Recorded On: November 17, 2017
Air Date: November 20, 2017
What is the appropriate balance between the risks to the public from firearms and the individual right to bear arms? With two of the four deadliest mass shootings in United States history occurring in the past six weeks, the gun debate has been reignited and has many people talking about where the balance of individual rights vs. public safety should lie.
Oregon is no stranger to tragedies involving firearms. Are there future initiatives that might garner bipartisan support? In this week’s City Club, we hear from two State Legislators who are strong advocates for their perspectives.
Speakers:
– Oregon State Senator Floyd Prozanski – D, Eugene
– Oregon State Representative Mike Nearman – R, Independence
Speaker Biographies:
Floyd Prozanski was first elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1994. He served in the House of Representatives between 1995 – 2000 and 2003, before being appointed to represent Oregon Senate District 4 in 2003. He was elected in 2004 to complete the current term and has been reelected three times since 2006. Floyd graduated from Texas A&M University and later earned a law degree from the South Texas College of Law. An avid cyclist and home-brewer, he lives in Eugene with his wife. During the interim, Floyd works as a municipal prosecutor and serves on various legislative committees, workgroups and commissions.
Mike Nearman was raised in Oregon and attended Jesuit High School in Portland. After graduating from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he returned to Oregon to help with the family office furniture business. He also completed a degree in Computer Science from Western Oregon University. Mike lives with his wife, Debby. He loves waterfowl hunting and can be seen in the winter time patrolling the Willamette river in a kayak in a quest for ducks and geese. He served as the Chair of the Polk County Republican party and is still active as a precinct committee person. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Oregonians for Immigration Reform and serves on the Central School District Budget Committee. He was elected to the State House in 2014.
Program Coordinator: Marty Wilde
Copyright KLCC, 2017