Category: OFF Alerts

Don’t Let The “Lobby” Decide.

Ballots are out. If you have already voted, thanks for taking part in this election, as frustrating and pointless as it may seem.

If you have not yet voted, please don’t let your voice go unheard.

As we have noted recently, OFF’s Political Action Committee found very few candidates worth endorsing this year.

However, there are some candidates we are urging you to support if you live in their districts. These are the candidates of the people and not the candidates of the corporate lobbyists who buy elections to maintain the status quo and their grip on legislation.

The lobby’s main interest is making sure the legislature continues to do their bidding uninterrupted. As a result you can bet they will always support candidates who don’t rock the boat.  But right now the boat of Oregon is the Titanic and it’s steaming full speed towards an iceberg.

Some of the strongest voices for our rights have been silenced by Republican “leadership’s” sellout to the Democrat bullies.  Because they stood tall they cannot run for office again.  But, at least in some cases, you can still vote to continue their dedication to principle, and against their paid-for opponents.

In Senate District 1 you can vote for Todd Vaughn and against David Brock Smith.

While some Senators risked their political futures by standing up and walking out, Smith sat on the Senate Floor day after day to do the bidding of the Democrats.  His goal? Protect his seat and his ability to funnel taxpayer money into his own pocket. And while Smith hilariously crows about his NRA endorsement, we all know what a joke that is. His touting of an endorsement from “Oregon Gun Rights” is equally absurd.

It was the actions of people like Smith that helped the Democrats steal even more of your personal liberty.

Smith showed how out of touch he is with his constituents by twice voting to put tampons in kindergartner boy’s bathrooms and then denying it.

Smith has demonstrated he is there to follow orders of the party in power and he really must go.

In Senate District 2, Senator Art Robinson stood up for your rights and helped deny quorum.

Then, of course, after walking out for you and ending his political tenure, the Senate Republican leader rolled over to the Democrats and gave them everything they wanted.  Robinson’s sacrifice meant nothing to the inside players who run the show on both sides of the aisle.  But you have a chance to keep Art’s principles and spirit fighting for you in Salem by voting for his son Noah who has been working with Art daily at the legislature and shares his passion, commitment, and values. 

Noah’s Republican opponent is Christine Goodwin who saw the principled actions of Robinson as the perfect chance to move up from the House to the Senate.  Goodwin, you will recall, was the lucky recipient of an “endorsement” from a “pro-gun” organization created solely to give her the appearance of gun owner’s support. That “organization” consists of two people; the former Senate Republican “leader’s” son and a staffer for House Rep and sell-out former Republican “leader” Vikki Iverson.

Now it what can only be seen as a total desperation, Goodwin is texting this bizarre ad for herself.  We are sure Donald is thrilled at this endorsement and no doubt it will take his race for president over the top…

Senate District 28 is also losing one of the most dedicated defenders of gun rights because of his dedication to protecting them. 

Senator Dennis Linthicum has also been stripped of his ability to seek his seat again and voters in his district have been robbed of their right to vote for the candidate of their choice.  But Dennis’s wife Diane has filed to run and that means voters can turn the tables on the Democrats and elect a person of integrity who will continue to stand up for the principles Dennis has fought for.  We believe Diane will continue to take the tough stands for your rights.  We cannot say that about her opponent.

And of course, no contest is more a race between the people and the lobby than the election in House District 51 where lobby darling and establishment suck-up, Christine Drazan, is trying to “regain” “her” seat from incumbent Republican James Hieb.

Hieb is certainly not an establishment stooge.  If Drazan manages to buy her way back into that seat the damage she is capable of is incalculable.  Please support Hieb if you live in the 51st District in Clackamas County.

The lobby, and their money, have made their picks.  We urge you to vote for the people who care more about you than lobby money. 

It’s All Theater

05.07.2024
When you check your Oregon Voter Pamphlet for the races for judges for the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals you’ll note that your choices are.. wait, there are no choices.

Much like any third world, socialist, hell hole, Oregon gives you the choice to vote for exactly one candidate.

Most Oregon judges are appointed because most Oregon Judges (oddly) retire before their term is up meaning they have to be replaced,  not by the people, but by the Governor.

Then, they are the “incumbent” and lawyers rarely run against them for fear of retribution should they wind up in their courtroom.  When the merry go round completes another revolution that judge retires early and his replacement is…picked by the governor.  

Rinse and repeat.

Judges are the only offices that are noted on your ballot as “incumbents.”  What a coincidence.

Every single “candidate” for the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals is already on the court. In no case do you have a choice. You may vote for whomever you like as long as it is the only candidate running.

While this is a terrible system, one “race” is particularly troubling.  The coronation for Appeals Court Judge Position 6.  There your “choice” is…Jim Egan. (See “non partisan candidates”) And that should send chills up your spine if you still have any shred of faith in Oregon’s Judicial System.

Egan, you may recall, was the “judge” who declared gun owners to be racist, anti-semitic, white supremacists in an unhinged rant against the people’s vote to create a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary in Columbia County. 

You can read his entire demented screed here.

Egan is unfit to appear in a courtroom let alone serve as a judge. His mindless hatred for law abiding Americans disqualifies him from any job that requires a measure of impartiality. In spite of his clear bigotry against gun owners, he has refused to recuse himself from the appeal of the Measure 114 injunction. And that, like the entire system, is a disgrace.

This hateful bigot is going to win re-election because the dice are loaded.  But you don’t have to participate.

In this election we suggest you write in our attorney Tyler Smith, who Egan directed his mindless attacks against.

A small gesture in a game that’s rigged. But a gesture non-the-less.

 

 

05.03.2024

For decades the NRA has used their candidate ratings to promote anti-gun candidates.

They promoted John McCain while he was running anti-gun commercials in 2000.

