Wednesday accused Oregon ofﬁ cials of seek- ing to avoid protections for the bird, allowing clear-cut logging where it nests. Michelle Dennehy, spokeswoman for the Ore- gon Department of Fish and Wildlife, or ODFW, said it does not comment on legal matters. “Oregon’s desperate struggle to avoid protec- tions for the marbled mur- relet ignored science, the law and ODFW’s mis- sion to protect Oregon’s imperiled wildlife,” said Nick Cady, legal direc- tor at Cascadia Wildlands, one of the groups that in 2016 petitioned the wild- life commission to list the marbled murrelet as endangered. Five conservation groups in 2016 petitioned the wildlife commission to increase protections for the marbled murrelet from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endan- gered Species Act. The commission voted in Feb- Imagine The Difference You Can Make BEST DONATE YOUR CAR Technology... Value... TV!... Add High Speed Internet 1-844-533-9173 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE *Contact us for additional details CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 License# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Regis- tration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H only a very small percentage of violent acts are commit- ted by people who are diag- nosed with, or in treatment for, mental illness.” If Oregon lawmakers pass any sort of reform, it will be against the will of some of the state’s biggest gun advo- cates. Measures to restrict gun ownership also tend to bring out a vocal group of grassroots opponents. Nelson Shew, president of the Oregon State Shooting Association, said he would not support any further gun control legislation. He thinks gun control is unconstitu- tional and doesn’t work. “The only thing I would support is harsher regula- tions and enforcing things on criminals,” Shew said. “Any- one who’s going to do some- thing like that, I don’t think you can legislate against it. They’re going to do it.” Shew said he might sup- port banning drug users from having guns. He said he wouldn’t sup- port “red ﬂ ag” laws where violence in someone’s past would bar them from buying a gun. “Just simply because you had a bad divorce, and the wife says, ‘Oh, he threat- ened me.’ I could see a judge believing that,” Shew said. Shew said mass murder- ers would always ﬁ nd a way to get a gun. The problem lies in societal issues like bad upbringings, he claims. “Everything contributes to it, but I don’t think the ﬁ re- arm contributes to it. It’s just a tool,” he said. Kevin Starrett, execu- tive director of the Oregon Firearms Federation, doesn’t favor gun control, either. Instead, he said, he wants to repeal 2017 legislation that allows police to tem- porarily conﬁ scate ﬁ rearms after a family member or law enforcement ofﬁ cer peti- tions a judge that the person is dangerous and should be kept away from guns. Your Family Deserves The SENIOR & MILITARY DISCOUNTS FREE ESTIMATES! 1-855-536-8838 case the legislation doesn’t make it through. The petitioners — Henry Wessinger and Lisa Reyn- olds, both of Portland, and Paul Kemp, of Happy Valley — want to reduce injuries and deaths associated with guns that have been accessed unlawfully, or by children. Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr., of Grants Pass, said in an inter- view last month that there’s a chance he could support some form of safe storage legislation. “The devil’s in the details in any of those types of pro- posals,” said Mike Carew, chief of staff for the House Republican caucus. Carew said that House Republicans aren’t a “mono- lith” when it comes to gun policy, but many are inter- ested in addressing the “root causes” of gun violence. President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday that both parties should collaborate on measures to strengthen background checks for peo- ple who want to buy guns. Later that morning, during a speech to reporters in Wash- ington, D.C., Trump reiter- ated a call for “bipartisan solutions.” He said he was direct- ing the federal Department of Justice to work with state, local and federal agencies and social media compa- nies to “develop tools” to ﬂ ag potential mass shooters. “Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun,” Trump said. Such comments by Trump and others around mental health prompted the Oregon Health Authority on Monday to tweet a state- ment from the president of the American Psychological Association. “Routinely blaming mass shootings on mental ill- ness is unfounded and stig- matizing,” APA President Rosie Phillips Davis said. “Research has shown that /mo. 190 Channels America’s Top 120 CALL TODAY Save 20%! Subject to availability. Restrictions apply. Internet not provided by DISH and will be billed separately. 1-866-373-9175 Oﬀer ends 11/13/19. 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