The BulleTin • Sunday, June 27, 2021 C3
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: When my
husband and I got married
a year ago, he had seven res-
cue dogs, which was a lot for
me, but I accepted it. Two of
the small dogs slept in our
bed, and I was OK with that,
too. My husband promised
he would never put the dogs
before me, and when those
dogs died, he would not re-
place the big ones. (At that
time, he had only two small
ones.) Well, he has lost a big
one and a small one, which
left us with five dogs.
Not only did my husband
go to the shelter and adopt
two, he is going to buy an-
other one! Everything he
promised was a lie. The two
from the shelter are allowed
to sleep with us, although I’ve
explained to him I can’t sleep
with all these dogs in our
bed. Rather than have them
sleep somewhere else in the
house, he has pretty much
told me to pack my things.
When he told his dog-loving
mother about our problem,
she advised him that it’s OK
for me to sleep in another
room so he can sleep with his
dogs.
I feel like he knew all along
what his intentions were. I al-
most left and I am still think-
ing about it. I’ve talked to
him, but he won’t change his
mind. I’m not sure why he
even married me. Help me,
please.
— Sleeping Poorly in Tennessee
Dear Sleeping Poorly:
Unfortunately, I can’t help
you. You are going to have to
help yourself. Your husband
has made clear to you that
his animals come first. Now
that you know what his pri-
orities are — and you appear
to be at least sixth on the list
— pack your bags and get
out of there. He isn’t going to
change, and you will both be
happier.
Dear Abby: I have three
children, ages 10, 8 and 5. I
live about 45 minutes from
my sisters and my parents, so
we spend holidays and more
together. My younger sister is
pregnant and wants to name
the baby “Bradley” because
she and her husband can’t
agree on any other name.
When she asked my opin-
ion, I was taken aback be-
cause my 5-year-old’s name
is “Bradford.” At first I said it
would be OK. But after a few
days of thought, I asked her
to please not use Bradley as
a first name because my son
(and hers) may want to use
“Brad” in school or sports at
some point, and it would be
confusing. This has caused a
family rift, as everyone thinks
I’m being unfair.
At this point, it’s not about
the name. It’s more about her
deciding to ignore my wishes.
Are there baby-naming rules
of etiquette to follow? I will,
of course, love the child re-
gardless, and I love my sister.
We are close. However, I’m
surprised they can’t come up
with any other name, know-
ing that it bothers me. Help!
— Name Game in Illinois
Dear Name Game: For
whatever reason, your sister
and her husband seem un-
able to find another name.
Accept it and move on. Be-
cause of the five-plus year age
difference between the boys,
there shouldn’t be a problem
with “confusion” because by
the time her son is ready for
kindergarten, your son will
be so much further along in
grammar school. He will also
be out of high school by the
time his cousin enters. Rather
than fume over something
you can’t control, let it go.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Georgia Nicols
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping or making important decisions after
3 p.m. EDT today (noon PDT) for the rest of the day. The Moon is in Aquarius.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2021: You have an
easygoing, gentle charm. You are creative, playful and like to converse with
others. You appear quiet and unassuming, but you are intuitive and obser-
vant. Justice and fairness matter to you. This year your focus is on teamwork
and cooperation with others because that is your easiest path to happiness.
Explore whatever is mutually beneficial between you and others.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Very likely a friend or a member of a group will say or do something
that surprises you or catches you off guard. In the meantime, enjoy schmooz-
ing but commit to nothing during the Moon Alert (see above). Tonight:
Discuss future goals.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
This is a tricky day. Do be aware of the limitations of the Moon Alert
(see above). Meanwhile, discussions about money or property, perhaps with
a parent, boss or someone in the police, could interrupt your day. Things are
unpredictable. Tonight: Respect bosses and parents.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Travel plans might be interrupted today. You might suddenly have
to travel when you did not expect to do so. You have an urge to negotiate
finances or spend money today. If so, be aware of the limitations of the Moon
Alert. Tonight: Seek variety.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Today you might discuss shared property, debt, insurance issues or
inheritances. Avoid important decisions during the Moon Alert. Meanwhile,
stay on top of things, because something unexpected could occur. Tonight:
Protect what you own.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
A partner, spouse or close friend will likely surprise you today. Or, per-
haps, you will meet someone new who is unusual and very different. Make
no promises and don’t volunteer for anything during the Moon Alert. To-
night: Cooperate with others.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
If you own a pet, keep your eyes open today, because something unex-
pected might happen. Work will likely be interrupted. However, a boss, par-
ent or someone in authority might help you today. Tonight: Organize things.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Social plans might change today. Something might be canceled or you
might receive an unexpected invitation. Meanwhile, parents should be alert,
because this is an accident-prone day for their kids. Romance might be rocky.
