Category: OFF Alerts

02.27.13

Showing their true colors once again, the anti-gun extremists have introduced a flood of bills designed to attack the law-abiding.

Included are bills severely restricting self defense and requiring you to run from an attacker (good luck if you’re elderly or a mom with a baby in a carriage) bills requiring gun owners to have liability insurance for every firearm they own (with a $10,000.00 fine for every gun not covered) bills to ban licensed carry in the Capitol and bills to greatly restrict access to concealed handgun licenses.There is also a bill requiring background checks (with all the failures that come with it) for private transfers.

Of course virtually all of these bills declare an “emergency” so they can be enacted immediately.

These are the people who say they want “reasonable” gun laws and they “don’t want to take your guns.”

Let’s face it folks, these people are liars.  They have declared war on gun owners and are determined to turn as many of us into criminals as possible. In many cases they don’t even have the courage to put their names on the bills. But we all know who they are.

Gun owners have been flooding the legislature with calls and emails. And it’s working. The chief sponsor of  the absurd HB 3200 has backed off from his arrogant and belligerent comments and is now running from the bill. Another sponsor has claimed he is removing his name from the bill. (We’ll believe it when we see it.) But we must not stop now! They have introduced this tidal wave in hopes of  wearing us down and passing something…anything to attack your rights.

If you are having trouble getting through to a legislator, that’s a good sign. But keep trying. It’s a simple message, NO GUN CONTROL BILLS! NONE!

You can write your legislator even if you don’t know who he is using this link. You can find out who your legislator is using this link.  Your Oregon Senator and House Rep will be the last two people listed on that link.

Please take a moment to make your voice heard loud and clear. The Burdicks , Prozanskis, Dembrows and Dingfelders have made their positions clear. You are the enemy.  Let them know you are not backing down.

For a list of all gun bills so far, use this link.

02.25.13

In the wake of the outpouring of outrage over an attempt to outlaw virtually every modern firearm and feeding device, the sponsor of HB 3200 has switched gears and is beating a retreat on this vicious attack on your rights and your privacy.

House Rep Mitch Greenlick, who has sent out several belligerent emails lately, seems to be seeing the light.

In an article in today’s Oregonian  Greenlick backpedals on his support for his own bill.  “In its current form, it’s a pretty flawed bill,” said Greenlick, adding that “I don’t think [the bill] is in play.”

According to the story “Greenlick said he would want to greatly amend the bill if it started to move through the process.”

“Greenlick said he also disagrees with a provision that would allow the state police to investigate gun owners who possess one of these weapons to make sure they are safely stored.”

This is in interesting contrast to how the people who asked for the bill see it. Ceasefire Oregon’s website says:

“Is the assault weapons ban dead on arrival in Salem as reported on Feb. 21 in the Oregonian? Not according to Representative Mitch Greenlick and the fifteen co-sponsors who introduced House Bill 3200, our bill to ban assault weapons in Oregon, on Feb. 21. These legislators are taking action because they know that the people they represent want change now and they want a vote….. 

p.s. Your action makes a difference. Email or call (503-986-1200) Speaker Kotek today and tell her HB 3200 deserves a hearing and a vote, and let us know when you do. While you’re at it, please thank Representative Greenlick for introducing this bill to ban assault weapons.”

The Oregonian story paints it a bit differently . “At this point, legislators are hearing an outpouring of criticism for HB 3200 from opponents of gun control.  Greenlick said he was peppered with as many as 1,000 emails over the weekend criticizing him and the bill.”

In fact, Greenlick has heard from so many opponents of this bill that he has simply stopped answering his phone and claims to have deleted “a thousand” emails.

Ceasefire Oregon may have been a bit hasty thanking Greenlick for introducing their bill when even he now admits it’s “flawed.”

Greenlick’s open animosity for gun owners is no secret. So make no mistake. YOU are responsible for this sudden change of heart. It was your efforts that made Mitch see the light, but  this bill is by no means dead and will almost certainly be used to make their other anti-gun bills seem reasonable. This is no time to relax.

The other side is using online petitions and has the full weight of the Obama controlled “Organizing for Action” on their side. They are swamping the Oregon Legislature with anti-gun propaganda.  We cannot let up until the last gavel falls. But, all your work is paying off.  Thank you for stepping up. It’s working.

