With several bills on gun violence prevention moving through the Oregon Legislature this session, I am deeply disappointed to see our local Sen. Lee Beyer as a chief sponsor of a bill to legislate firearm safety training for first graders.
It is wrong to put the burden of firearm safety on children, who are already traumatized by gun violence in schools and active shooter trainings that mimic violent scenarios. The responsibility must be on adult gun owners to store their weapons, and on legislators to pass laws that keep guns from dangerous people.
Beyer’s bill completely overlooks regulations on gun owner responsibility.
A recent study in the American Journal of Medicine revealed more children were shot dead in 2017 than on-duty police officers and active duty military. Instead of putting children on the front lines, we need laws that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and hold gun owners accountable for responsibly storing their guns.
Diane Peterson
Springfield
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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