Jerry Ritter’s letter (“Concealed Carry,” 6/2) refers to Eugene 4J School Board’s proposed policy, prohibiting individuals licensed to carry concealed firearms from bringing those firearms onto district property, as a “knee jerk reaction.” He himself does not offer any remedy to the gun violence that has become a normal feature of life in these United States.
In fact, any rule implemented to control firearms must be considered a success in itself, for two reasons. First, by flying in the face of noisy and even violence-threatening opposition, it demonstrates that such defiance of the mob is possible. Expanding what is achievable, it is thus an example to other law-making bodies. Second, like a snowball rolling downhill, it can assist others into the life-choosing movement to bring rational control to the proliferation of these weapons.
Mocking efforts at controlling guns in the wake of recent horrific events is even worse than the usual platitudes. Instead of mockery and platitudes, we need the only viable methods to prevent those events, methods collectively termed “gun control.” It worked in Australia, whose frontier heritage somewhat resembles ours, and where they instituted both bans and buy-backs. It can work here, and every effort in that direction, whether symbolic or far reaching, should be appreciated, not deprecated.
Larry Koenigsberg
Eugene
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.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
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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