Too early to start nagging Biden about gun control?
You may be wondering how we’re doing on gun control.
Joe Biden promised to tackle it on “my first day in office,” which he didn’t. Give the man a break — he’s got to get his COVID relief bill through Congress, and you can appreciate that he’s rather distracted. But absolutely no reason we shouldn’t start to nag.
We’ve been hearing a lot about the gun debate in Washington lately, but it’s mostly on the weirdo side. Who can forget the virtual House committee meeting during which Republican Lauren Boebert sat with a pile of large firearms behind her? This was in a session on a proposal to stop members from bringing their guns to committee meetings, so you’d have to admit she was on topic.
We will pause while you ask: When did our lawmakers start bringing guns to the office? Isn’t that sort of … 19th century?
Well, yeah, but it still goes on. Members of Congress can keep guns in their offices and carry them unloaded pretty much anywhere on the Capitol grounds, except the House or Senate floor. Last month Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican, reportedly approached the House chamber while packing heat. When he was stopped, Harris tried to palm the gun off on a colleague, who sensibly declined the gift.
On the plus side, extremely optimistic citizens might have taken heart when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the fiercest/craziest gun control opponents, recently attempted to boost her credibility by announcing she now believes mass school shootings and the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center actually did happen.
Progress! Meanwhile, in her spare time, Greene has introduced a bill to make it illegal for the federal government to spend money on gun control enforcement.
The folks at Everytown for Gun Safety estimate that 22 million guns were sold in 2020, up 64% from 2019. And given the fact that there are more than 390 million guns in private hands, you will not be startled to learn that a lot have been going off.
There are so many ungodly cases you really have to do something unique to get attention. Recently in Pennsylvania, three people were fatally shot in a fight over snow shoveling.
Two FBI agents trying to execute a search warrant in a child pornography investigation were killed by the suspect, who happened to have an assault rifle on hand. Perhaps you remember assault rifles. They’re the rapid-fire, military-style guns Congress refuses to ban. Or now, anyhow. Back in 1994, it prohibited the manufacture of semi-automatic assault weapons, under the leadership of Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Joe Biden.
The ban, alas, included a 10-year expiration date, and nothing could get our nation’s leaders to bring it back, even a mass shooting of six educators and 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary.
If we’re lucky, sometime this year a gun bill will make it to the Senate. In between paeans to the Second Amendment, opponents will tell the nation that their constituents want to have weapons on hand to defend themselves and their families from evildoers.
One problem with our gun debate is that it has the wrong starting point. Let’s raise the bar. Demand that nobody be able to purchase a gun without passing a test demonstrating she knows how to aim it. You’d be astonished at how many enthusiastic owners that would eliminate from contention.
Dayton International Airport wants passengers to be aware of recent changes:
■ Technology to reduce touchpoints: The Transportation Security Administration checkpoint is now using technology that confirms the validity of a traveler’s identification and flight information in real time. Travelers must have a REAL ID-compliant driver license or other acceptable form of identification by the Oct. 1, 2021, deadline. After the deadline, the checkpoints will not accept a driver license if it is not REAL ID-compliant. For more information, go to tsa.gov/real-id.
■ Stricter unruly passenger policy: Historically, the Federal Aviation Administration has addressed unruly-passenger incidents using warnings, counseling and civil penalties. Now the FAA will pursue legal enforcement action when passengers behave aggressively or violently. Passengers who interfere with, physically assault, or threaten to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft will face stiff penalties, including fines of up to $35,000 and imprisonment.
■ Reduced parking rates: Parking at DAY’s long-term lot is now $5 per day. This lot is a short walk to the airport entrance through a covered garage, providing you with protection from the elements. The short-term ‘park & walk’ lot rate is now $10 per day.
The city of Dayton will improve access to City Hall (101 W. Third St.) with construction of a new ADA-compliant entrance on the building’s Ludlow Street side.
The two-phase project will get underway in early March, with completion expected by Oct. 1. It will create an exterior ramp and reconstructed steps at the Ludlow entrance and modifications to the entrance’s interior area, including a lift. The existing sidewalk/slab along Ludlow, which also serves as a roof for a portion of City Hall’s lower-level offices, will be fully replaced.
Currently, ADA access to City Hall is available only on the third floor, via the Municipal Parking Garage at 123 W. Third St. That entrance will continue to be used during construction.
Parking spaces and parking meters along the east (Ludlow) side of City Hall will not be in use during construction. Metered spaces will be available on West Third Street (north side, between Main and Ludlow; and south side, across from City Hall).
During construction, the 24-hour utility payment dropbox currently located at the northeast corner of City Hall will be
relocated to the west side of the building, between City Hall and the Municipal Garage.
The total cost of the improvements
is approximately $950,000, an expense approved by the City Commission in January.
Free diabetes classes
Learn simple lifestyle changes that can prevent serious health concerns by enrolling in Central State University Extension’s free Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) series of classes that are offered in numerous locations for the convenience of participants.
The Diabetes Empowerment Education Program is series of six classes conducted by Central State University Extension (CSUE) and community partners. All classes will be conducted virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic and will resume as in-person classes when safety permits.
This program, says CSUE Family and Consumer Program Leader/ EFNEP Coordinator Mary Kershaw, Ph.D., was designed for adults interested in learning ways to manage their pre-diabetes/ diabetes.
The DEEP program will help manage health concerns associated with high blood sugar, she adds.
Participants attend one session per week for six weeks to participate in presentations, hands-on activities, and simple exercises. Participants will learn to manage their quality of life by preventing complications, developing self-care skills, as well as understanding and using available resources, Kershaw adds.
Participants in the series of classes will identify unhealthy habits and learn skills to live a healthier lifestyle; learn techniques to manage and prevent common diabetes complications, such as stress, nerve pain, heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure; as well as receive free educational materials to maintain lifestyle changes.
For more information or to register, contact Kershaw at mhershaw@centralstate.edu or call 937-376-6654.