Sheriff was wrong

Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson has chosen ideology over public safety. When voicing his opposition to Initiative Petition 43, Sheriff Nelson went too far by encouraging us to arm ourselves for our protection. His role is to provide public safety, yet his suggestion we need more guns in Deschutes County homes does exactly the opposite. It is well-established that more guns in homes correlate with more death and injury, not more safety.

As a professional public safety officer, he should know that. If citizens follow the sheriff’s advice, more citizens will be harmed by homicide, suicide and gun accidents than would have otherwise and the probability that the county’s deputies will encounter a gun while doing their jobs will increase. It’s possible to make an argument against IP 43 without encouraging guns as a solution to our safety problems. That’s what he should have done.

Brian Lepore

Bend

Bad plea deals

I am appalled and confused by the recent plea deals given to and offered to sex offenders in Deschutes County. Their victims are young innocent children. Everyone is so worried about putting drug criminals behind bars, but the truth is people choose to do drugs — young children don’t choose to be victims of sex crimes by the hands of someone they trust. Please get your priorities straight! The safety of young victims and the strictest penalties to sex offenders should be the courts obvious focus.

Danielle Patrick

La Pine

Protect gun rights

In the April 22 edition of The Bulletin, there were two letters critical of Deschutes County Sherriff Shane Nelson for his opposition to gun control measures. I, on the other hand, was pleased to hear his position as I was to hear Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins’ similar position a couple of weeks earlier. The people who weren’t pleased suggested that this be remembered at election time. On that point, I agree.

If you feel strongly about something. Vote!

Chris Tolke

Bend

Bankrupt state

As we in Oregon continue to travel down the destructive path to becoming a bankrupt nanny state, we would be wise to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin.

“I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading them or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course become poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”

In 1860, the Reverend Joab Powell gave the invocation for the Oregon Legislature and it was not what the legislators expected. With his booming voice he prayed,“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

This prayer for the Legislature is as pertinent today as when it was first uttered.

Ross Wootan

Albany

Don’t give up guns

Throughout the history of civilization, there was no concept of individual rights. The belief that somehow a king or emperor or czar had more rights than a cobbler or a blacksmith was held by most nations. But when King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, an idea was born that 500 years later resulted in the most enlightened document of freedom ever written — the Constitution of the United States. This inspired act has given Americans more individual rights than any nation in history. And the most important of them was the right to own personal arms to protect themselves, even from their own government.

This is why it is so disturbing that some Americans today, especially the young, are willing to give up this priceless freedom in the mistaken belief that they will somehow be safer if the government controlled all firearms. Sadly, as millions of people in Russia, China and Cuba have learned this is not the case. It is the 300 million privately owned firearms in this country that are the bulwark of our freedom.

George Washington, speaking from personal experience, said it best: “Government, like fire, can be a faithful servant but a fearful master.”

Question: If you give up your guns today and later change your mind, will the government give them back?

Tom Brussat

Jacksonville