Letters to the Editor 04/11/2018

To the Editor:

Americans have owned "weapons of war" ever since the American Revolution; hence the Second Amendment.

The seizure and destruction of citizen's firearms valued at $500 to $2,500 and the reversal of the concept of Americans' right to keep and bear arms might well have government party stalwarts dancing in the streets, while the confiscated firearms are melted down and cast into a statue of Michael Bloomberg, who will undoubtedly be financing your operation.

You could also rejoice at the prospect of untold thousands of fly-over country deporables being converted into felons. In the often-used terminology of the left, "This may not solve the problem, but it is a good first step.

Larry Benson

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To the Editor:

Here is some news for most of you out there: The school levy is up for renewal. That's right, a simple renewal. This is not a new tax on your property. Your taxes will not go up as a result of this renewal. It is very simple that all you need to do is VOTE FOR the continuation of the local option. Yes, that is correct just vote YES for measure 9-121.

But why continue the local option? Well, it is the cheapest of the Central Oregon School districts for one. The schools here are great for two; which by the way raises all of our home values because people want to raise families here. Finally this is an easy way to show our teachers, support staff and children that we care for them and appreciate them. The last time we voted on this it passed with a 79 percent majority, but don't let everyone else decide how this turns out.

Every vote matters, so please take the time to fill out your ballot this fall and ensure it gets in on time to be counted so we can continue to have a vibrant school system where children excel!

Erik Pronold

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To the Editor:

As parents of two children in the Sisters School District, we know it's all of the little things that help to make Sisters School District thrive.

These little things like smaller class sizes, high graduation rates and lowest tax cost in all of Central Oregon do not always get "noticed," but as a parent it is one of the reasons we have chosen to stay in Sisters. The Sisters local option allows Sisters School District to pay the salary for up to 12 teachers or make up some of the funding shortfalls from the state.

By renewing the Sisters local option we provide the Sisters School District with necessary funding with very little change to our taxes.

Please vote YES for the Sisters local option measure #9-121 on May 15.

Peggy Houge and Darren Root

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To the Editor:

I'm not alarmed by Oregon Initiative Petition 43 that would ban "assault weapons" and "high-capacity magazines." If it were to pass, I wouldn't even bother sending you my thoughts and prayers for your loss. But, what I'd really like to see is the federal government, not the states, ban the manufacture and sale of high-capacity magazines and initiate a buy-back program for those already in circulation.  

This is not a new idea.

William Ruger, the founder of the American firearm manufacturing company Sturm, Ruger & Co. made this recommendation to Congress in 1989: "The best way to address the firepower concern is therefore not to try to outlaw or license many millions of older and perfectly legitimate firearms (which would be a licensing effort of staggering proportions) but to prohibit the possession of high-capacity magazines.

By a simple, complete and unequivocal ban on large capacity magazines, all the difficulty of defining 'assault rifle' and 'semi-automatic rifles' is eliminated.

The large capacity magazine itself, separate or attached to the firearm, becomes the prohibited item.

A single amendment to Federal firearms laws could effectively implement these objectives."

The problem with this, though, is there has to be a limit on how many clips a person is allowed to have. The shooter at Parkland high school had at least fifteen 10-round clips (high-capacity is defined as more than 10), allowing him to shoot 150 bullets in just a few minutes. The law should limit the magazines to 5 bullets and only allow one clip to be on a person at a time. Follow that with strict penalties with jail time and their right to own guns from that point on. Hunters don't need or use multiple clips, and in Oregon there is already a five-cartridge limit for hunting big game, three for birds. No cartridge limit exists in Oregon for shooting at people.

Terry Weygandt