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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Community gathers to mourn slain Seaside officer ... Work expected to begin by summer on Highway 62 bypass ... Josephine County man arrested on drug, child neglect charges ... Community gathers to mourn slain Seaside officer ... Work expected to begin by summer on Highway 62 bypass ... Josephine County man arrested on drug, child neglect charges ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Classroom discussion offers hope for gun debate Comment By Frank Bertrand MailTribune.com By Frank Bertrand Posted Oct. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Frank Bertrand Posted Oct. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News “Good morning,” my co-worker told me this morning. It was a good morning: the sun was out, it was mild, not raining, and I was looking forward to spectating at my son’s cross-country meet after school. But it probably wasn’t a good morning for some parents, relatives, friends, in Roseburg this morning. And it likely hasn’t been great mornings for people in Aurora, Littleton, Tucson, Blacksburg, Newtown and Charleston, to name just a few. It has probably been some pretty lonely, sad, depressing mornings in those towns, especially after the reporting ends and the holes left in the family fabric are left for the survivors to contemplate and mourn. As I write this I think about my own children, and how I don’t want to be writing this as someone who has had to mourn the death of my own child. Night after night, after the kids are safely in bed, I find it so easy to sink into old habits: the cat and I at the dining room table eating ice cream and reading the newspaper. It is so easy to not do something, and so aggravating to think about the deaths and wonder what it is that I can do. As a ray of hope, I offer this story. I teach about the Second Amendment at Crater High School in Central Point. Every year I am faced by students who are passionate about private gun ownership, to the point that at times I have to remind them that if we can’t discuss this issue with maturity and mutual respect, we are just going to move on to the prohibition of the government quartering troops in our private residences. I make it clear that I don’t want the students to have my opinion, that I want them to contemplate both sides of the issue and then have informed, intelligent opinions of their own. About three years ago I had a student whose father has a military and career law enforcement background. I was correct when I deduced that his father’s background led him to hold very different beliefs about gun violence in America than those that I hold, and because of this I invited him to my classroom so the students could see two adults debate the issue with mutual respect and maturity. The result? The students got to witness the two sides of the guns-in-America debate come to consensus. The more we talked, the more we agreed that enhanced background checks, limiting the number of rounds in magazines and the compulsory requirement to store guns safely were all things we agreed upon. We then polled the students and found to our amazement that after study and thoughtful consideration, the 15- to 18-year-olds in my classroom could also reach consensus on these issues. If we look at our valley as a microcosm of the United States, with entrenched opinions on both sides, why can’t we reach consensus nationally? Is it because consensus happened in a classroom where strict guidelines in terms of behavior and conduct were controlled? Is it due to the age of the students? Are adults less prone to compromise, less willing to listen to the other side? I don’t think politicians are going to solve this issue for us: They are going to act only when they feel the tide of public sentiment on this issue has turned in favor of sensible requirements for gun ownership in our country. We have to be that public. Let me end by saying that I believe the majority of gun owners in our country are responsible gun owners, and that it is the small minority of the mentally ill who are committing these atrocious acts. And that is just it: You know you have a problem with guns when the mentally ill can legally obtain guns and wipe out college students or moviegoers or worshipers in churches or people standing in line to talk with their representative or innocent, happy-go-lucky, inquisitive young scholars in their schools. I am OK with guns and private gun ownership with some sensible changes to the laws. I just don’t want to add Talent, Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, Grants Pass, Ashland, Rogue River or Phoenix to the list of places I read about when I read the Mail Tribune at night with the cat, so that the next morning really can be a “good morning.” Frank Bertrand of Ashland teaches English and a course on the Bill of Rights at Crater High School. Two of his three children (the third is too young) have completed the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's hunter safety course. By Frank Bertrand MailTribune.com By Frank Bertrand Posted Oct. 16, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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