 

02.22.13

Two days after Senate Democrats claimed they would not seek a ban on modern firearms and feeding devices, Democrats in the Oregon House introduced just that.

Seven Senators joined with eight House Reps to introduce a sweeping ban on virtually all modern firearms. Among the Senators is, of course, Ginny Burdick, who claimed on Wednesday “that she is backing off an attempt to push through a bill on gun clips that she drafted following the December shootings at the Clackamas Mall.”   The other sponsors are:

Representatives BAILEY, BUCKLEY, DEMBROW, FREDERICK, READ, REARDON, TOMEI, Senators , DINGFELDER, HASS, MONNES- ANDERSON, MONROE, SHIELDS, STEINER- HAYWARD.

Remember them.

HB 3200 not only bans most modern guns and magazines, it allows warrantless searches of your home, requires background checks and registration for a firearm you already own and as-of-yet undefined storage requirements. We say “a firearm” because even if you comply with the restrictions in this bill you may still only own one.

(Of course the bill does not apply to “government employees”.)

The bill combines the most extreme and irrational elements of other bills that have been introduced across the country. For example, one of the firearms banned under this bill would be a pistol with a “folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock.” No, that is not a misprint.

The principle sponsor of the bill is House Rep Mitch Greenlick, who in the past has concentrated on such worthy endeavors as banning children in bike trailers and making possession of cigarettes a crime.

The bill bans such deadly features as “pistol grips” and “barrel shrouds” because clearly they add to the lethality of any firearm. These people are so full of hatred for gun owners they don’t even understand what they are banning.

Never have we seen legislation that was a product of so much ignorance and blind hatred. And don’t take any comfort from the claims that bills of this kind are not going to get a hearing. You will recall that last session they said the same thing about a ban on licensed carry in schools. They claimed it was dead and then revived it in the closing days of the session without even allowing public testimony. It was only your relentless efforts that killed it. And now we need you again.

Please see the video below to get a better understanding of  the kind of people who write these bills.

* Update 02.24.13
While we know that the automailer has your calls and emails have had an amazing effect (the sponsor of  HB 3200 has claimed “The calls were so abusive and threatening that Harriet stopped answering the phone and we began deleting emails.”) some have had problems with emails bouncing or a failure to get a confirmation that their emails went through.

If you have had this problem please consider using the direct contact info for the sponsors of this dangerous bill to reach them.

You can use this link to find and contact  your own reps. Your Oregon Senator and House Rep will be the last two people listed. The people who dreamed up this nonsense are listed below.

SPONSORS OF THE GUN BAN:

Mitch Greenlick

503-986-1433

mitchgreenlick@msn.com

Rep.MitchGreenlick@state.or.us

 Jules Bailey

503-986-1442

503-236-3681

Rep.JulesBailey@state.or.us

Peter Buckley

503-986-1405

Rep.PeterBuckley@state.or.us

Michael Dembrow

503-986-1445

Rep.MichaelDembrow@state.or.us

Lew Frederick

503-986-1443

Rep.LewFrederick@state.or.us

Tobias Read

503-986-1427

Rep.TobiasRead@state.or.us

Jeff Reardon

 503-986-1448

Rep.JeffReardon@state.or.us

Carolyn Tomei

503-986-1441

Rep.CarolynTomei@state.or.us

Ginny Burdick

503-986-1718

Sen.GinnyBurdick@state.or.us

Jackie Dingfelder

503-986-1723

503-493-2804

Sen.JackieDingfelder@state.or.us

Mark Hass

503-986-1714

Sen.MarkHass@state.or.us

Laurie Monnes Anderson

503-986-1725

Sen.LaurieMonnesAnderson@state.or.us

Rod Monroe

503-986-1724

503-760-4310

7802 SE 111th Ave, Portland, OR, 97266

Sen.RodMonroe@state.or.us

Chip Shields

503-986-1722

503-231-2564

5313 N Vancouver Ave, Portland, OR, 97217

Sen.ChipShields@state.or.us

Elizabeth Steiner Hayward

503-986-1717

Sen.ElizabethSteinerHayward@state.or.us

02.20.13

 

Yesterday we told you that “Organizing for Action,” a leftist Obama front group, will be meeting today with Congressman Kurt Schrader to twist his arm and try to force him to go along with Obama’s gun ban plans.

