SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
the numbers are still lower than tistical anomaly. The long gap strongly oppose. For example, other acts of public violence
they were before the ban was between incidents post-1996 to purchase most guns, the gov- goes back nearly a century. So
put in place.
may simply reflect a return to a ernment fully vets a potential too does the tug of war between
In the 14 years before
gun rights and gun con-
All firearms had to be regis-
trol. One of the first
tered, and gun owners had to it, there were approxi-
“You’re never going to get rid of all guns. That’s never modern debates hap-
prove a “genuine reason” for mately 13 gun mas-
pened during the era of
owning a firearm, including sacres. Fourteen years going to happen. Even if they did a ban right now, there are
occupational uses or member- later, there were six.
millions of guns out there. I don’t know anybody who’s going prohibition.
Was the gun ban the
In 1929, the Saint
ships in target shooting clubs.
to go to someone’s house and start taking their guns away.”
Valentine’s
Day
Since then, it has been cause of the reduction?
— Commander John Pitcher, Massacre in Chicago left
claimed that there have been no Possibly, though it’s
Florence Police Department seven dead as mobster
mass shootings in Australia, hard to prove definitive-
Capone sought to con-
though that depends on one’s ly.
In March 2018, the
solidate control by elim-
definition of a mass shooting.
publication more ‘normal’ state of affairs.”
buyer, including consulting a inating his rivals in the trades of
There have been shootings, non-partisan
The article also pointed out psychiatrist.
bootlegging, gambling and
including a school shooting in Science Daily looked at a new
People with alcohol addiction prostitution. While the massacre
2002 and an ISIS-inspired report published in the Annals that some argue it is a big leap
hostage attack in 2014. But of Internal Medicine on the to believe a 22-year decline of issues are prohibited from own- was never linked to Capone, the
mass shootings is simply an ing a gun, and purchasers must victims were associates of the
under many statistical models, issue.
“Most people hear these anomaly. In fact, the odds pass a handling and shooting Irish gangster George “Bugs”
these incidences would not be
considered mass shootings — starkly contrasting numbers and against that hypothesis are test if they are going to buy a Moran, a fierce competitor.
gun for defensive purposes.
That massacre wasn’t an
the majority were either fami- conclude that Australia’s gun 200,000 to one.
In 2017, the nonpartisan web- Many owners have also had anomaly during the time. There
ly/friend disputes, or terrorism, law reforms effectively stopped
massacres
here,” site FactCheck.org stated that training from mandatory mili- was a constant barrage of gang-
which often gets left off of mass firearm
Daily
reported. there was no hard evidence for tary service.
land warfare reports spread
shooting lists. And they also did Science
But as people point to differ- across the nation, horrifically
not have the general baseline of “However, some scholars and the argument either way. The
four or more people dead. If that members of the gun lobby have site did admit that there was a ent countries to uphold their displayed in newspapers and
metric is included, there were argued that since mass shoot- drastic decrease in homicides arguments on gun control, there idolized on screen with stars
zero mass shootings after the ings are relatively rare events, after the gun ban, dropping 23 are a multitude of factors that like James Cagney.
the concentration of incidents in percent from 1996 to 2013. get lost in the argument, from
America was just as scared of
ban.
But even if the loosest defini- one decade and their absence in However, that decline began social support systems and uni- gun violence then as it is today.
versal access to mental health
In 1934, the National
tion of mass shooting was used, another decade is merely a sta- before 1996.
There was a study done in care, to systemic problems like Firearms Act (NFA) was passed
2011 that showed the average drug trades and sectarian vio- to restrict access to certain
firearm homicide rate per lence.
firearms, including submachine
100,000 before the ban was .43,
Ultimately, there are many guns, like the popular “Chicago
but dropped to .25 seven years elements that can influence a Typewriter” Tommy gun, shot-
after the ban.
country’s crime rate when it guns and rifles having barrels
“No study has explained why comes to firearms. This is not to less than 18 inches, and firearm
gun deaths were falling, or why say that researching other coun- mufflers and silencers.
they might be expected to con- tries’ attitudes and laws sur-
The NFA didn’t ban these
tinue to fall,” the website rounding guns can’t be helpful firearms and accessories out-
reported. “That poses difficulty when crafting U.S. policies.
right, but put a $200 tax on the
in trying to definitively deter-
There are multiple tactics them, which is equivalent to
mine the impact of the law.”
used around the world that $3,500 in today’s currency. In
While Australia is often could potentially help the U.S. addition, the firearms had to be
pointed to as a bellwether for determine a path to reducing registered with the Secretary of
less guns, gun-rights advocates mass shootings — but no one the Treasury.
point to Switzerland as a reason country can act as a solution,
While the act was used as a
to actually have more guns.
because no one country mirrors deterrent to purchase these
According to the research the laws of the United States.
firearms, it was used even more
group Small Arms Survey in
In fact, many of the laws that to prosecute those who were
2007, Switzerland ranks third in Australia passed have already found with them; if a gangster
gun ownership per capita been put in place in America. was found with an unlicensed
throughout the world, and has a Some still exist, while others weapon, then more fines and
lower rate of violent crime.
were found unconstitutional. To jail time could be lobbied
The country ranks 147th in understand why, we have to go against them.
the world for violent crime, per back to Al Capone.
