Wyden talks gun issues at mostly friendly Bend town hall

(Update: Adding video)

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., faced a mostly – but not completely – friendly crowd of about 150 Saturday morning at his town hall at Bend’s Summit High School, which was interrupted – but not ended – by two people who were removed by police, one shouting at the senator, “You’re a coward!”

For about 90 minutes – most of it livestreamed on KTVZ.COM — the senator took questions on a variety of issues, such as the environment, the Russia investigation, border security and gun control, drawing frequent applause, such as when he said, “I believe President (Donald) Trump’s declaration of a national emergency is unconstitutional, through and through.”

Or when he said he’d do all he can to “make sure the (special prosecutor) Bob Mueller report gets in your hands, because the American people have a right to know” what he’s found.

Wyden said he was one of a dozen senators who co-sponsored the Green New Deal, which he said was actually made up of 15 separate bills to curb climate change.

“You’re going to hear the most unbelievable scare stories” about its potential impact, the senator warned, listing several of them, like, “You won’t have ice cream any more.”

Wyden also said he supports the effort by young people, now in federal court in Eugene, to sue the federal government for lack of action on the climate change issue.

He said the administration’s claim they lack standing to bring such a case is wrong: “If anyone ever had standing to discuss climate change, it’s young people.”

The disruption and police removal of two loud critics (about 43 minutes into the livestream recording above) came after one in a series of questions on gun issues, after a woman suggested that the ammunition be regulated instead.

Wyden said he wanted to hear the man’s concerns, but they were going to stick to the questions from people being called upon by numbers handed out before the meeting.

“You listen! You’re a coward!” the man said, as several others in the audience weighed in, some booing and others saying, “Wait your turn!”

After the two men who interrupted were led out, to a smattering of boos and applause, the senator noted how, at Friday’s town hall in Madras, a veteran in the audience shook his head in clear disagreement with Wyden’s stance, repeated Saturday, that he favors a “nationwide, no-loophole, air-tight” background checks for gun purchases.

It was clear, Wyden said, that the man and some of the others who attended the Madras event are “concerned these measures would violate the Second Amendment” right to bear arms.

The senator said he made sure that veteran and others with a differing view got a chance to speak at that town hall and at this one in Bend, he asked others who share those concerns to raise their hands so they could be called upon.

“This is the ‘Oregon Way’ — we don’t censor anybody,” Wyden said. “We’re not ending the meeting until the other side of the gun debate is heard.”

A third Central Oregon town hall Wyden had planned for Prineville late Saturday afternoon was postponed, an aide said, due to the forecast for incoming snowfall across much of the state. It will be rescheduled for a later date.