Today we have learned that the same group plans to target Congressman Greg Walden on Friday at his Bend office.

This group has demanded “universal background checks and limits on the size of magazine clips.” (You cannot make this stuff up.) They plan to be outside Walden’s office from 4:30 to 5:30 PM Friday.  Please call Walden and tell him to ignore the manufactured rabble and stay strong in support of gun rights. Walden’s Bend phone number is 541-389-4408.

A bill many of you have heard about has finally been made available on the Legislative website. House Bill 3006  “Invalidates federal firearm laws in State of Oregon. ” Other states have introduced similar bills in an effort to stand up to the increasing incursions by the Feds into our liberties. We applaud the sponsors.

On the anti-gun side we are still waiting for the promised “assault weapon” ban and a bill to forbid Oregon citizens from having firearms in the Capitol building. Ginny Burdick announced her intentions to introduce this bill as a response to a recent rally where hundreds of armed people peacefully met on the Capitol steps and mall and some toured the building while in possession of guns. As police reported, there were “no incidents.”  Once again, the liberty haters look for a problem where one does not exist, and create a “solution” that makes no sense.

As many of you have painfully learned, the Oregon State Police have been “delaying” more and more firearms purchases. Sometimes for months. If you have had this experience, please see this page.

On another more immediate note, we have been informed  (and his office has confirmed) that Representative Kurt Schrader will be meeting tomorrow with representatives of  “Organizing for Action.”

This group is an offshoot of the Obama Presidential campaign and is planning numerous events across the country.  Currently their focus is on pushing the Obama/Biden gun grab. No doubt, that is the purpose of their meeting with Schrader.   Schrader has been non-commital on the issue of gun and magazine bans so “OFA” will be there attempting to twist his arm and demand he stay on the Democratic Reservation. Two of his Democrat colleagues, Bonamici and Blumenauer, are outspoken enemies of gun rights and a third, Peter DeFazio, tries to play both sides.  Clearly Schrader is being targeted by the far left because he has not yet agreed to plans to eviscerate the Second Amendment .

It is critical that Schrader hear from you. Please call him and tell him not to be intimidated by Obama’s troops and their fear mongering. You can call his office at (503)-557-1324 or if you prefer, you can fax him at (503) 557-1981. Unlike his webmail, calls and faxes can come from outside his district. Be short and to the point. NO NEW GUN RESTRICTIONS.

Thanks for your efforts.

In our last alert we told you about a bill that was scheduled for a hearing on March 5 in House Judiciary.

The bill, HB 2605, did nothing more than extend the protections CHL holders have to retired law enforcement agents.

Oregon law allows retired police to carry without a permit, but they don’t have all the protections license holders have. For example, they cannot carry in public buildings.

Now we have been informed that Democratic leadership has yanked that bill out of committee and promised to try to move only anti-gun bills.

Whatever your position on gun rights, you have to find this to be an outrage. Most retired police don’t even know there are these limits and this bill extends NO new rights to anyone else.

The only person with the power to yank this bill  before it even gets a hearing is Speaker Tina Kotek. 503-986-1200

We’ll update you when we get more information, but right now it seems like the fix is in. Anti-gun bills only.

Stay tuned.

OFF Automailer

Yesterday’s “Patriot Party” gun rights rally was another tremendous success. Different media outlets estimated the crowd from “several hundred” to a thousand. The latter is closer to the truth. “Everything’s going exactly as planned,” state police Lt. Terri Davie said. There are people walking through the building with weapons, but “there’s been no concerns.”

Imagine that. “No concerns.” Hundreds of men and women carrying firearms around and into the Capitol and there were “no incidents.” How can this be?  Where was the expected carnage? Where was the blood in the streets? After all, there were guns there! How do you suppose Burdick and the bed wetters from Ceasefire Oregon are going to spin this one?

Guns cause crime and violence, so how was this rally immune?  At one point Penny Okomoto and two other anti-freedom protestors stood on the Capitol steps, looking lonely.  But it made a point. These hypocrites begin every new diatribe with “most gun owners are law abiding” and “we don’t want to take anyone’s guns away.”  Yet at an event where hundreds of peaceful law-abiding gun owners are gathered to celebrate freedom, people like Okomoto and her deceitful cohorts (0ne of whom is pictured below) come to spread their message of hate.

Several legislators came and spoke to the crowd, including pro-gun hero Kim Thatcher seen below.

