As U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy made clear in his dramatic advisory June 25, gun violence requires the same kind of public response that helped reduce the casualties resulting from tobacco use and auto accidents, (“Gun violence is labeled a ‘public health crisis’ by the surgeon general,” June 25). This should encourage the Oregon Court of Appeals to move quickly to allow Oregon’s Measure 114 to be implemented.

Our family was deeply affected by a mass shooting several years ago. It was one that might have been prevented by public health measures like those contained in Measure 114.

Oregon voters approved Measure 114 in November 2022. Since that time, hundreds of Oregonians have died from guns and many more have been injured. Surely it is past time for the violence prevention strategies contained in Measure 114, such as expanding purchaser licensing requirements and banning high-capacity magazines, to become law.

John and Sallyanne Wilson, Portland

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