No Rush to Tighten Gun Laws

C M C M Y K Y K ARMED OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS BANDON DUNES INVITE NRA breaks its silence on mass shootings, A9 Tigers girls beat Jefferson, B1 Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2012 theworldlink.com I $1.50 In the wake of Sandy Hook No rush to tighten gun laws Doug Hille looks up BY DANIEL SIMMONS-RITCHIE items on a laptop, The World searching for ammo for a cus- Gun control? ‘Slow down’, say a handful of South tomer Friday at the Coast officials. Hole in the Wall In the wake of last week’s shootings in Clacka- Gun Shop in Coos mas and Connecticut, local politicos are treading Bay. Many items cautiously as the nation examines tightening gun readily available a laws. week ago are not Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-Eugene, says this week. mass shootings is a complex subject that requires a “comprehensive approach.” “This is an issue fraught with emotions and mis- understanding,” he said. “There are liberals from New York who have never held a gun, fired a gun. They don’t understand guns; they don’t understand why someone would have a gun.They want to ban all guns essentially.” DeFazio owns several guns for target shooting and self-protection. He says he supports restrictions on certain firearms, but wouldn’t say whether he supports a ban on assault rifles, like the Bush- master AR-15 used by Adam Lanza to kill 20 chil- dren at Sandy Hook Elementary school. “There are clearly some very stupid guns out there, designed for — I’m not sure what they are designed for,” DeFazio said. He pointed to the ‘Streetsweeper,’a revolver 12-gauge shotgun. DeFazio says any new regulations need to be bal- By Lou Sennick, anced with better intervention for mentally-unsta- The World ble people. However,he has no specific policy ideas. At the end of January, a presidential taskforce will recommend how to reduce gun violence. Some lawmakers, largely Democrats, are advocating the Learning about a ‘polite society’ reinstatement of the 1994 federal ban on assault weapons. That bill expired in 2004. Similar calls are echoing in Salem. Gov. BY DANIEL SIMMONS-RITCHIE miss a beat. fugitive from justice? Have you been Kitzhaber and several Democratic lawmakers are The World “You might change gun laws, but dishonorably discharged from the mili- pushing for a state ban on assault weapons, accord- you’re not going to change crazies,” he tary? The list goes on. ing to the Oregonian. COOS BAY — The owner of Hole in said. Lawrence would fax those answers to But that groundswell has met a tepid response the Wall Gun Shop is skeptical. I tell Lawrence I’m interested in the the Oregon State Police for verification. from legislators on the rural South Coast. Ken Lawrence, in his 60s, has snow process of buying a gun, not the poli- This is the “backgroud check.” It takes Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, says it’s difficult to cate- white hair and a tan cap embroidered tics. “What do I have to do?” I asked. the police anywhere from 15 minutes to gorize an “assault rifle,” and he wouldn’t want with his store’s name. He shot his first Lawrence hesitates. He’s busy, he several hours. Lawrence also would take unfair restrictions on law-abiding hunters and elk at age 12. says. But eventually pulls out a “4473” fingerprints. recreational shooters. Lawrence knows what happens after form that must be completed for any “If there’s something in their back- “I don’t think you can get to a definition,” he mass shootings. And so, when I walk gun purchase in Oregon. ground they don’t understand, some- said. “If you want to talk about fully automatic, into his store Wednesday afternoon and I’m presented with an array of ques- ask if he can talk about guns, he doesn’t tions: Are you a U.S. citizen? Are you a SEE POLITE | A8 SEE GUNS | A8 Marshfield sophomore Cheyenne Vaughn and A Challenge to junior Tristen Lewis make birthday posters for students’lockers during a gathering of student isolation Friends of Rachel, an anti-bullying group at BY THOMAS MORIARTY Marshfield High The World School inspired by Rachel’s Challenge. COOS BAY — Eight students gathered in an upstairs class- The group was started room of Marshfield’s main building Wednesday to decorate to combat bullying signs for the lockers of students with birthdays during the win- and promote inclusive ter break. activities for all high Junior Tristen Lewis, a member of the Friends of Rachel club, school students. colored a “happy birthday” sign and chatted with group new- By Alysha Beck, The World SEE CHALLENGE | A8 The South Coast’s