They supported Kurt Schrader and Harry Reid while they worked on gun control bills, and now, in their latest embarrassment, they have endorsed, and given an “A” rating, to House Rep Charlie Conrad.

While, with very few exceptions, we have no use for any current Oregon House Reps, an endorsement of Conrad is a direct slap in the face to NRA members and anyone who values their rights and freedoms.

Conrad was one of only two Republicans to vote in favor of Dacia Grayber’s bill to entrap lawful gun owners while protecting left wing rioters.  We did the research. We exposed who was behind this outrageous attack on the Second Amendment and your freedom to assemble. Any fool could see what this bill was about.  But Conrad and House Rep Kevin Mannix joined the far left and helped pass it.

Mannix has been promoting gun control for 25 years so his vote was to be expected. Charlie Conrad is new at this. His votes have been so egregious his own county party has demanded he resign.

What in the world is NRA thinking?  Well, they also endorsed Vikki Breese Iverson who was the Republican House Leader when they folded and handed a gun control victory to the Democrats with HB 2005. Iverson then orchestrated a bogus photo op on the Capitol steps with a giant fake check for $25,000.00 which they said was for a lawsuit against the bill they helped pass.  Needless to say, that lawsuit never materialized and now the Republicans ain’t talking about it.

They also gave Christine Drazan and “A-“ in spite of her votes to protect antifa and her refusal to stop anti-gun bills when she was House Republican Leader.

Not to be outdone in the Senate, they gave an “A” and an endorsement to David Brock Smith, who not only sent insulting  emails to voters questioning why he voted twice to place tampons in the bathrooms of little boys (and then lied about those votes) but also remained on the Senate floor to help pass Democrat gun control bills while more principled senators walked out at the expense of their political futures.

And now to add to the absurdity of this election, we have Reagan Knopp, Senator Tim Knopp’s son, bragging on Twitter about the farcical “gun organization” he created with the help of Vikki Breese Iverson’s staffer to promote his political allies.

You will recall this “organization” of two could not even quote the Second Amendment correctly.

This election will no doubt saddle us with more go-along-to-get-along frauds.  Vote with care and if your only choice is a weak and compromising incumbent, write in someone you respect.

04.29.2024

First we have an update on the mysterious “Oregon Gun Rights” that Christine Goodwin claimed “endorsed” her, and then on to the election debacle.

When we first saw last week that former House Rep Goodwin, who is now running for Senate District 2, was endorsed by “Oregon Gun Rights” we naturally wondered who they were. 

They were not listed as a business and were not a Political Action Committee. No one we knew had any idea who they were. Goodwin wasn’t saying.

Some people wondered if she was referring to the law firm of Gilroy, Napoli, Short which owns the website address “oregongunlaw.com” but gun rights attorney Jason Short assured us it was not them. 

Then late last week we learned that the unknown group’s website address was oregongunrights.org. 

 So we checked them out. And you can too. https://oregongunrights.org/

The website was one page that had no contact info, no “about us”, and nothing more than a collection of candidates they “endorsed” with links to some of their webpages. The name of the person who registered the website was hidden.

When we checked, the only candidate whose website listed this group as “endorsing” them was Goodwin. Two candidates we contacted had never heard of them and had not requested, and were unaware of, the endorsements.

Hilariously, the website twice misquoted the Second Amendment as “the right to bear and keep arms.”*

Now, at the very bottom of the site, in tiny type, appears the text “Paid For By Gun Rights First Pac”

“Gun Rights First Pac” suddenly appeared last Friday on the Secretary of State’s website.

Its director is Reagan Knopp. Knopp is the son of former Republican Senate Leader Tim Knopp. The only donation listed is from “Knopp and Company” for website development and that only appeared today.  (UPDATE. The treasurer for this PAC also happens to be the treasurer for Christine Goodwin and Vikki  Breese Iverson. What a coincidence .)

You will recall that it was Tim Knopp who folded and gave the Democrats everything they wanted after some Senators had walked out which barred them from running for their offices again.  This was one of the most bizarre surrenders in Oregon history.  One of the Senators who is barred from reelection is Art Robinson. It is Robinson’s seat that Goodwin is seeking. 

(Goodwin has still not explained why she claims to live on someone else’s ranch in the 2nd district when she owns a home nearby, but just outside the district.)

It’s a pathetic state of affairs when you need to have one of your political allies create a PAC that does nothing so you can pretend to be backed by gun rights supporters.  By the way, the PAC lists its “nature” as “Advoacting” for gun rights.  For obvious reasons OFFPAC will be supporting Noah Robinson for that seat.

Speaking of elections, our bi-annual exercise in futility, they are nearly upon us. Many of you have already received your voter’s pamphlet.

For several decades OFF has published candidate grades. It is always an inexact science at best.  Candidate surveys are not a very good tool for determining where a candidate stands or where they are going.  Voting records are a better resource when available but even they don’t tell the whole story. For example, House Rep Kim Wallan voted against the very dangerous “militia” bill that was designed to attack gun owners while protecting left wing rioters. That would appear to be a good vote. But she voted against it because she did not believe it went far enough! Republicans Charlie Conrad and Kevin Mannix both voted for the bill.

This year there is very little for gun owners, and all Oregonians, to be positive about. And we cannot make many recommendations for legislative seats.

There are only two incumbent House Reps we support. Dwayne Yunker in House District 3 and James Hieb in House District 51.

Yunker has been a breath of fresh air after being appointed to fill the seat abandoned by Lily Morgan.  He has been willing to speak the truth about the reality of what goes on in Salem. One of his recent email alerts correctly noted:“The Democrats are laughing at us.” We need more of that in Salem.

