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Veteran supports Measure 114 for sensible gun safety
I urge supporters of sensible gun safety reform to vote yes on Measure 114. This measure will reduce gun violence in Oregon without confiscating or banning guns.
Measure 114 does not claim to end all gun violence; it tries to reduce the level of gun violence we have today in Oregon. Measure 114 does this by requiring a permit and safety training, and a comprehensive background check that eliminates the three-day waiting period loophole.
Everyone should know that currently, if a background check takes more than three days to complete, the dealer must sell the gun to the buyer. This defies common sense.
Measure 114 will also impose a limit on gun magazine capacity (from 30 rounds to 10).
I am a Navy veteran who operated various weapons during the Vietnam War. I was trained to safely use the .45 caliber handgun, the M1 Garand rifle and the M16 rifle. Today, I enjoy shooting guns safely at target ranges using 9mm handguns and AR-15 rifles.
Measure 114 will make us safer by requiring common-sense safety regulations like training and comprehensive background checks. I urge all voters who want to support common-sense gun safety reforms to vote yes on Measure 114.
John Scherner, Tigard
Unhappy with Beaverton's direction
It was very disappointing to hear about apartments going in at the old Hall Street Grill location. That's a really pretty location and has so much potential. It will be sad to see all of these beautiful trees cut down.
I wish Beaverton would go the direction of green spaces, beautify the river and invest in businesses that add value, beauty and character, instead of high density housing, fast food chains, car dealers and parking lots.
The West End apartments resemble low-income projects, and there are so many eyesores pretty much the entire length of Canyon Road. I wish we could model cities like Hood River, Bend, Lake Oswego, but instead, Beaverton models Gresham.
Why are we packing as many people into the city as we can? Growing forever isn't sustainable. I just don't understand Beaverton's priorities and vision, and I want to move out of downtown Beaverton. With the increased noise and traffic, it just isn't a desirable place to live anymore. I feel like Beaverton is going downhill with more cars, less green spaces and less foot traffic.
Can't we be pickier about what businesses open in Beaverton instead of an anything-goes, developer-driven approach? It feels like folks in the Beaverton city government don't live in the downtown core, don't walk the streets every day, and are out of touch with what it takes to make this a nice place to live.
Do we need another Starbucks, Carl's Jr, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald's, Chipotle, Taco Bell, T.J.Maxx, Ross, Walmart, storage units, etc., etc.? If you say yes to any of these in the next year, something is really wrong.