gun safety – League of Women Voters of the Umpqua Valley

Listening to Each Other

Brian Prawitz, Roseburg city councilor, spoke to League members at their annual meeting on May 15 at the Roseburg Country Club.

Brian’s talk is so pertinent to our situation throughout America that we thought we should share this with you. Brian struggles with the violence and division between Americans. He says we need to actually listen to each other and to try to understand each other. Here’s a link to his talk to the League on his business’s website — https://soundcloud.com/brian-prawitz/togetherness-without-tragedy-uvlwv, thanks to BP Media Solutions. Brian-Prawitz-Roseburg

Brian encourages us to find ways to work together for the good of our community, despite our differences. He suggested that we each make an effort to seek out someone who is different than we are and get to know them, offer respect, and prepare to love them even if we disagree with them. Change starts with one-on-one relationships and good listening skills.

Also, Brian’s TED Talk “Togetherness Without Tragedy” can be viewed online at: http://www.tedxroseburg.com/2017/04/17/brian-prawitz/

Brian participates in the American Leadership Forum (ALF) where he has gotten to know a diverse group of Oregon leaders from urban and rural areas this year. He finds himself in the minority as a white, middle class, conservative man from a rural area and he is gaining new perspective. He is dismayed that some people in the group have told him they are afraid to come to Roseburg.

Brian mentioned a person who has impressed him with his Kindness Diaries (now on Netflix). The author is Leon Logothetis, and more can be learned about him here: http://www.leonlogothetis.com/. He drove around the world on his motorcycle with no money. When Brian asked him how to lessen division and create more harmony in our communities, he told Brian, “Be the change.”

Brian’s mission is similar to the League’s efforts called the Listening Project which was created in the wake of the October 1^st, 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting tragedy. The project will continue this coming fall.

Check out the links above, and contact the League for more information.

Call Your Senators ASAP!

H.R.38 – Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017

HR 38 passed the United States House of Representatives yesterday. This is a dangerous bill, and it is on its way to the Senate.

It’s imperative you call your Senators today.

Senator Merkley’s Washington D.C. Office –> Phone: (202) 224-3753
Senator Wyden’s Washington D.C. Office –> (202) 224-5244

Here’s a link to the text of the bill:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/38/text

Why, You ask? Read this letter by a League member to Rep. DeFazio:

My name is Sandra Huffstutter, I live in Roseburg, Oregon, and I’m calling today to urge Congressman DeFazio to NOT SUPPORT reciprocal approval of out-of-state concealed carry permits.

I believe that reciprocal approval is a bad idea because a number of other states do not have the kind of sensible public safety restrictions on gun ownership and use that Oregon has.

For example, Oregon is one of only nine states that require universal background checks at point-of-sale for ALL gun purchases, including purchases at gun shows. Why would Oregon want to allow someone from another state who has never passed a background check to carry a concealed weapon in Oregon?

In addition, only half the states in the United States require concealed carry permit holders to have ANY live-fire training, with mandatory range time. Why would Oregon want to allow a gun-owner who has never practiced shooting the ability to carry a concealed weapon and engage in a live-fire situation on the streets of Oregon?

Finally, thanks to our last legislative session, Oregon is now one of only five states that allow families of emotionally disturbed gun owners to obtain an “Extreme Risk Protective Order” requiring emotionally disturbed family members to surrender their guns until their mental health crisis is resolved. Why would Oregon want to allow out-of-staters suffering mental breakdowns to carry concealed weapons while traveling in our state?

Reciprocal approval of out-of-state concealed carry permits will make Oregonians — who benefit from our state’s sensible gun safety laws — much, much less safe.

Please Call Today!

Meeting Photos

We hope you did not miss this meeting, but in case you did here are some photos.

Special thanks go to LWVOR President Norman Turrill. Norman spoke to League members and visitors on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 here in Roseburg, Oregon.

Norman has vast experience in the League as he has been a member for 40 years. The League opened membership to men around 1974, and now has many male members.

Subjects that we learned more about included campaign finance reform, gun safety, education, and healthcare issues in Oregon. The League has positions on those subjects and they can be found here.

Thanks to all members and visitors who joined us for the evening. Thank you, Members, for providing refreshments. Welcome to new members who joined that evening!

Here are a few photos from the evening —

Hoping for Healing and Welcoming the President to Roseburg

The LWV Umpqua Valley extends its condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and who were wounded at Umpqua Community College on October 1.

We know that our entire community is grieving the loss of our sense of security and trust in the goodness of where we live. We stand in solidarity with the students, faculty, and the entire UCC community, and pledge to do what we can to promote healing in our beautiful, Umpqua homeland. gif_ss_usa18

We welcome President Obama and his efforts to console the grieving and to activate change that will make our country a safer home for all of us.

In an ongoing effort to create safer communities, the League of Women Voters, at both the state and national levels, has positions on Violence Prevention and Gun Safety that it uses to influence the legislative process.
The League believes http://lwv.org/content/gun-controlthat the proliferation of handguns and other non-recreational weapons in the United States is a major health and safety threat to its citizens. We will continue to educate voters on gun safety issues and work for passage of stronger laws to limit the accessibility and regulate the ownership of these weapons by private citizens.

We believe everyone wants to feel safe in our community. When the time is right, we plan to play a role in bringing people in our community together to build from common ground. Contact us for more information.

We want UCC Strong and a community united for safety.

Jenny Carloni, President
League of Women Voters of Umpqua Valley
October 8, 2015