Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2018)
4 A ❘ S ATURDAY EDITION ❘ MARCH 3 , 2018 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion NRA is part of solution, not problem As I read the gun control editorials in the Feb. 28 edi- tion of Siuslaw News, there was little to think about. It seems that folks can — and do — get worked up over what will turn out to be noth- ing, because that is what it will be. We can start with talk of the public heath crisis. I agree that we most certainly do have one. However, it is facilitated by current laws that restrict intervention and/or incarceration of the mentally ill who have a histo- ry of being a danger to others or themselves. Instead of addressing the problem, organizations such as the ACLU and others have left them to fend for them- selves with little or no sup- port programs. As a result, we are now seeing how the rules touted as preventing discrimination have ham- pered police, sheriffs, the FBI and school authorities from intervening even when disturbing conduct is report- ed because information isn’t being shared. I have to wonder if these agencies had been able to do the jobs they were hired for, whether the tragic situation in Parkland, Fla., could have been avoided. Another letter writer seemed confused about the difference between automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Fully automatic weapons have been banned in this country by two federal laws since 1935. The only way to get one legally is with a Class 3 license and a whole lot of money. That’s because the ban on production of these weapons in the 1960s has driven the cost to over $20,000. That, in addition to the extensive, mandatory FBI background check required to purchase such a weapon makes it unreachable for people believe them. For instance, the right to drive a car. There is no such right in our Constitution. Driving is a privilege that can be revoked for any rea- son. Gun ownership, on the other hand, is a right guaran- teed by our Constitution. Some think the NRA’s con- GUEST VIEWPOINT B Y D AVID E CKHARDT F LORENCE RESIDENT AND NRA L IFE M EMBER most folks. However, the semi-auto- matic weapons ban passed by Congress in 1994 expired in 2004 in accordance with the law’s sunset provision. And when it came up for renewal, it was found by the govern- ment’s own agencies that it had in effect made little or no difference. As such, it was not renewed. As for the NRA represent- ing gun makers, as a Life Member I can assure you that is just plain false. The National Rifle Association (NRA) repre- sents the many Americans who feel as we do and con- tribute to our cause, which is the unfettered preservation of the Second Amendment. The gun manufactures are represented by the National Shooting Sports foundation (www.nssf.org). It seems that so many folks who know lit- tle to nothing about firearms and the Second Amendment are the ones saying the most outrageous things and, sadly, cern over entering the slip- pery slope of confiscation is an overreaction. Those folks conveniently ignore history and would like everyone else to do the same by saying it can never happen here. While I sincerely hope they are right, it’s not a risk many Americans are willing to take. This week was my time to take the Hand Gun Safety Course, which is a very com- prehensive course held in cooperation with the Florence Police Department. One of those participating in the class was a retired Florence teacher. As you might guess, the Florida shooting came up in conver- sation. Suffice it to say, the Florida shooter is lucky our teacher wasn’t there. I say this because I know a few former teachers and law enforcement officers who would have no problem car- rying in class. To me, it makes perfect sense consid- ering the alternative, which was made clear in Florida. In the event of an active shooter in our school, provid- ing teachers with the choice of being the first line of defense when every second counts just makes sense. As a life-long shooter and gun owner, I’d like to suggest some common sense changes we can not only institute but agree on in order to address the issue: 1. Get rid of those rapid fire devices. There are a few. 2. Strengthen the back- ground check system, it’s good but it can be better. 3. As for increasing the age to buy a rifle to 21, I’m not convinced that would do any good. Keep in mind, we do accept and admit 18-year- olds in the military and give them access to weapons much more lethal than an AR-15. 4. Make it mandatory by law that every state manage and produce, as part of back- ground checks, all reports pertaining to an individual’s history of mental illness when it endangers others or themselves. 5. Do the same for all mil- itary branches. 6. Enforce mandatory sen- tencing guidelines for any state or military authority that fails to comply. 7. Make any failure to per- form your duty as a law enforcement or military per- sonnel that results in the death of children (under 18) life in prison or, in states and instances where applicable, death. Worshiping guns contradicts Christian ideals I t has happened again. Of course it has. And it will continue to happen. And again and again and again… We as a nation are infatu- ated with gun culture, and we seem to worship the Second Amendment more than we do The Bible or Jesus. What does it say about us as a nation when sales of assault rifles soar, not decline, in the days following an attack like the one that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.? I’m not saying that my religion, or anyone else’s for that matter, should dictate our gun policy; but for a nation that claims so loudly to be Christian, there certain- ly seems to be a disconnect between the faith we profess and the actions we commit. In the five years since Sandy Hook, 168 people (mostly children) have been killed in our nation’s schools, and hundreds more have been injured. Since Sandy Hook, over 1,700 people have been killed in mass shootings across our nation, from Orlando, Fla., to San Bernardino, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nev., and