James Hieb was appointed to his seat after Christine Drazan walked away from it in her failed bid to be Governor. In the short time James served in that session, and since, the Republican Caucus has done everything they can to undermine him. Maybe because he has the courage to say things they don’t. James ran for, and won, the seat after that session even when the Republican establishment primaried him and pressured him to drop out of the race. Now, they have dragged Drazan out of the archives to run against him.

Drazan served as Republican House leader before quitting to run for Governor and her reign could only be called (charitably) disastrous.  She cut deals with Tina Kotek that a 5 year old would have laughed at and regularly voted with her Democrat overlords. She even sent out a celebratory tweet after the conviction of Derek Chavin in the death of drug addict, felon, George Floyd.  

She voted twice to put tampons in the bathrooms of kindergarten boys and then denied it. Now she is sending out email fundraisers asking for help “reclaiming” her seat. A seat that is held by another Republican, James Hieb. Disgracefully, the Republican Caucus, which loves to crow about “protecting incumbents,” seems determined to do anything they can to help her at the expense of Hieb.  Oregon simply cannot withstand 2 more years of Drazan’s backstabbing sell outs. OFFPAC supports Hieb for House District 51.

As a result of walking out to protect your rights, Senators Art Robinson and Dennis Linthicum are prohibited from running again for their seats. However, Art’s son Noah and Dennis’s wife Diane are running in their place. We are confident they will continue the principles and policies of Art and Dennis.

We cannot support any other incumbents. Or any candidates that served before and are running again, like Bruce Starr or Mike McLane. Oregon cannot survive the same old collection of self serving back scratchers who simultaneously complain about Democrat rule and  brag about their “bi-partisan” achievements.  While sitting Republicans will boast about the money they got for their districts (by rolling over for the Democrats) some of us would rather have our rights than a new fire hydrant.

Of course, in many cases voters are left with little choice.  

In races where the Democrats cannot lose your pick for the Republican candidate will make little difference so vote for whoever you like best.

In Republican districts many incumbent Republicans are running unopposed in the primary. In that case we suggest you write in your favorite conservative talk show host.  The unopposed Republican will still win the primary but you will not have helped and maybe a tiny message will be sent.  With the exception of the Hieb/ Drazan primary, in contested races currently held by Republican incumbents, we recommend you vote for the challenger. Given the sorry state of the Republican establishment there is very little to risk.

Oregon is disintegrating and we will not fix anything by returning the same compromisers year after year. 

 

UPDATE. In the email version of this alert, we failed to note that both Republican members of Congress from Oregon, Bentz and DeRemer, have regularly voted to support the Biden agenda. They both voted for unsustainable budgets, millions more to protect illegal aliens, and to reauthorize the much abused FISA law that is regularly used by rogue law enforcement agencies to attack American citizens.

*Today after our alert went out “Oregon Gun Rights” corrected their misquote of the Second Amendment. Glad to help them out.

04.19.2024

Primary elections are not far off, and voters who treasure their rights don’t have a lot to be excited about.

In past elections OFF has posted candidate ratings. This year there is very little to report that’s positive.

We will have more in the coming days, but for now we wanted to share info one race that is particularly troubling.

Oregon’s Senate District 2 has two Republicans facing off in the primary.

This district is currently represented by Republican Art Robinson. Senator Robinson has been a committed defender of Second Amendment rights, and because of that commitment he has been barred from running to keep his seat.

Robinson was one of the Senators who walked out to stop the demented agenda of Oregon’s radical left and their latest effort to turn gun owners into criminals. As a result of taking that courageous stand, he is now prohibited from running for reelection.

The two Republicans seeking to replace him, and facing off in the primary, are Robinson’s son Noah, who has worked beside Art throughout his tenure in the Senate, and Christine Goodwin who is currently a Republican House Representative.  

You will recall that while some members of the Senate walked out to protect your rights, the Republicans in the House chose to remain in Salem, provide a quorum for the Democrats, and thereby help to pass the Dem’s latests outrage, HB 2005, which, among other things, makes it a crime to build your own firearm.

Keep in mind, that because of the timing of the bill’s progress, the House Republicans, under the “leadership” of Vikki Iverson, risked NOTHING by walking out. They could have killed this bill at no cost to themselves but they refused to. 

We’ll put aside the fact that the House Republicans made quite a public spectacle of their promise to fund a lawsuit against HB 2005, and then did nothing. The fact is, no matter how they voted on the bill, they helped pass it.

As part of the House Republican Caucus Christine Goodwin helped provide the quorum needed to pass HB 2005. 

Now Goodwin is running for the seat that will be open due to Art Robinson being punished for standing up for principle, something Goodwin and most  House Republicans did not do.  

Currently Goodwin is involved in a controversy regarding whether she actually lives in the Senate District whose seat she is seeking.

She recently discussed the issue with KMED’s Bill Meyer. You can listen to that interview here and make up your own mind about her residency.

But our concern with Goodwin is not where she says she lives but with a mailer she recently sent out to voters in the district.

On it, Goodwin calls herself  “A Friend to Gun Owners & Strong Defender of the Second Amendment”. Next to that she writes “Voted NO on making law abiding gun owners into criminals (HB 2005,2023)”. 

Curiously above that statement is this: “The ONLY Candidate Endorsed By Oregon Gun Rights”

After almost 30 years as advocates for Second Amendment rights, we can tell you we have no idea who “Oregon Gun Rights” is.  They are not listed as a business by the Secretary of State. They are not a political action committee.

We have never seen or heard of anyone claiming that name speak or submit testimony on any gun bill.

“Oregongunrights.com” is the URL for the law firm of Gilroy, Napoli, Short.  (Their website lists OFF as an “affiliate or partner” but we are not affiliated with them in any way.) However, “Oregon Gun Rights” is a website address, not a company or organization. So exactly who or what “endorsed” Goodwin?