Southern lady returns COOS BAY — As the final Nobody’s approval rating is 100 PEOPLE OF gavel fell on the recently percent, but when you talk to people THE called special session in who follow Oregon politics, and Salem, legislators returned to specifically here on the South Coast, WORLD their various districts for the you start to realize that Verger is the winter holidays. But for Coos closest thing to royalty we have in Bay’s Sen. Joanne Verger, it our area. was a bang that ended a Verger’s life in politics began in political run dating back over 1990 with a position on the Coos two decades. Bay City Council. Two years later, The state senator had she was elected mayor, a post that announced this would be her she retained through four more last term and did not seek re- terms before winning election in her election. Co-Speaker of the State Sen. Joanne Verger first run at the House of Representa- TIM House of Representatives tives in 2001. In 2004, she won elec- NOVOTNY Arnie Roblan will take her vacated position when the tion to the state Senate and was re- By Alysha Beck, The World Legislature resumes next year, and says her presence elected in 2008. Martin Callery, chief commercial officer at the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, in the halls of the state Legislature will be missed. She is stepping down from a political career that did reflects on his experiences working with Joanne Verger, a retiring Oregon state “She has been an inspiration to me in public serv- ice,”Roblan said. senator. SEE VERGER | A8 Police reports . A2 Sports . B1 John Vanfossen, Coos Bay T S S Barry Marshall, Coquille E A H William Baumgartner, Coos Bay D What’s Up . Go Comics . C5 Judith Grossman, North Bend I C T Donna Lutes, Coos Bay E A S South Coast. A3 Puzzles. C5 Lorryann Edwards, North Bend Rain E R N William Osborne, Coos Bay | 46/42 I Obituaries A5 D Opinion. A4 Classifieds . C6 O F Weather | A8 C M C M Y K Y K C M C M Y K A2 •The World • Saturday, December 22,2012 Y K Header C M C M Y K Y K C M C M Y K Saturday, December 22,2012 • The World • A3 Y K South Coast City Editor Ryan Haas• 541-269-1222, ext. 239 theworldlink.com/news/local E.U. lifts shrimp tariff Births BAY AREA HOSPITAL 8[ih nY[n8nb ]8h]q mjY j]l the tariff, which has existed Courtney Croswell, a Autumn Rose Lynn Hutchison was THE WORLD born at 9:47 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2012, "[∂√≥â√"∂ç"^∂›√‹î"m‹√ââ‹">"[∂∞ ∞ â√}ñ{¢"Yfiâ≥›âD"[∂∂»"Z{Ë since the early 1970s. Shrimp spokesman for Sen. Jeff 1 "jFiF"Z∂‚"IPLHD"[∂∂»"Z{ËD"il"QOLJH weighing 8 pounds, 4⁄2 ounces. PORTLAND — In a victo- in Canada and Northern Merkley, confirmed Friday 8MLIEJNQEIJJJ8∂√8PHHELKOENKQO Parents are Jordan Hutchison and "/"JHIJ"m∂›‹î‡â»‹â√≥"i√âê∂≥"j›|¢ñ»îñ≥ê"[∂F ry for the local shrimp boats, Europe face no tariffs. evening that the tariff was Alesha Owens of Coos Bay. the European Union has Oregon senators made a News department removed tariffs on West full-court press this year to removed. Samantha Cain was born at 10:29 8f∂}{¢8≥â‡ » 8lË{≥8b{{» 8‚8JKQ 8≥â‡ »X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ Almost half of the shrimp a.m. on Dec. 4, 2012, weighing 5 8m∑∂√‹» 8d∂î≥8a›≥‹îâ√ 8‚8JLI 8»∑∂√‹»X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ Coast shrimp. remove the tariff, bringing it 1 The industry has pushed to the attention of the caught on the West Coast is pounds, ⁄4 ounce. Parents are 8[∂∞ ∞ ›≥ñ‹Ë8âfiâ≥‹» 8Zâ‹î8Z›√|{}û 8‚8JJL 8âfiâ≥‹»X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ Wayne and Samantha Cain of the EU for years to remove Obama administration. shipped to Europe. 8i|ñ‹›{√ñâ» 8Y∞ {≥Ç{8d∂î≥»∂≥ 8‚8JKK 8∂|ñ‹»X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ North Bend. 8jî∂‹∂ 8f∂›8mâ≥≥ñ}û 8‚8JNL 8‹‡∑î∂‹∂X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ Brooklin Joann Alexander was born Advertising at 12:43 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2012, 8YÇfiâ√‹ñ»ñ≥ê8»{¢â»8∞{≥{êâ√ 8YÇâ¢ñ≥â8^ñ»îâ√ 8‚8JOP 8{çñ»îâ√X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ White Christmas? weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces. 8[¢{»»ñçñâÇ8{Ç» 8MLIEJNOENJOP 8‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç}¢{»»X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ Parents are Shane Alexander and 8fâê{¢8{Ç» 8MLIEJNOENJOP 8‡∂√¢Ç¢âê{¢»X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ Kristy McMahon of Sixes. Delivery Madelyn Marie Arellano was born 8[ñ√}›¢{‹ñ∂≥8Çñ√â}‹∂√ 8[ñ≥ÇË8l{‡ ¢ñ≥ê» 8‚8JLP 8}√{‡ ¢ñ≥ê»X ‹îâ‡ ∂√¢Ç¢ñ≥ûF}∂∞ at 7:21 a.m. on Dec.

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