Any time someone dies a violent death it is tragic, but this latest mass shooting hit close to home. The shooter and his victims lived in Bend and were rural Oregonians. To make matters worse, the attacks happened at a grocery store where shoppers were picking up food for the week or grabbing something for dinner. Three people are dead, including the shooter, while two others suffered life threatening injuries and are hospitalized. Authorities are saying that the total number of victims would have been higher, if not for the heroic efforts of Donald Ray Surrett Jr., the 66-year-old Safeway employee who attempted to disarm the shooter, with only a produce knife and his courage.
While blood has been spilled and Oregonians have died in the heart of our state, Republicans in the area continue to send hollow platitudes of “thoughts and prayers.” They talk about increased funding for mental health care and then refuse to support legislation that would make a difference.
What is far worse is the Republican refusal to deal with the very real gun problem we have in this country. More than a month ago, I addressed the gun problem in an Op-Ed in the Bend Bulletin, “We need real, bold action from leaders who won’t avoid difficult choices just to appease corporate lobbyists who profit in the billions.”
As the Democratic nominee for the Congressional District 2, a proud gun owner and a member of the gun caucus in the Democratic Party of Oregon, I felt it was my obligation to stand up for sensible gun safety measures. My opponent, Cliff Bentz, has refused to stand up to the thugs in the gun lobby even once, voting against all common-sense gun legislation and with the NRA, every time, even against a new assault weapons ban. Assault weapons bans save lives; Mr. Bentz seems less concerned with that fact than he is making sure that his votes please the NRA and others he receives PAC money from. The people of Congressional District 2 deserve better. We deserve a Congressman who is not beholden to out of state, corporate special interests and who takes a different approach.
I am taking no PAC money in this campaign, and as your representative in Congress, I will answer only to you, the voters. I know that with a little backbone and some common sense, we can codify our basic right to keep and bear arms, while making our communities safer. To do this, we are going to have to work together, so I want to hear from you. I want to hear about gun safety, as well as other top issues and how we can work together to build safer, stronger communities across our district. To send a message to the campaign or to request a visit from me for a town hall in your area, please visit www.joefororegon.com/contact-joe.
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Joe Yetter is a retired Army Colonel, physician and teacher who currently runs a small farm in Azalea with his wife Lee. He is the Democratic Candidate for Congressional District 2.
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