We have no idea.  But what we can tell you is that claiming to be a “friend to gun owners” because she voted “no” on HB 2005 is absurd. 

Goodwin and the other House Republicans who showed up for the vote guaranteed the bill would pass no matter how they voted. 

Goodwin posed on the Capitol steps with other Oregon Republicans with a giant fake check for a social media photo about a lawsuit they never filed and will no longer discuss.   None of this makes Goodwin a “friend of gun owners” or a “strong defender of the Second Amendment.”

 

UPDATE 04.23.2024.  The attorneys at “oregonrights.com” have informed us that they are NOT the “Oregon Gun Rights” Goodwin is claiming an endorsement from.

ANOTHER VICTORY …FOR NOW.

 

04.12.2024

As you know, our federal lawsuit against Ballot Measure 114 is proceeding at what can only be called a glacial pace. The 9th Circuit shows no signs of wanting to issue a ruling that will almost certainly be reconsidered by the US Supreme Court.

However, we do have important news on the State case.

After a Judge in Harney County declared the clearly unconstitutional Ballot Measure 114, well…unconstitutional, the state immediately declared its intention to appeal that ruling.

The Oregon Department of “Justice” not only wants to disarm Oregonians at a very dangerous time, it wants to do it as quickly and completely as possible.

So not only did they file an appeal, they also took the unusual step of asking the Appeals Court to implement the measure before the appeal was even heard.  

Typically when a request is made to “stay” a decision of a court, it is done to protect the “status quo” while the matter is litigated. However in this case (as the Appeals Court has noted) the State asked to “stay” the injunction against Mz 114 to turn the status quo on its head and immediately turn thousands upon thousands of Oregonians into criminals.

Today we have received word from our attorney in the state case that the Oregon Appeals Court has denied the state’s request and as such, Measure 114, along with all its intended and very evil consequences remains “on hold” and not in force.  

This is very good news in a very anti-gun state.  We are grateful for the excellent work attorney Tony Aiello is doing in this case.

We are also grateful for the assistance from Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation in this matter.

But we are long way from having this nightmare behind us.  We are still funding two lawsuits  and only your support has allowed us to get this far.

Please consider any help you can provide to cover the mounting expenses of holding the gun grabbers at bay.

You can make a secure online donation here. 

That page also has address information if you prefer to donate by check.

Thank you for your tireless support.

04.11.2024

Mz 114 and HB 2005 Update

We’ve been getting lots of questions about the status of Ballot Measure 114 lawsuits and House Bill 2005 that was passed last year. 

Measure 114 was declared unconstitutional in the state lawsuit in Harney County in November of last year.  Because of that decision, no parts of the measure can be implemented.  However, as expected, the State of Oregon has filed an appeal.  That appeal has not yet been scheduled to be heard at the State Appellate Court but could be heard as early as late summer or early fall.   If the state wins the appeal, Measure 114 could go into effect immediately, even without a system in place to issue permits.  As for our federal lawsuit, we have filed for appeal. It will be heard when the Federal Appellate court schedules it.  There is a similar case against standard capacity magazines bans currently in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California.   

The 9^th Circuit has decided they will not hear our appeal until after that case is decided. While a ruling could come at any time, it is possible that the 9^th will delay this as long as possible in hopes that the makeup of the Supreme Court will change and firearms related cases will be decided against gun owners.

These same  9th Circuit judges previously ruled against the Second Amendment and said this ban was constitutional.   Only time will tell.

The portion of HB2005 pertaining to serial numbers for unfinished frames and receivers goes into effect September 1^st 2024.  That means that you cannot possess an unfinished, unassembled, home-made, or even a complete frame, receiver, or firearm unless it has a serial number that meets the requirements of ATF regulations, and is applied by an authorized FFL. 

Firearms manufactured before October 22^nd, 1968 are exempt.  If you would like to have  personally made firearm serialized, you will need to find an FFL licensed to do so.  Those licensed to manufacture firearms and many licensed gunsmiths are authorized. 

Keep in mind, 2005 has a pretty much blanket prohibition on unserialized firearms and things that may one day become firearms.  2005 has a specific exemption for specified license holders to take possession of these objects for the purpose of applying a serial number. However, there is no corresponding exception for the owner of the device to be in possession of it at all.

So while the licensed party can legally receive one to apply a serial number, the person who brings it in is still breaking the law and subject to prosecution for possession.

Under the language of HB 2005, If you wait until after September 1^st to have one engraved, the FFL can only return your property after a background check is approved, and then, only after verification that you have a permit to purchase.  That permit does not exist and there is no legislation currently in place to implement such a program.  This element of the law relies on the implementation of Ballot Measure 114, but while that measure is currently “on hold” HB 2005 is not. So how it will be enforced is anyone’s guess. But as noted above, even if you want to apply a serial number, you will already be breaking the law simply by being in possession.  

There is a component of HB2005 pertaining to “undetectable firearms.” This was the brain child of Senator James Manning and is comical and buffoonish. Now Manning wants to be Secretary of State. If you think things were bad under the corrupt Shemia Fagan you ain’t seen nothing yet.

That component also mimics long standing federal regulation and has no place in state law.  You can read the complete measure here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB2005

Republican leadership said they allowed HB2005 to pass because it was simply parroting new federal regulations.  If that was the case, why does Oregon need to repeat federal law in state law?  The federal regulation has since been declared unconstitutional by a federal judge and is on hold, but it is now the law in Oregon.  This is what happens when you “compromise” with liberal legislators.  Passing the law does nothing for public safety since it was already on the books.  It was virtue signaling, pure and simple, and was held over the heads of weak politicians.  Some have said that the value of a firearm serial number for solving crime is as valuable as a chalk outline on the sidewalk.

