HERE IT COMES - THE ‘NEED’ FOR MORE GUN CONTROL
It's a problem that is evident in the U.S. over the past few decades and these killings are not just perpetrated by criminals but ordinary citizens (at least they were "ordinary" at one time, until they carried out the killings...).
By Rick Bella
November 10, 2009, 8:16PM
GLADSTONE -- Friends and associates saw Robert and Teresa Beiser as devoted, hardworking parents who ran into problems but were trying hard to work them out.
Both parents worked two jobs. They owned a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home on Southeast Oatfield Road, where they were rearing two children, 14-year-old Nicole and her 11-year-old brother, Drew.
"They are -- were -- amazing parents," said Lana L. Traynor, a Portland attorney who has worked with the family. "They were very united for the kids."
Both parents visited Tae Kwon Do 2 in Clackamas three or four times a week to watch Nicole work out and compete.
Nicole, a freshman at Gladstone High School, has studied tae kwon do for four years and has a black belt. She has participated in major competitions in Las Vegas and Chicago.
"Kids like Nicole have really good friends in here," said Al Dorsey, an instructor at Tae Kwon Do 2 and a family friend. "It's like one big family here. It's like a big martial arts support group."
Then, last week, a crack appeared to outside observers. The Beisers, who were married in 1994, filed for divorce in Clackamas County Circuit Court. Teresa is listed as the petitioner.
In court documents, their split appeared amicable. They were seeking joint custody of the children, and Robert tentatively agreed to pay $1,100 a month in child support.
Teresa, they tentatively agreed, would remain in their home with the children. When the property sold, the Beisers would split any profit.
Dorsey knew the Beisers were going through a divorce but thought they were managing the situation.
"They were on good terms," he said. "In fact, the mom had told us that they were separating. We've seen them, and they were always civil."
Thirty-nine-year-old Robert -- friends called him "Rob" -- worked as a vehicle claims adjuster for Property Damage Appraisers in Lake Oswego. He also made predawn deliveries of The Oregonian, working first as a private contractor, then for one of the major distributors.
Teresa, 36, worked as a lab technician for Legacy MetroLab-Tualatin, which provides drug and alcohol testing for employers and the courts. Teresa, an avid bodybuilder and cyclist, also worked as a spin instructor at 24 Hour Fitness on Southeast Sunnyside Road in Clackamas.
Steve Rautio, who distributes The Oregonian in the Clackamas and Oregon City areas, said he couldn't guess Rob was suffering so much or that he was capable of violence. He said he was aware that the couple were divorcing. "He was fine, he was fine," Rautio said, choking back tears. "But he had problems."
All the gun control laws in the world, and even the destruction of every handgun in existence (if that were even possible), would not have prevented that incident. People who decide to become killers - for whatever reason - will kill with whatever is available to them. The question is: “Do we want to mandate that everybody present must be an unarmed potential victim?” The gun-controllers answer “yes”.