The event was pretty much an “open mike” situation and that created some odd moments, like when political gadfly Kevin Mannix stepped up to talk about the importance of gun rights, never mentioning his efforts to outlaw private sales of firearms at gun shows, or even your own home under some circumstances. Mannix will never overlook an opportunity for self promotion, but even he was treated respectfully.

To everyone who came by our table to say hello or join OFF, thank you! It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Our thanks also to the folks who made it happen.

There is one gun related bill scheduled for a hearing so far. It is HB 2605 and currently due to be heard on March 5 at 1PM in House Judiciary. This bill addresses an anomaly in Oregon law. Currently, retired police officers are not required to have CHL’s in order to carry concealed. However, they are not afforded the same protections CHL holders have. For example, they may not carry in public buildings.  The bill seeks to correct this. The bill does not go as far as HB 2369 but we believe that the committee may be willing to incorporate the changes made in 2369. If you are retired law enforcement, or know someone who is, you may want to consider making your voice heard on this bill.

The Chairman of the Committee is Jeff Barker. Barker himself is a retired police officer and supportive of gun rights.

Remember, committee schedules change so be sure to double check the House Judiciary Committee schedule. You can find that here.

 

Update On Gun Rights

The Oregon Legislature returned to work on Monday. From now on, anything can happen, so be prepared.

There are a few things you need to know.

While numerous Oregon Sheriffs (and actually, sheriffs nationwide)  have made it clear that they will oppose any attempts by the Obama administration to ram through dangerous and unconstitutional gun grabs, the Oregon Sheriff’s Association, as a group, has decided to take a dive.

In an email to Oregon’s sheriffs, the President of the OSA, Jason Myers, of Marion County, said the following about gun rights:

“After a very robust conversation on this issue it was the consensus of the Sheriffs present that our Association should not take a formal stance on this issue. At this meeting it was also agreed that I should reach out to US Attorney Amanda Marshall to notify her of our Association position and intent by the Sheriffs present to work collaboratively with our Federal partners’ agencies.”

This is a very troubling and dangerous position. The county sheriffs are the supreme law enforcement officers in their jurisdiction. For Myers to speak for all sheriffs and say they won’t “take a stance” on this issue and will “reach out” to the Feds who are working overtime to eliminate your rights is nothing short of frightening. The Sheriff’s Association, as an organization, has climbed in bed with the tyrants who want to disarm you and your family.

Voters in Clackamas County should also know that their sheriff, Craig Roberts, has waffled and played the politician with this response to our inquiry on his position on this issue:

“Thanks so much for taking the time to contact me. Though I have not made a public comment about my stance, I would like to let you know that I have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the State of Oregon, and I support all of the rights and freedoms that it guarantees. I am following the debate and meeting with other local leaders about this subject.”

What, exactly, does THAT mean?

Clearly lines are being drawn. The Department of “Homeland” Security has placed an order for 7000 machine guns which they call “personal defense weapons.” These are the guns that would be “assault weapons” if you owned them. (Which for all practical purposes you cannot, unless they were made before 1986 and you had a ton of money and approval from the Feds and your local chief law enforcement agent.)

The Social Security Administration is buying 174 thousand rounds of hollow point ammo. The Social Security Administration… really? Something is not right here. At the risk of overstating things, it’s clear that the government considers “we the people” to be a threat.

Please try to join us on Friday at the Capitol for a day to recognize the benefits of firearms ownership. The event is from 10 to 2 at the Capitol. Open,loaded, carry is legal there anywhere for CHL holders.

If you do not have a CHL, you may carry openly but NOT loaded. We have received many questions about this and please understand: we do NOT support these rules. We just want you to be informed.

Hope to see you there.

_________________________________________________________

Clackamas County Sheriff:  Craig Roberts:  craigrob@co.clackamas.or.us   (503) 785-5022

Marion County Sheriff :  Jason Myers:       No email provided on website     (503) 588-5094

Session Starts and Rally Reminder

Happy Superbowl Sunday. May your favorite team win.

We have a number of things to share with you today.

First, the 2013 Oregon Legislative Session begins actual operations tomorrow. We expect to see a fairly large number of gun bills introduced in the coming days. As you may know, there is a link on our home page    that will take you to a list of any bills affecting gun owners.