Republican House members stood on the steps of the Capitol and held a fake cardboard check for $25,000, saying it was for a lawsuit against the bill.  Repeated emails to both House Reps Breese-Iverson and Helfrich to find out how far they’ve gone with the lawsuit have gone unanswered.  We expect better from the people we hired to represent us, and they should know that they are causing their loyalty to “we the people“ to be questioned.  They need to be held accountable if they want our support for re-election.  Call and write them, let them know that Oregonians deserve better.

Jeff Helfrich 503-986-1452
Rep.JeffHelfrich@oregonlegislature.gov

Vikki Breese Iverson 503-986-1459

Rep.ShellyBoshartDavis@oregonlegislature.gov

 

The Hustle

04.02.2024

It’s campaign season, the time when politicians make new promises they have no plans to keep and pretend the ones they made last time never happened.

And it’s a time when everyone running for office will be asking you to send them money so they can continue to do the amazing work they have done so far.

We get it. Campaigns are expensive and there is no way around the need to raise funds.  But sometimes things just get…shameless.

We receive, as many of you do, an endless stream of mass emails from legislators boasting about accomplishments they never had, ignoring their repeated sell outs, and now suggesting that you be part of one fight or another by “adding your name” to some pointless and phony “petition” which takes you immediately to a page to send them money. It’s a gimmick of course, but some are just downright insulting.

Yesterday we received an email fundraiser from Republican House Rep Cyrus Javadi.

The email opened with bold type, some in alarming red.

“Last month while we were caught up in session, the Oregon Department of Justice filed a motion to stay for Measure 114, which threatens our Second Amendment rights. M114 would be the most extreme anti-firearm law in the country, which is why it has lost at every stage of this case thus far.”

Gun owners in Oregon, and in fact nationwide, are well acquainted with Measure 114, because they have been generously funding the two lawsuits to stop it.  They are, to be sure, a lot better acquainted with it than Javadi seems to be and know damn well it has not “lost at every stage of this case so far.” 

While a state judge has placed an injunction on the measure, it’s well known that a Federal Judge in Portland, Karin Immergut, has declared this demented measure fully constitutional.  If she has her way, and Measure 114 takes effect, gun sales in Oregon will end and countless Oregon gun owners will become instant criminals. As you know, we are currently in the process of appealing this absurd federal decision and will be fighting the Department of “Justice” in the Oregon Appeals Court.

Javadi’s email goes on:

“Friend, despite the fact that this measure has been deemed unconstitutional every step of the way, the Oregon DOJ is still working tirelessly to get it implemented. We must stop the Attorney General and the progressive left from stripping away our Second Amendment rights in our state.”   Take action by signing the petition and voicing your opposition for the Oregon Department of Justice to hear. “

Of course, the hyperlink in Javadi’s email takes you to… a petition. A petition no judge will ever see or give a damn about. But that petition takes you to the real point of Javadi’s email.  His donation page.

Javadi concludes his email with “Friend, let’s stop this measure once and for all.”

Apparently Javadi thinks Oregon’s gun owners are idiots.  He, and the other House Republicans have done nothing to “stop this measure” and are powerless to do anything about it.  But the steps they could have taken to protect gun owners, at no risk to their precious political futures, were never taken. Let’s not forget the disgraceful bait and switch they pulled in the 2023 session when they helped pass HB 2005 by providing the quorum the Democrats needed to ban personally made firearms.

All the House Republicans had to do to kill that bill, and other awful legislation, was stay home. And they would not even have risked the “unexcused absences” that have cost a number of brave Oregon Senators their seats. But they didn’t. Javadi and his fellow Republican House Reps did the bidding of the Democrats and dutifully showed up to grease the skids for another outrageous and unconstitutional attack on your rights.

But then to complete the charade, the House Republicans posed on the Capitol Steps with a giant fake check and posted a photo on social media with the text “Today, despite House Republicans raising significant constitutional issues against House Bill 2005 B, House Democrats passed their omnibus gun control bill. In response House Republicans have pledged $25,000.00 towards the inevitable litigation.”

As you know, $25,000.00 dollars would barely be a downpayment on a lawsuit of this kind. But it doesn’t matter. No one has ever seen a dime of it and now Republican House Reps run for cover when you ask them what happened to their photo-op lawsuit.

You are the reason there are court battles to stop Measure 114. Javadi and the Republican House Reps have done nothing to help in this battle and it’s disgraceful that they would try to use this vicious attack on your rights to hustle you.

 

2024 Session Wrap Up

03.14.2024

 

The 2024 Oregon Legislative session is over, and the best we can say is “it could have been worse.”

(This sounds a lot like what many Republicans tell us when we question their actions… “well the Democrats are worse.”)

Of course, no session would be complete without the passage of at least one more bill attacking your gun rights. 

This session it was SB 1503.  We told you about this bill here.  And as we told you then, “Republican” Senators (Hansell and Anderson) joined the attack on your rights. Now a new and endless stream of your money will be shoveled over to the anti-gun extremists at the Oregon Department of “Justice” to prepare reports that will say we must ban guns. You can take that to the bank.

When the session closed we received a raft of mass emails from Republican legislators lauding  “bipartisanship.”

The Democrats chimed in with this bizarre quote: “As Speaker, Rayfield fostered a culture of respect and bipartisan collaboration, establishing an open-door policy of over-communication–in agreement and even more so when in disagreement–and Disney-level customer service.”

We are not sure what that means but it does demonstrate a remarkable lack of self awareness.  When you have total dictatorial control and the “opposing” party refuses to step up, you really don’t have to make sense.

