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OFF ALERT 03.21.07 House To Reward Lawbreakers? |
On Friday, March 23rd, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled
to hear HB 2852.
This bill "Expands authority of Port of Portland peace
officers." Why is that a bad thing? Because for years the
Port of Portland has been willfully violating both the law and
the rights of gun owners. For the entire story with documentation,
please visit this link.
If you visit the Portland International Airport, you will be
confronted with signs on every door warning you that no firearms
are permitted, even if you have a concealed handgun license.
As you know, the Port of Portland has NO authority to make or
enforce a rule of this kind.
The Oregon legislature, in an effort to eliminate a patchwork
of contradictory laws, passed a preemption statute that says,
clearly and unequivocally, that only they, the legislature,
may restrict the possession or carrying of firearms. Furthermore,
if you review the above link, you will see that the Port of
Portland has been made aware that they may not enact this kind
of rule. Yet they continue to violate the law and disregard
the legislature.
As with so many other government agencies and departments, they
continue to claim that the law does not apply to them. But it
does.
Giving these lawbreakers even more power sends a dangerous message
to the other agencies that flagrantly flout the law.
The sponsor of this bill is House
Rep Jeff Barker. Barker has been a solid supporter of gun
rights in the past, but this bill is clearly a bad idea and
endangers all gun owners.
Please contact the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to
vote against this bill and any bill that rewards law breaking
government agencies. Their contact information and a suggested
message follow.
House
Judiciary Contact Information
Dear Representative,
House Bill 2852 rewards the Port of Portland police with expanded
powers, even though, as you are aware, the Port Police are breaking
the law and defending that lawlessness.
You, and you alone, have the authority to regulate firearms
possession. The Legislature, in its wisdom, recognized that
a patchwork of rules was dangerous for gun owners and confusing
for law enforcement. Yet, like many other agencies, the Port
claims that the rules do not apply to them. If each agency can
determine which statutes it chooses to obey, the statutes have
no meaning.
I urge you to reject any expansion of the Port's police powers
until they comply with the law, just as I, as a gun owner, must
do.
Very truly yours,
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