If you think there is an important bill that is not posted, PLEASE let us know ASAP.

We will let you know when hearings are scheduled.  Showing up for these hearings is important.

Second, the pro gun rally on January 19 was a tremendous success and we want to thank the folks who put it together and everyone who showed up in defense of liberty. It was an amazing thing to see. We were overwhelmed by the support we received at that event and the many new members we signed up.

Because of that event, and other efforts by our friends across the state, OFF has grown dramatically. We have added staff  to keep up, and if you are a recent joiner, we want to thank you for your dedication and support.  We are a bit behind processing all the new members, so if you have not heard back from us or are awaiting a package with a book or hat or patch, rest assured we are working 7 days a week to get our thank you’s out to you.  Don’t hesitate to drop us a line if you think you have been missed. We will get someone right on it.

Finally and most important, a follow up rally will be held at the Capitol on Friday Feb. 8th from 10am to 2 pm.  Let’s make it even bigger and better than the last one.

All eyes are on New York where their legislature violated all their own rules to ram through a massive and unconstitutional gun ban in the middle of the night.  It’s clear that New Yorkers are not taking this lying down.  A big turn out on Friday will let our legislators know that Oregon will not stand for those kinds of games.

Reminder, “OPEN carry” is legal in Salem, however, if you do not have a concealed handgun license, LOADED carry is NOT legal. If you have any questions email us .

See you there.

Today Obama announced his proposals to punish law abiding gun owners in America, partly by bypassing Congress with executive orders and also with a push for a new ban on firearms and magazines.

This is the man who starts every speech with “no one wants to take your guns.”
His proposals include an end to private sales and greater Federal intrusions into mental health records.

As you no doubt know, Sheriff Tim Mueller of Linn County has written a letter to Joe Biden saying he would not enforce unconstitutional gun laws. According to KGW news, Crook County Sheriff Jim Hensley said Tuesday he sent the same letter to the Vice President.

Now Sheriff Glenn Palmer of Grant County has joined them. Things are going to get a lot more interesting.

To contact your own sheriff and tell him to get on board, use the map at the bottom of our CHL Central Page.

NRA CHANGES GEARS, FINALLY

After long opposing guns in schools by anyone but police, the NRA today held a press conference that implies they would support civilians in schools with guns. Although most of the press conference referred primarily to police officers :

“I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every school — and to do it now,”

LaPierre’s speech seemed to leave the door open to train and encourage school staff to be armed as well:

“Is the press and political class here in Washington so consumed by fear and hatred of the NRA and America’s gun owners that you’re willing to accept a world where real resistance to evil monsters is a lone, unarmed school principal left to surrender her life to shield the children in her care?”

This is a long overdue and welcomed response by the National Rifle Association and mirrors what have been saying and suggesting since the Sandy Hook massacre.
Welcome aboard NRA.
For a transcript of the press conference see the following link:

http://home.nra.org/pdf/Transcript_PDF.pdf

GET READY

Tomorrow, the NRA has stated, it will emerge from hiding and “make a statement” about the Connecticut massacre. If the past is any indication, the NRA will not be making a strong stand for the protection of Second Amendment rights. The NRA has long opposed allowing parents and teachers to be armed in schools, so don’t expect them to suggest we end the delusion of “gun-free schools.”

What is far more likely to happen is one more capitulation, one more compromise and one great step backward for liberty and logic. While we will certainly hope for the best, it would be wise to prepare to let the politicians know that you are not ready to sacrifice your rights and the safety of your family because one sick killer was allowed to gun down innocents where no one at the scene could legally stop him.

Here in Oregon, the predictable is happening. In the wake of the atrocity committed in a place where no adult present was allowed to be armed to defend the children, Senate President Peter Courtney is calling to enforce that deadly policy here.

The stupidity of this idea is staggering. The single thing that could have saved some of the children was an adult equipped to deal with an attacker. Now Courtney wants to guarantee that our schools will be prominently posted : “KILLING ZONE.” This is lunacy.

Of all the dangerous schemes the anti-gunners are planning to introduce in the coming session this is the one most bordering on madness.

Please take a moment to contact Courtney and let him know you will not stand for any effort to render our children as helpless as Connecticut’s children were. His contact info and sample email text follow. Then please use our automailer to send a message to the rest of the legislature.

Peter Courtney
Capitol Address:
900 Court St. NE, S-201
Salem, OR 97301
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1600

sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

_____________________________________________________________

Senator Courtney,

Your plans to disarm parents and visitors to schools is not just terrible policy, it’s horribly dangerous. It is hard to fathom, in the wake of the Connecticut massacre, why you would want to replicate their failed policy in Oregon. Did putting up a “no guns” sign save a single life? This proposal is a slap in the face to the parents and children of our state.

You and your colleagues are protected by uniformed and plainclothes police everywhere you go in the Capitol. Instead of guaranteeing that our children are unprotected targets, why not reassign the many State Police who protect you to schools around the state?

Or are politicians more important than children?

Yours,
___________________________________

IT’S TIME.

It’s time to stop the denial. It’s time to stop listening to the bed wetters and start saving our children. It’s time to arm teachers and other school employees. Instructors are agreeing to offer free handgun training to school  employees. The Canby Rod and Gun Club was the first to make this offer. Others have made the same offer.

Below is an email Oregon House Representative Dennis Richardson sent to three southern Oregon school superintendents.  What followed was the predicable response.

“Medford schools Superintendent Phil Long, who received the email from Richardson, said he believes it’s best if teachers focus on getting children to safety if a shooting occurs.”

How’d that work out for the dead teachers in Connecticut Phil?

“Medford police Chief Tim George disagreed with Richardson, saying that it’s not the responsibility of teachers to make deadly force decisions on the job.”

What unspeakable nonsense. What choice do they have?

George said. “In crisis situations there are a lot of very complex things happening all at once and you have to constantly train for deadly force incidents.”

Then shut up and train them. Note to George, THE COPS ARE NOT THERE WHEN BABIES ARE BEING GUNNED DOWN! THE TEACHERS ARE.  Stop acting like you have a monopoly on the ability to engage evil people. That is everybody’s job! Connecticut tried it the gun grabbers way. They are now mourning their babies.

It’s time to arm school  employees. It’s time.
Please use our automailer to contact Oregon legislators.
http://automailer.oregonfirearms.org/

Prepare Now To Protect Our Students & Teachers

My heart aches for the families of 26 children and adults killed last week as a result of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, and I am frustrated over our failure in America to protect our school children and teachers from future attacks.

Instead of responding to the latest mass murder with calls for more gun-control, the real issue should be ensuring the protection of our children and educators from armed psychopaths. Currently, when a killer begins his rampage the only armed person in the school for at least five minutes after the sound of the first gunshot is the mass murderer.

Training in classroom lock-down techniques is valuable, but passive. Classroom lock-down procedures alone fail to protect the children and adults who continue to be murdered before the police arrive. A police officer in every school is not the answer; a police officer would be the first target of a shooter and the cost would be prohibitive for most school districts.

Lives would be saved by stopping the shooter. Seconds count when the police are five minutes away. It would be simple, inexpensive and enable immediate response after the first gunshot in a school was fired if two or three volunteers in every school (administrators, staff members or teachers), were encouraged to obtain additional training and practice in the use of firearms and were encouraged to have a firearm concealed on their person or locked in their desks. School district employees with prior military or law enforcement experience would be the initial candidates for this voluntary assignment. No one outside of school and district administration would know the identity of these volunteers.

In short, having armed and trained personnel in every school would enable immediate response with lethal force if and when the lives of our children and teachers were endangered by a mass murderer.

If this procedure had been implemented, the number of children killed in every school massacre from Columbine to Sandy Hook would have been greatly reduced. (The same would be true if it were implemented by the shop-keepers and mall personnel.) In Israel and Thailand armed school personnel save the lives of their children. In America the slaughter of our school children continues.

This is a call for our school superintendents, board members and principals to face and address the reality that mass murderers are armed with guns, knives, explosives, and, as we saw last year in China, even hammers. In 1998 students were killed in Oregon’s own Thurston High School. In Sandy Hook Elementary 28 are dead. The current passivist approach of Oregon’s school administrators fails to adequately protect our children and teachers. Candidly, if I were a school administrator or board member and, knowing how these mass murders continue to occur, if I failed to promote preparation for immediate, lethal response in case an attack were to occur in my school, the blood of multiple innocent victims would be on my hands. The time for passive hand-wringing is past; the time for parents, teachers and other concerned citizens to demand preparation is now.

Dennis Richardson