Republican Senator David Brock Smith gushed “Thank you to Governor Kotek, Ways & Means Co-Chairs Steiner and Sanchez, President Wagner, Leader Knopp, Leader Lieber, Speaker Rayfield, Leader Helfrich, Leader Fahey, the members of the Legislative Veteran’s Caucus and the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans for your support. Thank you to U.S. Senators Wyden and Merkley, Congresswoman Hoyle, and my legislative colleagues for your support, and a special thank you to our new ODVA Director Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels for her incredible leadership and support.”

Notice only two “Republicans” were thanked in that obsequious and fawning display of groveling.

Democrat Senate President Rob Wagner, who refused to allow excused absences even for religious or medical reasons, and thereby ended the legislative careers of some of the best Republican Senators, absurdly quipped:

“This legislative session is proof that when legislators put aside our differences and work together toward a common goal, we can make real progress on the biggest issues facing our state. I truly want to thank my colleagues for coming to the table in good faith and advocating on behalf of all Oregonians. No doubt there is much work ahead of us, but I am confident that the actions we took this session to combat the drug crisis and expand access to housing will move our state in the right direction,”

Republican House Rep Jamie Cate wrote: “I will say that this session had its ups and downs, but ultimately there was a fair amount of bipartisanship which led to constructive policy work and the passage of nearly half of the legislation introduced at the start of session.”

Not to be outdone, even Republican candidates got into the act.

Former Republican Senator Bruce Starr, who is now running for the seat soon to be vacated by Brian Boquist after he and others were sold out by the Republican Senate “leadership,” was quoted saying “I applaud the Governor for listening to the public and I am eager to help craft an alternative transportation plan in the next legislative session.”
(As is so often the case, Starr is behind the curve…)

When Starr last served in the Senate he was videotaped promising anti-gun groups more anti-gun legislation. Comically he told OFF in a meeting years ago that “half the people in his district supported gun control”. We asked him then which half sent him money.  Fortunately his attempts at new gun control bills were thwarted.

And speaking of retreads, as we have noted previously, failed Governor candidate (and horribly failed House Republican Leader) Christine Drazan, is back in the mix attempting to reclaim the House Seat she abandoned in her bid to be Governor.

The seat is currently held by pro-gun stalwart, and former Marine, James Hieb.  Because of his uncompromising conservative views, his Republican colleagues have done everything they could to undermine him, even trying to convince him not to run for election to the seat he was appointed to.  But he did run and he did win. And since that election he has stood on the House Floor making statements no other Republican had the courage to make. 

Drazan, the darling of the failed Republican establishment, asked Hieb to drop out of the race, because, well you know, it is her seat.

Drazan will be remembered as the single most disastrous “leader” in Oregon Republican history. Not only did she refuse to walk out when the Democrats were stomping all over the rights of Oregonians, she regularly voted for their worst bills.

She voted twice for tampons in the bathrooms of kindergarten BOYS and then made false claims that the bill had “been changed” after she voted for it.

She voted to protect one of Tina Kotek’s staffers when she was arrested at an antifa riot. 

She voted to hamstring the police and ban “ropes with loops at their end.”

Drazan made the now famous and astonishingly stupid deal with Tina Kotek which of course, Kotek reneged on when the time was right.

After Derek Chauvin was falsely convicted of killing drug addict felon George Floyd, Drazan tweeted “Guilty. Justice is served.” 

She led the expulsion of House Rep Mike Nearman who was convicted of a CRIME for opening the doors of the Capitol to the people who own the building.  And, after happily cashing checks the Oregon Firearms Political Action Committee wrote to help elect good candidates, she stated on the House Floor that OFF was a “rogue organization.”  But she didn’t send the money back. Speaking of money….remember this?

With primary elections coming up, gun owners will once again have the unenviable job of trying to determine which candidates will do the least damage to their rights.  As you know, some of the best have been locked out of running again, if not in this coming election then the next one.

The Oregon Republican Party continues to do virtually nothing to weed out the frauds like Kevin Mannix and Charlie Conrad or the countless other “Republicans” whose only goal is to get along.  One bright spot however is House Rep Dwayne Yunker who was appointed late in this session to replace Lily Morgan who quit the legislature mid session.

Yunker, another former Marine, has been calling a spade a spade. In an end-of-session email, Yunker wrote “The show of seeming bipartisanship came from the House floor, of course. But because the Democrat majority party controls every legislative committee, bills don’t get hearings unless the Dems want them to pass. Agreement and cooperation usually mean going along to get along. I guess after last year, no one wants to hear an unfair “Do Your Job” ever again” …“The Democrat majority is laughing”.

Yunker also listed the far left groups that will be getting your money:

• $65,000,000 – Project Turnkey

• $25,000,000 – Albina Vision Trust

• $7,000,000 – Urban League of Portland

• $5,265,823 – Bridges to Change

• $3,000,000 – Unite Oregon

• $1,400,000 – 4D Recovery

• $1,250,000 – Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization

• $1,000,000 – Seeding Justice

When Yunker voted against HB 4002, the supposed “fix” to Oregon’s legal drug wasteland, he filed a “vote explanation.”  As he noted, after the Democrats removed his vote explanation from the record : “The Democrat majority removed it from OLIS. They say I impugned their integrity. Who, me? I’m sure their motives are pure.”

Not bad for the new guy…

 

(Update… even Kotek approves…https://www.koin.com/news/politics/oregon-governor-kotek-housing-drug-epidemic/.  )

 

 

 

CONFISCATION EXPANSION COMING

 

03.05.2024

As you would expect, today’s “informational hearing” on Extreme Risk Protection Orders was actually a far left, gun grabbing, propaganda festival.

Most witnesses represented extremist anti-gun groups. No one with concerns about the implementation of a policy which eliminates due process and allows people to lose their rights and their property without ever having been accused of, let alone convicted of a crime, was allowed to testify.

