As a counselor in Springfield Schools, I had the experience of trying to calm and comfort students who were traumatized by the Thurston High School shooting in 1998. When I wrote to friends at that time, I ended my letter with the words, “Let this be the last.” Instead, we have seen the frequency and death toll in mass shootings rise rather than disappear.

Oregonians have an opportunity to reduce gun violence and save lives when we vote in this election. Measure 114 will limit magazine capacity to 10 rounds of ammunition. In that Thurston cafeteria, some students recognized the sound of an empty clip. That was when they rushed and tackled the shooter to end the attack. The shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary killed 20 children and six adults in four minutes with 154 bullets. When he paused to reload, 11 children were able to escape.

California, Washington, seven other states and the District of Columbia have already restricted or banned large capacity magazines. Let’s add Oregon to that list and save lives.

Susan Cundiff

Eugene

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