JANUARY 23, 2013
I thought I was finished with this topic for a little while, but one of the responses I received has triggered some additional thoughts. I do appreciate the emails I receive and most of them are thoughtful and respectful. I get as much from those with a different view as I do from those who agree with my position, regardless of the issue we are talking about. I cannot over value the importance of this form of conversation in the development of policy for our state.
Here is verbatim the entirety of this one email. “YOU NEED A HIGHER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING, YOU CONDESCENDING DOLT. WE ARE TRYING TO EVOLVE HERE. STOP HOLDING US BACK.”
My first question would be, evolve to what? I have no answer and actually find such a statement to be somewhat troubling. While it is clear some think banning guns will solve the problem, I don’t share that opinion. One of the good things about a representative republic form of government is it allows the ability to have a very thoughtful process to take place before enacting policies. The main purpose of my last newsletter was to point out the fact there are many factors to be considered, not only with this issue, but with any significant policy discussion. I personally spend a great deal of time researching issues from all sides before forming my opinions. This is the way this process is supposed to work and I think we will have serious discussions on this issue as well as a great number of other issues over the next few months.
A random thought has occurred to me, however, and I think it is worth consideration. It is the role of the media on this issue. It is clear the people committing these acts are at least on some level seeking notoriety and their “moment in the sun.” However convoluted this may actually be I think it is real and the media’s wall to wall coverage of these events may indeed be a factor. I remember events of fifteen to twenty years ago relative to high profile football games. We had a rash of people disrupting games by running onto the field during the game. They would eventually get arrested and taken away, but this was after full media coverage on national TV. A decision was made by the NFL and NCAA, in cooperation with the television networks to no longer show these people on TV. AS a result, over time, people quit doing it. The reason they no longer do it is because they aren’t getting the notoriety they were seeking. I mention this as just another potential contributing factor we should be thinking about.
I fully understand the frustration people feel relative to the time it takes government to act, I share that frustration many times. I would suggest, however, that it is important to consider all of the potential ramifications of an action before it is taken. There are a great number of times the Legislature has taken action and then had to come back and fix parts or all of that action because of unintended consequences. In most cases it is better to do nothing than do the wrong thing, and it is important we take the time necessary to try and get it right the first time.
Sincerely,
Senator Jeff Kruse
900 Court St. NE, S-211 Salem Oregon 97301