Kids And Guns

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