Letters to the Editor for March 24, 2015

Support extreme risk protection orders I am writing to support strong, smart gun laws that will save lives in Washington. As a mother and an educator, I am very concerned about the impact that gun violence has on our children. Recently, my daughter's school in Vancouver was in lockdown because of a shooting near Fort Vancouver High School. For the second time this year, she and her classmates huddled in the corner of their classroom, not knowing if the dangerous shooter in their neighborhood would try to harm them. Common-sense gun laws can help. We need to be able to intervene when someone is known to be a danger to others. Extreme risk protective orders allow concerned family members and law enforcement to request that a judge temporarily suspend a person's access to firearms, if they have evidence that the person poses a serious risk. Extreme risk protective orders would follow the existing legal process for family protective orders, defusing dangerous situations while providing due process to protect gun owners' rights. Extreme risk protective orders will save lives. Please contact your legislators to let them know that you support common-sense gun laws that will help to keep our children safe. Geni Donaghey, Vancouver Oil train dangers are real As an experienced nurse, a mother and grandmother, I say these crude oil trains are putting my neighbors, their children and grandchildren at risk. Those trains continue to explode, so claims of safety cannot be true. Everyone in Camas and Washougal, please put the railroad emergency number into your cell phones to use in case of any oil tanker in trouble. In case of an explosion, call 911, of course. Get far away and also, call the BNSF emergency number which is 1-800-853-5452. BNSF does not claim any rapid response but they advise local firefighters who'll do the best they can. If an explosion like what happened in Mt. Carbon, West Virginia, came to Camas, many would die, so prevention is vital. Tell everyone to keep far away from railroads, never investigate, or try to repair any train in trouble. Dorethea Simone, Camas

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