Tonight: Socialize!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
A family discussion might be surprising today. It could be supportive in
terms of help from someone else or financial assistance. Nevertheless, there
will be disagreements. Small appliances might break down. Tonight: Cocoon
at home.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Be careful, because this is an accident-prone day. Nevertheless, you
will enjoy chatting with neighbors, friends and relatives. You’re full of clever,
bright ideas. Keep your eyes open to avoid verbal or physical missteps. To-
night: You need to talk.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Stay on top of your possessions and your money today, because some-
thing unexpected might impact them. Be smart and protect what you own
against loss, theft or damage. Tonight: Check your assets.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today the Moon is in your sign at odds with your ruler Uranus. This can
make you inclined to jump to conclusions. It also will make you rebellious,
which is why you might do the exact opposite of what someone suggests.
Tonight: Stay realistic.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Because you might feel uneasy about something, you will welcome a
discussion with someone in the family. Meanwhile, the rhythm of your day
will be interrupted by something — almost certainly. Tonight: Enjoy quiet
times.
Background checks blocked
record high 300,000 gun sales
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — The
number of people stopped
from buying guns through the
U.S. background check system
hit an all-time high of more
than 300,000 last year amid a
surge of firearm sales, accord-
ing to new records obtained
by the group Everytown for
Gun Safety.
The FBI numbers pro-
vided to The Associated Press
show the background checks
blocked nearly twice as many
gun sales in 2020 as in the
year before. About 42% of
those denials were because the
would-be buyers had felony
convictions on their records.
The increase in blocked
gun sales largely tracks with
the record-setting surge in
sales that took hold along
with the coronavirus pan-
demic and has continued into
this year, through historic
demonstrations against police
brutality, deep political divi-
sions and an insurrection at
the U.S. Capitol.
It comes as Congress has
failed to pass major legislation
on guns despite the Demo-
cratic majority and President
Joe Biden’s push. A bill that
would strengthen background
checks is stalled in the Senate.
The House in March passed
the legislation requiring the
checks on all sales and trans-
fers, as well as an expanded
10-day review for gun pur-
chases. Most states require
background checks only for
sales at federally licensed
dealers. But the legislation
faces an uphill battle getting
any Republican support in the
Senate.
According to the data, the
rate of barred would-be gun
buyers also increased some-
what over the previous two
years, from about 0.6% to
0.8%. That could be in part
because many of the people
who tried to get guns in 2020
were buying them for the first
time and may not have been
aware that they were legally
barred from owning them,
said Adam Winkler, a UCLA
Law professor specializing in
gun policy.
“Some may have a felony
conviction on their record
and not think about it,” he
said.
Making a false statement
in connection with a back-
ground check is a felony pun-
ishable by up to 10 years in
prison and a hefty fine, but
few people are prosecuted for
what would amount to lying
on the form filled out before a
gun purchase, he said.
In 2017, just 12 of the
112,000 people denied a gun
purchase, about 0.01%, were
federally prosecuted, largely
due to limited resources for
the time-intensive investi-
gations, according to a U.S.
Government Accountability
Office report.
Everytown’s research found
that 16% of would-be gun
buyers in 2020 were prohib-
ited by state law, like the ex-
treme-risk protection orders
or red-flag laws passed in sev-
eral states. Another 12% were
related to domestic violence,
either people subject to a pro-
tective order or convicted of a
misdemeanor domestic vio-
lence crime.
The data shows how nec-
essary the legislation is, said
Sarah Burd-Sharps, Every-
town’s director of research.
“There’s no question that
background checks work, but
the system is working over-
time to prevent a record num-
ber of people with dangerous
prohibitors from being able
to buy firearms,” she said in a
statement. “The loopholes in
the law allow people to avoid
the system, even if they just
meet online or at a gun show
for the first time.”
Gun rights groups have
pushed back against the pro-
posal, and Alan Gottlieb,
founder of the group the Sec-
ond Amendment Founda-
tion, said the increase in de-
nials might be partly because
more states have been updat-
ing their records of restricted
people.
ANNIVERSARY
Submitted
Robert and Christine Lovlien.
Robert and Christine
Lovlien
Robert and Christine
Lovlien (Robberson), of Bend,
celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary recently.
The couple were married
June 19, 1971, in Bend. They
have two children, Lindsay, of
Seattle, and Mark (and Maya)
of Ketchum, Idaho; and three
grandchildren.
Mr. Lovlien was an attorney
with Bryant, Lovlien & Jarvis
until he retired June 15, 2015.
He enjoys golf and is a proud
father, grandfather and Wash-
ington Husky (he was a four-
year letterman with the foot-
ball team).
Mrs. Lovlien owned the
Book Barn in Bend before re-
tiring June 15, 2015. She is also
a proud mother, grandmother
and Washington Husky and
enjoys books, art and cooking.
The couple have lived in
Central Oregon for 48 years.