many points in between. And yet, while mass shootings get all the head- lines, they only tell half the story. Almost overlooked in the background, away from most of the public outcry, 170,000 people have lost their lives to gun violence in that same period — an esti- mate considered conserva- tive by many. Imagine my dismay when, on Monday, Feb. 19, just days after the latest tragedy in Parkland, I learned that our local Boys and Girls Club affiliate in Florence, was raffling off a 9mm semi- automatic pistol with an 18 round magazine as part of a raffles is the AR-15. Not far away from here, a girls softball team in Dallas, Ore., has decided to move forward with their plans to raffle off such a weapon. I find this offensive. Raffling off any firearm, assault style or not, is cer- tainly not appropriate for any GUEST VIEWPOINT B Y R EV . R OBERT B ARRETT Y ACHATS fundraiser for its program. Perhaps dismay is not a strong enough word. It would be more accurate to say that I was sick. Shocked. Disgusted. Even more repulsive was my subsequent learning that countless other organizations across our nation are current- ly conducting similar fundraisers. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to the Second Amendment. But I would argue that we need to tighten up background checks and keep military type assault weapons out of the hands of ordinary citi- zens. But that is not my point here. While the flag is still at half-mast for the victims of the carnage in Florida, youth organizations across the country are offering gun raf- fles as a means to raise money for their organiza- tions. Quite often, the weapon of choice for these organization that exists to enhance the lives of our nation’s young people. It is not only insensitive and inappropriate, it is irre- sponsible, particularly in a nation where guns are now the third-leading cause of death amongst children under the age of 19. It is irresponsible when eight children a day are dying as a result of gun violence; it is irresponsible when 2 mil- lion children are living in homes with an unlocked gun accessible to them; it is irre- sponsible when 89 percent of all unintentional childhood shooting deaths occur in the home. And it is irresponsible in an age when school shoot- ings have become an almost daily occurrence. We as people of faith have a clarion call to protect the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. Our varied faith traditions teach us to seek the peace and welfare of the city, call us to love our neighbor, and implore us to cherish human dignity. Can there be any disagree- ment that our children are our nation’s future and our most valuable asset? At the same time, our chil- dren are amongst the most vulnerable in our society. Our love affair with guns is a moral issue. Gun vio- lence disproportionately tar- gets the youngest and the poorest amongst us. Our infatuation boarders on idol worship, and it is an affront to God. The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were not yet born when a gunman opened fire on students in Columbine, Colo. They have grown up in a generation where gun vio- lence is commonplace and active shooter drills have become the norm. They have watched time and time again, as our legislators have offered their “thoughts and prayers,” while doing little else to keep them safe — not even after 20 first-graders were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Conn. Is it any wonder that stu- dents across the nation have raised their collective voices to say, #NoMore? Perhaps this generation of young peo- ple will be the ones to galva- nize the community and gen- erate the moral outrage nec- essary to enact sensible legis- lation once and for all. God knows our nation’s religious leaders have failed on this account. ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respecting an estab- lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exer- cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Consulting Editor 831-761-7353 Email: echalhoub@register-pajaronian.com Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Erik Chalhoub Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classifiedad,sThursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $76; 6-month in-county, $52; 10-weeks subscription, $23; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription,$99; 6-month out-of-county, $65; 10-weeks subscription, $29; Out of State — 1- year subscription, $125; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $71. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com L ETTERS TO THE P OLICY E DITOR The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous, argumentative and anonymous letters or poetry, or letters from outside our readership area will only be published at the discretion of the editor. P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS : Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accu- rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support candidates based on personal experience and per- spective rather than partisanship and campaign- style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and plat- forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid polit- ical advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above crite- ria. Send letters to: nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com WHERE TO WRITE Pres. Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, Ore. 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line: 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202- 228-3997 541-465-6750 www.merkley.senate.gov U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio ( 4 th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416 541-269-2609 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan ( Dist. 5 ) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@ oregonlegislature.gov State Rep. Caddy McKeown ( Dist. 9 ) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown @state.or.us West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@ co.lane.or.us