It was no surprise that the entire point of the hearing was to pave the way to greatly expand the confiscation of firearms. 

One goal is to increase the list of people who can make unfounded and unproven accusations  leading to the state sponsored theft of firearms.

A second one is to promote ERPO’s so more people will be requesting  them.

Among the people the speakers want to add to the list of who can demand a gun confiscation order are ex-spouses , ex-intimate partners and medical personnel.

When this law was first promoted by Senator Brian Boquist, people expressed concerns that it might be used by angry, vindictive ex-spouses.  He ridiculed the idea and the people who suggested it.

You reap what you sow.

The presenters also want to be able to confiscate guns from adults by claiming their children are dangerous.

You can rest assured that soon, probably as soon as next session, we will see these gun grabbing dreams introduced as legislation.

You can see some of the propaganda presented here.

Bogus “Suicide” Bill Passes. Republicans Help.
Drazan Is Back.

03.04.2024

SB 1503 was passed by the Senate today.

This is the bill that will squander even more of your tax dollars by shoveling it to the Oregon Department of Justice to “study” firearm’s related suicide.

The Department of Justice has already spent MILLIONS of your tax dollars trying to end all firearm’s sales in Oregon by defending Mz 114, so we are pretty confident about what conclusions the Department of “Justice” is going to reach about the issue. But you know what they say about spending other people’s money.

Please note, the state has exactly zero concerns or interest in any suicide that does not involve a firearm, a fact that was pointed out by more than one Republican legislator. The ruling junta in Oregon does not care about why people commit suicide nor have they expressed the slightest interest in addressing the issue. The Democrats are simply, and obviously, just looking for another way to demonize gun ownership while the streets are littered with overdose victims.

Given the large amounts of money Democrats have taken from the supporters of legalizing addictive poison, this is no surprise.

And what is also not a surprise is the fact that two Republican Senators voted for this garbage. Senators Anderson and Hansell climbed into the sack with the Democrats working overtime to end gun ownership.

Lucky for Oregon, Hansell is on his way out. It could not come a day sooner. Oregonians are still saddled with Senator Anderson and that is a shame.  But until the Oregon Republican Party starts demanding that people who run and get elected as Republicans, actually VOTE like Republicans we will be stuck with losers…and losing.

The bill now heads to the House where Republicans have made a career of rolling over to their Democrat overlords.

Tomorrow at 8am, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding an “informational” hearing on extreme risk protection orders. Invited testimony only. You know where this is going.  A collection of far left gun grabbers will be demanding expanded gun confiscation with no due process.

And if you think that’s not enough bad news, we have been reliably informed that the Christine Drazan, who did more to damage the House Republican Caucus than anyone in recent memory, is going to run against pro-gun champion James Hieb, who has made the mistake of supporting her in her past failed efforts to be governor.

If you think the House Republicans are a mess now, their failures are just a down payment on what we will face when the Republican establishment  does what it has been doing and throws Hieb under the bus for the cartel candidate.

 

Turning Despair Into Dollars For Democrats

02.13.2024

Today, as expected, and to the surprise of exactly no one, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB 1503 onto the full Senate with a “do pass” recommendation on a party line vote.

Submitted testimony was overwhelmingly in opposition even after a gun control group supplied bogus statistics that were cut and pasted by numerous people supporting the bill.

Make no mistake, 1503 is another effort to end gun ownership and make you pay to have your rights stolen.(Republican Senator Bill Hansell is a sponsor.)

While the original bill devoted hundreds of thousands of your taxpayer dollars to the provably deceitful Oregon Health Authority, the adopted, amended bill now sends that money to the militantly anti-rights Oregon Department of Justice. The language of the bill puts no cap on how much of your money the Department of Justice will get to crush gun rights in Oregon.

The Oregon DOJ has already squandered millions of your dollars in an effort to implement a gun ban in Oregon, and they are not done yet.

(While the linked story is mostly accurate, we advise against assuming anything you read in the cartel media is true. Last Saturday KGW ran a story saying the Supreme Court had  just weighed in on MZ 114. Their source for this “news” was Oregon Public Broadcasting.  The only problem was the story they were stealing from was a year old. KGW’s hilariously wrong report, much like the promises of Oregon House Republicans, has been flushed down the memory hole with no correction we could find.)

1503 will shovel more of your money to DOJ to use to create “studies” whose outcome is pre-determined.

Hundreds of thousands have been promised to some unnamed “third party” to pay for the “research.”

We have it on good authority that the “third party” will be another left leaning “non-profit” favored by Oregon’s Democrats, who just happen to get support… from left leaning “non-profits.”

We could save the taxpayers a lot of money and provide for free what the DOJ is going to enrich themselves creating:

“Guns are bad, guns should be banned, guns cause suicide. Oregonians need to be disarmed.”

There is the coming report in a nutshell. You’re welcome Floyd Prozanski.

This flushing of taxpayer money will come at a time that the Democrats are simultaneously declaring that Oregon is awash in cash* and they need massive new taxes. Meanwhile Republicans have once again joined Democrats to add to Oregon’s massive employee retirement debt with another bill you and your grandchildren will have to pay for.

Because of deadlines it does appear that the other major gun control bill, HB 4096 is not going to move.  But that is by no means a sure thing as the language in it can always be stuffed into other bills. As of now, all the Republicans who were cosponsoring the bill have removed their names. Independent. former Republican, Brian Boquist is still a sponsor.

The battle against Mz 114 continues with the State attempting to force the measure into effect even before their appeal has been heard.  And of course, you are paying for it.

*https://katu.com/news/nation-world/us-inflation-falls-yet-remains-over-target-amid-efforts-to-control-prices-pandemic-labor-department-consumer-price-index-federal-reserve-biden-reelection#

 

Cashing In On Gun Control


02.07.2024

The hearing on SB 1503, which we warned you about here, was exactly what you would have expected. A litany of leftists demanding more restrictions on firearms possession.

