Gov. Brown orders flags to half-staff to honor Fla. shooting victims

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Sunday ordered all flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff immediately until sunset on Thursday i n honor of the victims of the Orlando shooting.

“Tragically, what we are waking up to in the United States today is that the growing number of mass shootings in the U.S. increases the number of Americans with a personal connection to a Roseburg, a Charleston, a Columbine, and now, an Orlando,” Brown said in a statement.

“Two days ago, I participated in Umpqua Community College’s commencement exercises just nine months after 10 lives were lost in a mass shooting on its Roseburg campus. As we celebrated UCC students reaching a major milestone, we also honored the community’s resiliency.

“I call upon us as a state to move beyond the political debate about gun control and instead bring responsible gun owners and community advocates together to find solutions. We must take action to better protect community safety.

“My thoughts are with the victims in Orlando, their loved ones and families, and I extend my sincere gratitude to the first responders. As Oregonians, we share in the pain and mourning reverberating across the United States and world today .”

Sen. Won Wyden, D-Ore., in Mosier for a meeting Sunday to talk about the recent Union Pacific oil-train derailment, was asked about the Florida mass shooting.

“Of course, Oregon is very familiar with mass shootings,” Wyden said, acknowledging the details were still coming in.

With “these mass shootings taking place like deadly clockwork, I want to get the details about what happened and then work with other members of the Senate and both political parties to take all responsible steps to improve the safety of our communities.”

Asked what steps that might mean, Wyden continued, “We don’t have all the information right now to know (and) I’m not going to speculate from the seat of my pants” about what might be done.