Following numerous school shootings around the country and stagnating gun control legislation, Eugene gun control advocates are organizing two events to give a local edge to gun control efforts.
The Community Action Forum, an Oregon advocacy group, is hosting a gun safety rally at the Downtown Athletic Club on Wednesday to promote stricter gun control laws and educate people about the risks associated with owning a firearm.
Featured speakers will include Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey; Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland; and Million Mom March organizer Lisa Lauren Thirkill.
A march intended to pressure lawmakers into controlling access to firearms will take place on Mother’s Day, May 14, at the Eugene Water and Electric Board plaza. The Eugene Million Mom March is one of many “echo marches” around the country that will coincide with a larger march in Washington, D.C.
The rally will not be a protest or demonstration but instead will focus on providing information about gun safety issues, said Dan Close, a professor at the College of Education and member of the University Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior.
“We are not anti-gun,” Close said. “We are anti-gun violence.”
Citing the increasing number of child deaths attributed to firearms, Close said that the aim of the group is not to take away guns but instead to push for stronger child access prevention laws, something that is bitterly contested by pro-gun groups such as the National Rifle Association, which maintains that locking up guns makes them useless for self-defense.
“The vast majority of gun owners are responsible,” Close said, but those with children “often don’t assess the risk” of keeping a loaded firearm in the home.
CAF strongly advocates trigger locks, which its members say are not currently mandatory but are cheap, easy to use and readily available at most gun stores.
The problem, Close said, is the “conflict between people who own guns for self-defense, keeping them loaded in the home, and those who practice ‘safe storage,’ or keeping the guns and ammo separate.”
Close will speak at the rally on why gun safety is a critical issue for households with children. Burdick, who will speak about the importance of background checks, is currently collecting signatures for a November ballot initiative that would require checks at gun shows.
Torrey will speak about Eugene’s efforts to support gun control measures.
“We want to let people know about the various issues that threaten our kids,” said Hali Burley, former schoolteacher and event coordinator for the rally. She also stressed the need for background checks and expressed support for Burdick’s ballot initiative.
“You can’t solve all the problems with guns with one ballot measure, but background checks are key,” she said.
Burley and Close both said that Wednesday’s rally will be fun and informative, with food and a marimba band. The rally begins at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.