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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2019)
A8 Wallowa County Chieftain NEWS Wednesday, January 2, 2019 Control: Lawmakers push for more gun control Continued from Page A1 Kevin Starrett, executive director of the Oregon Fire- arms Federation, said requir- ing that guns be locked up is “rendering fi rearms useless” because it will take too long to get the weapon out in an emergency. Relatives of the victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Clackamas Town Center wanted to impose the stor- age mandate through a bal- lot measure earlier this year. Their effort stalled after the National Rifl e Association, the state fi rearms federation and other gun rights advo- cates challenged the bal- lot language in court. The Oregon Supreme Court dis- missed the challenge, but that left only a month for measure supporters to col- lect 88,000 signatures. State Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, and state Sen. James Man- ning Jr., D-Eugene, are now championing the stor- age requirement through legislation. “It codifi es things that many reasonable gun own- ers do already: safely stor- ing your weapon, making sure kids can’t access it and if they do, that they’re super- vised,” Smith Warner said. If passed, the law would be called the Cindy Yuille and Steve Forsyth Act, named for two victims of the Clackamas shooting. Police said the shooter, Jacob Tyler Roberts, used a semiautomatic rifl e he stole from a friend’s home. In what Smith War- ner described as a pub- lic health crisis, an aver- age of 456 Oregonians die each year from fi rearm inju- ries, according to the Ore- gon Health Authority. There is no data on how many of those deaths were the result of unsecured guns. Most states don’t require gun locks even though such laws effectively prevent sui- cides, according to the Gif- fords Law Center. In Massachusetts, the only state that requires all fi rearms be locked when not in use, guns are used in about 9 percent of youth suicides compared with 39 percent nationally, accord- ing to the law center. “I think that this legis- lation has the potential to have bipartisan support in the Legislature,” said Henry Wessinger, president of State of Safety Action, the group behind the proposed safe storage ballot measure. “If you are looking at what is the next gun safety pol- icy Oregon could imple- ment, this is the one that would save the most lives and would reduce the most amount of gun violence without preventing people from being able to purchase a gun who are currently able to purchase a gun or with- out telling people that they can’t purchase certain types of guns.” Gov. Kate Brown hasn’t yet proposed any gun reforms, though during her campaign for re-election she said she wanted to give the Oregon State Police more time to conduct background checks on potential gun buyers. “The governor looks for- ward to continuing con- versations with legisla- tors about which concepts should move forward to improve the safety of Ore- gonians,” said her press sec- retary, Nikki Fisher. Other gun law changes legislators may consider in the next session: • Safe storage tax credit — State Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, wants to give tax credits to gun owners for buying a safe or lock for their gun. “That is still (in) the incubator stage of develop- ment,” Prozanski said. “I have been working with the revenue offi ce looking at how such a program could be funded.” • Handguns in public buildings — Senate Major- ity Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, proposes closing a loophole that allows people to take concealed handguns into public buildings. “A number of public entities would like to have the option to keep anyone with a gun off the grounds,” Burdick said. Those entities include schools, universities and the Port of Portland, she said. • Ghost guns/3D printed guns — Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum wants to regulate “ghost guns” made from kits or through 3D printing. Such guns can be manufactured with- out a serial number and are untraceable. • Age to buy “assault” rifl es — Legislative leaders want to raise the legal age to buy assault rifl es from 18 to 21 but have not yet defi ned what guns would be covered. • Domestic violence loophole — Legislative leaders want to remove a loophole that allows some domestic violence abusers to keep their guns. “Right now, if you have a domestic violence restraining order, you have the opportunity to request a hearing for it,” Burdick said. Abusers “have learned that if they don’t request the hearing, they get to keep their guns.” Growing wildfi re costs get governor’s attention By Claire Withycombe Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregonians saw $62 million in private grazing and timberland go up in fl ames this fi re season. Such seasons continue to grow worse, longer and more expensive in the state, posing more threats to life and property. Gov. Kate Brown has proposed a special council to take a new look at how the state fi ghts fi res and pays for that work. The state Forestry Department reported to leg- islators recently that large fi res cost the agency $102 million this year. The federal government will cover much of that, and private landowners chip in some, but the high price tag still creates a budgeting frenzy as the state waits for federal reimbursement. Brown’s proposed coun- cil is likely to look at whether the state is staffi ng fi res effi ciently. Every summer, desk- bound Forestry Department employees like accountants and human resources staff can be taken off their reg- ular duties to help on fi re crews. That is called a “militia model.” Other states, like California, have a dedicated fi refi ghting agency. As fi re seasons grow lon- ger, militia-style fi refi ghting could actually cost the state more by taking employees off key, but non-fi re, func- tions of the department for months at a time. The governor’s council is likely to include offi cials from Oregon’s tribes, state and federal forest agencies, environmental groups and landowners. Forest prac- tices likely won’t be part of council’s review but could become a consideration. Brown also wants the state to hire a consultant to analyze budgeting for fi res. Oregon’s byzantine array of reimbursements, borrowing and insurance burdens the state’s general fund. From 2008 to 2012, annual fi re costs in the state hovered at $20 million or less, according to state data. Undies: A unique way to think about soil health Continued from Page A1 Robert Hathorne, a spokesman for NRCS Ore- gon, said the more microbes break down undies, the stronger the indication of healthy soil. “It’s a way to start think- ing about what’s happen- ing that causes soil health,” Hathorne said. Six Oregon producers took the challenge in 2018, including Woody Wolfe, Joe Dawson, Alan Klages and Mark Butterfi eld, of Wallowa County and Joe McElligott and Corey Miller, of Morrow County. “They thought it was all pretty funny,” Hathorne said. “All of them had really strong results from what we found.” The only exception was Butterfi eld, who was unable to fi nd his under- wear after sneaky cows stole the marker fl ag he had used to mark the spot. Even McElligott and Miller, who farm dry- land wheat in an area that receives just 9-12 inches of rain every year, found their undies were eaten down to just the elastic. Both grow- ers use a no-till or reduced tillage system, leaving crop residue in the fi eld to replen- ish soil organic matter. Hathorne said the NRCS is hoping the results lead to more interest in the “Soil Your Undies” challenge in 2019. To participate, farm- ers should “plant” a pair of 100 percent cotton under- wear at the beginning of the normal growing season, and leave them for at least 60 days. Send “before” and “after” photos, along with information about the farm and growing practices, to orinfo@nrcs.usda.gov, or to any local NRCS offi ce. Oregon likely to gain Congressional seat, forecast shows By Jeff Mapes Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon is still on track to gain a sixth seat in the U.S. House, according to elections experts studying new Census Bureau pop- ulation estimates released Wednesday. Kimball Brace of Elec- tion Data Services in Vir- ginia said he projects that Oregon should gain another seat with about 140,000 people to spare. That’s rela- tively close, but not as close to the margin as it is for some states. “There are still some potential changes coming that could impact Oregon,” he said. These include pop- ulation changes caused by a disaster or an economic shock — or big differences in what the Census Bureau turns up when it attempts to count the entire population in 2020. Another fi rm, Poli- data in Vermont, also proj- ects that Oregon will gain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Under current Oregon law, it will be up to the state Legislature to redraw dis- trict lines in 2021. And if Democrats maintain con- trol of the Legislature, they will be able to send a bill to Gov. Kate Brown — her term runs until early 2023 — even if Republicans object. FREE DELIVERY to Wallowa County! START THE NEW YEAR OFF WITH A BRAND NEW KITCHEN ® Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year!