Of course there was the usual parade of horror stories of one or another subset of society shooting each other with not a word that these shootings were done by “people.” It was the guns that did it.

Republican Senator Bill Hansell came to praise the Democrat Senate President and lend his support for this latest taxpayer funded, back door, gun grab. This should not be a surprise since Hansell has stuck it to his constituents in the past on gun control.

Hansell  was also one of two Republican Senators who crawled into the sack with the far left in an aborted attempt to screw two conservative, pro-gun Republican Senators who also served as Republican Party leaders. This kind of shameless treachery and back stabbing has few parallels in Oregon history, but of course went unpunished. Mercifully neither Hansell, nor his partner in that disgraceful episode are seeking reelection. Let’s see what kind of damage they can do in the time they have left.

In what has become a repeated occurrence, numerous people who had signed up to testify, whose names we recognize as supporters of gun rights, mysteriously were unable to connect. This happens with the regularity of a metronome.

One bright spot was the testimony of Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash who did an excellent job of exposing what this bill is really all about; a “recipe for more distrust”.

We thank him for his efforts.

It should be noted that written testimony was overwhelmingly in opposition to the bill.The testimony in support leaves no doubt what the intention of the supporters is. More gun bans.

An amendment has been offered to the bill that would change the organization cashing in on this gun grab from the inept and deceitful Oregon Health Authority to the Department of Justice.

And why not? The OHA will almost certainly complete research that recommends more gun control. But why take a chance when you can enrich the Department of “Justice” which has already spent millions of your tax dollars to eliminate lawful firearms possession?

We will keep you informed as this bill makes its way through this session.

UPDATE. THIS BILL IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR A WORK SESSION FEB 13th at 1PM.

 

USING YOUR MONEY TO ELIMINATE YOUR RIGHTS

 

02.06.2024

Wasting no time in their attacks on gun rights, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on  for SB 1503 for TOMORROW.

No doubt the supporters of this bill were notified well in advance.

The bill sends a very large pile of money to the Oregon Health Authority to “research”  “gun violence and suicide.”  This is the same OHA that we told you has hidden research that did not please the Democrat overlords who requested it.

“The Act makes a task force to stop gun violence and suicide. The Act provides money for research on gun violence and suicide.” 

As you would expect, the task force will consist only of anti 2nd Amendment activists. No one who supports gun rights will be allowed to participate.

We all know where this is going.  More of your money spent to craft new ways to eliminate your rights. 

The hearing is tomorrow in Senate Judiciary at 1PM.  It’s safe to say the anti-rights crowd will have been prepared and will be in attendance. 

You can register to testify in person or remotely using this link:

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2024R1/Committees/SJUD/2024-02-07-13-00/Agenda

On that page you will see a box with “Register to Testify” next to it. Click on that box to register.

If you cannot be there you can still submit testimony noting that SB 1503 is another payoff to the anti-gun left and another attempt to silence gun owners.

You can use this link to submit written testimony.

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2024R1/Testimony/SJUD?meetingDate=2024-02-07-13-00

Clearly the Republican’s fantasy that there would be no gun bills has been put to rest.

 

UPDATE.  An amendment to the bill has been introduced.

This amendment adds,”A representative of a community-based firearm safety and  protocols program” (which sure won’t be a pro gun group) and now funnels the money to the Department of Justice instead of the Oregon Health Authority.  Why give all that money to a agency that might support gun bans when you can give it to one that has already spent millions to do it?

 

“Gun Violence” Can Be Very Profitable

02.02.2024

Hot on the heels of HB 4096, which we warned you about yesterday, we now have SB 1503. “The Act makes a task force to stop gun violence and suicide.”

Because a “task force” created by far left freedom haters is going to stop gun violence and stuff. And lo and behold, guess who gets to cash in?

Our old friends at the Oregon Health Authority, those good folks who didn’t bring you the report they created that contradicted what their overlords in the Democrat junta wanted them to say.

Section 2 of the bill says:

In addition to and not in lieu of any other appropriation, there is appropriated to the Oregon Health Authority, for the biennium ending June 30, 2025, out of the General Fund, the amount of $400,000, which may be expended for the purpose of paying a third party for research ordered by the Task Force on Gun Violence and Suicide Prevention, as authorized under section 1 of this 2024 Act.

Let’s take a look at who is going to be on this “task force” that will put an end to the rampant gun crime that is encouraged by liberal’s promotion of violence and refusal to meaningfully hold criminals accountable.

(a) The President of the Senate shall appoint two members from among members of the Senate, one from the majority party and one from the minority party.

(b) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two members from among members of the House of Representatives, one from the majority party and one from the minority party.

(c) The Governor shall appoint eight members as follows:
(A) A representative of a state public health agency;
(B) A public safety policy advisor to the Governor;
(C) A representative of a nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention;
(D) A representative of a community-based gun violence intervention program;
(E) A representative of the public health research field;
(F) A behavioral health professional or provider;
(G) An adult behavioral health provider; and
(H) A medical provider who has worked with gun violence victims.

Curiously absent from this roster of luminaries is any representative from any organization that promotes firearms training or supports Second Amendment rights.  Who would have ever thought?

And just who do you suppose the “third party” doing the research will be?  Hmm, maybe another left leaning “non-profit” that donates to Democrats? Just a wild guess there.

We can only assume that after the OHA completes this study and finds out that maybe things would change if criminals were punished, they will bury this report like they did the one on booze taxes.

Now that the Oregon Supreme Court has decided that 10 Republican Senators cannot hold office in the future, we have to wonder which of them will feel the need to come to work and provide a quorum to help the Democrats pass more of this crap.