But that practice brought up
the United Nations Office on
some very difficult constitution-
Drugs and Crime in 2010.
Unwanted guns
al issues that have little or noth-
But Switzerland also has
While it may seem that the ing to do with the Second
stringent gun ownership rules, recent rash of public gun vio- Amendment.
many of which some American lence in America is a new phe-
In the 1960s, Miles Edward
gun rights advocates would nomenon, mass shootings and Haynes was charged with fail-
ing to register a firearm under
the NFA. Haynes argued that,
because he was a convicted
felon, requiring him to register
the weapon and making an open
admission to the government
that he was violating the law, he
was being forced to violate his
Fifth Amendment right to not
incriminate himself.
See Jim for your auto sales needs!
Jan Jagoe
In 1968, the Supreme Court
Broker
agreed with Haynes, and
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7 A
mandatory gun registration on a
federal level was stricken.
The year of the Haynes case
was yet another period where
gun violence was sweeping the
nation. Robert F. Kennedy and
Martin Luther King, Jr. had
been shot. John F. Kennedy was
shot in 1963. Urban riots began
flooding the streets in 1964.
A whole host of crime legis-
lation was passed in response,
including the controversial
Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act, which clarified
rules for wiretap orders, and the
Gun Control Act (GCA).
While the GCA couldn’t cre-
ate a blanket registration
requirement because of the
Hayes decision, it could prohib-
it certain classes of people from
owning a firearm, including
felons and those who were
involuntarily committed to a
mental institution.
This was constitutionally
legal because it was a punitive
extension of a crime already
committed.
More controversial portions
of the Safe Streets Act put
restrictions on gun sellers and
interstate sales, and led to accu-
sations that the government
used those rules to drive sellers
out of business. To counteract
that, in 1986, the Firearm
Owners Protection Act was
passed, rescinding many of the
gun sellers’ restrictions from
1968. That bill also marked the
first times that gun legislation
officially banned a weapon that
was
widely
distributed:
machine guns.
(That law was covered more
extensively in Part I of this
series.)
In 1993, America was under
yet another sustained barrage of
crime reports. The crack-
cocaine epidemic had been ris-
ing and racial tensions in cities
like Los Angeles were turning
into mass riots.
In response, the Brady
Handgun Violence Act was
passed, creating the National
Instant Criminal Background
Check System that would help
gun sellers find those who are
already deemed unable to buy
firearms. It should be noted that
the Background system does
not act as a national registry;
once the checks are completed,
any information regarding indi-
vidual gun ownership is to be
deleted.
In fact, the 1986 act prohibit-
ed any governmental agency
from creating a registry that ties
firearms directly to their own-
ers.
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1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
Siuslaw Pioneer Museum
AU
DI
TIO
NS
Presents
Readers Choice Voted #1 Realtor
Yard Debris Disposal
A Collection of Fabric Woven by
Alice Peckham of Swisshome
and a demonstration of the antique 4-harness fl oor
loom used in the Peckham family for 3 generations.
A 4-harness direct tie-up counterbalance 1951 Allen Loom,
built-in Milwaukie, Oregon, and woven on by three generations
of the Peckham family of Mapleton, was donated to the Pioneer
Museum by Peckham with the hope that it might inspire someone
to weave.
Th e warping process will continue every Saturday at the museum
(noon to four) until the job is done and weaving commences. All
weavers are welcome to come and help or share ideas, including (1)
what we could do next and (2) what commitment we can collectively
make to assure that the loom remains an active, interactive, part of
our community. Th at four-hour window off ers a good opportunity
for Florence area weavers to get to know each other.
Spinners, there is room on the same fl oor of the Pioneer Museum
to bring your spinning wheels to share your craft and maybe inspire
some new spinners too. Th e museum has a few spinning wheels,
none near operational.
278 Maple St, Florence, OR 97439
(541) 997-7884
Next Date is April 21
9am to 2pm
at the Kingwood entrance to the airport,
located at Kingwood & 27th St.
COST
Pickup load
$10
2018
Collection
Dates:
Small Utility Trailer
(Single Axle)
$10
APRIL 21
Medium Utility
Trailer
(10-12 ft)
$15
JUNE 16
Large Utility Trailer
(12-18ft)
$21
Greater than
20 cubic yards
$21 +$5/yard over
MAY 12
JULY 21
AUGUST 18
SEPTEMBER 15
OCTOBER 20
Bring:
• Tree Clippings
• Leaves
• Grass Clippings
• Weeds
• Prunings
• Brush
DO NOT
Bring your:
• Food &
Household waste
• Animal Waste
• Plastics
• Construction
Debris
• Hazardous Waste
For questions, please contact the
City of Florence Public Works Department at 541-997-4106