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Gun show initiative Jackson County sheriff co-sponsors measure By PETER WONG Jackson County Sheriff Bob Kennedy is one of the chief sponsors of a ballot initiative to require criminal background checks for gun purchasers at gun shows. Kennedy scheduled a meeting this morning to explain his support of the initiative, which is similar to a bill that died by one vote in the 1999 Legislature. "I was impressed by his commitment to public safety," said state Sen. Ginny Burdick, a Democrat from Portland who sponsored one of the 1999 bills. "I think we could not have done better for a chief sponsor." She and Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Noelle are the other chief petitioners for the initiative, which will require supporters to submit 66,786 voter signatures by July to qualify it for the November 2000 general election. A pro-gun group, Oregon Gun Owners, also announced plans to present an initiative today that would require background checks at gun shows, but that would ease five-year record-keeping requirements that have irked gun owners. In addition, it would increase prison terms for people convicted of using a firearm -- even just holding one -- in a crime. Burdick and Noelle planned to file their initiative this morning with the secretary of state in Salem. "The only purpose of this measure is to do a better job of keeping guns away from convicted criminals, juveniles and people who are violently mentally ill," Kennedy said in a statement prepared for today's event. "Anyone in law enforcement can tell you that gun shows are a major source of firearms for criminals because it is so easy to bypass the criminal background check. This new law will remove that loophole and make it much harder for criminals and juveniles to buy guns." Oregon law requires licensed dealers to conduct criminal background checks when they sell firearms, but it does not cover private sellers at gun shows. Political momentum for extending the requirement to purchasers at gun shows grew after a series of gun incidents, including the 1998 shootings at Thurston High School in Springfield and the April 20 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Both houses passed bills during the 1999 session for such a requirement, but the House shelved Senate Bill 700 and the Senate killed House Bill 2535 by one vote. It would have been Oregon's first major gun-control legislation since 1989, when the Legislature approved a 15-day waiting period for handgun purchases until an instant-check system was instituted. The bills received support from law enforcement groups and one gun-rights group. "This measure combines the best of the bills we considered in the Legislature," said Burdick, chief sponsor of Senate Bill 700. "It is a reasonable, responsible way to keep guns away from criminals and children." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA