MIXED NUTS

RE: “NRA Aims to Take Down Two Gun Control Initiatives in Oregon” [News, June 27] and “NRA Keeps Assault Weapon Ban Off Oregon Ballot” [Blogtown, June 29], News Reporter Kelly Kenoyer’s stories about how more than 1,000 gun-rights supporters—working with the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Oregon Firearms Federation (OFF), and the Oregon Hunters Association (OHA)—derailed two voter-led efforts to place gun control legislation on the state’s November ballot. Jake Weigler, a spokesperson for one of the proposed measures, told the Mercury,“I know this policy could save lives, and every day this policy is pushed back is more lives lost.”

The day after Kenoyer’s story “NRA Aims to Take Down Two Gun Control Initiatives in Oregon” was published, a gunman killed five employees at the Capital Gazette newspaper offices in Annapolis, Maryland. According to Mother Jones, it was the sixth mass shooting of 2018; so far this year, 43 people have been killed and 34 people have been wounded in mass shootings spanning from Yountville, California, to Parkland, Florida.

Finally some help from the NRA here. I’ve been a member for years. They haven’t done much for the state until recently.

stascom

I notice that the journalist provided quotes from three different proponents of the initiative petitions, but none from spokespersons from the opponents. This is what passes for journalism these days.

P.Edgar

I was going to be upset that another journalist was misrepresenting the actual truth, but then I saw this was the Mercury and remembered that it’s not a collection of journalists but a collection of former Tumblr posters that share things they find regardless of their inaccuracies.

jstephens

I’m so thankful to the NRA for helping take down these dishonest attacks on our civil rights. Now, if only we could get honest reporting on the issue rather than the trash I read here.

Vet64

I’m glad the NRA is around to advocate for those of us who actually believe in personal responsibility and know that the state cannot save us from an imminent threat.

LibertyForOregon

Kelly Kenoyer states that people like me and over 1,000 others wrote in to the state in regards to a “seemingly trivial matter,” which is simply the ballot title. This “seemingly trivial matter” is what will be included in the voter pamphlet, the ballot title, the summary of the bill, and what a yes/no vote will mean for present and future Oregonians. All of these individual aspects are extremely important, as the language that sells this bill to the voters is disingenuous and fraught with semantics that evoke negative emotions, simply around the terms “assault weapon” and “large capacity magazine.” It’s easy to see [this piece] is simply propaganda aimed at discrediting people who stand behind what you might say is a “seemingly trivial matter” of “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, [which] shall not be infringed.”

Ryan H

I think the fact that gun nuts (see above) come out of the woodwork en masse any time these measures get mentioned—whether it’s here, Willamette Week, or the misanthropic ammosexual circle jerk of underbaked white males that is /r/portland—means we are on the right track! Whether these measures win or lose, I’m genuinely excited for this to be put to the test of direct democracy. Even from a pure research standpoint, it would be fascinating to see what such a large swath of people think on this contentious issue. Just another way in which we ballot-measure states can be leading the nation.

EverydayPeople

So. Another mass shooting in Maryland while the NRA blocks more gun-safety legislation in Oregon. Just another day? Write your senator. Write your congressman. The NRA’s death grip on our schools, children, newspapers, and government has to stop.

ochwill

And the Mercury’s letter of the week goes to each of the selfless, reasonable gun-rights advocates who were brave enough to write in and share their rarely heard stories of persecution and... and... HA! HAHA! Oh man. Sorry! We tried to keep a straight face, but we JUST COULDN’T DO IT. Okay, for real this time: EverydayPeople and ochwill, you BOTH win the Mercury’s letter of the week, along with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater!