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Senate Passes Ivory Ban

04.28.15

The Oregon Senate, on an almost party line vote, today passed Senator Mark Hass’s ivory ban bill. (Republican Brian Boquist voted with the Democrats.)

SB 913 will, with limited exception, ban the sale of ivory. While the bill purports to save African elephants from Al Qaeda terrorists (no really, that’s what Hass stated on the Senate floor.)  what it actually does is destroy the value of property that may have been in your family for generations or that you acquired perfectly legally. Seems the Democrats are determined to steal as much of what you own as possible. While pretending to protect endangered species, the bill also outlaws the sale of mammoth tusks.   We have it on good authority that the mammoth is no longer on the endangered species list.  Apparently Senator Hass is unaware of this.

Hebior_Mammoth_Clean

The bill allows for an exception if the ivory makes up less than 20% of a gun or knife by volume. and you can document that the gun or knife was manufactured before 1976.  Of course this means that the amount of ivory in question is immaterial, only how much of the “volume” of a gun or knife it makes up.

Senator Alan Olsen asked Senator Hass a few questions about the bill. We’ll share them in reverse order.

Olsen wanted to know how a person “documents” that the item in question was manufactured before 1976. For example, could you write a letter to yourself saying this was so?

Hass replied this was “up to law enforcement.” But the far more astonishing answer was when Hass was asked how one determines the “volume” of a firearm.

Olsen simply asked “How do you measure the volume of a gun?” Hass’s response after a long pause was: (not making this up) “By weight…or volume.”

There you have it folks. You measure volume… by volume.  You are forgiven if you think we are doomed when people making laws  reason this way.

The bill also makes exceptions for some musical instruments. Just for a laugh someone should ask Hass how to measure the volume of a piano. The bill now moves to the House.

But while lunacy reigns in Salem, there is some hope on the local front.

Traci Brumbles and Ray Biggs will be on the ballot being mailed tomorrow, 4/29/15, for the Saint Helens School Board in District 502 of Columbia County.

Both Traci and Ray are supporters of the Constitution, the 2nd Amendment and are friends of OFF. Ray is an incumbent and was instrumental in the repeal of the District Policy that refused to allow staff and volunteers to carry concealed handguns on school grounds though perfectly legal under state law.

Both of these candidates could use your support and. if you live in the district, please consider casting your vote for them. If you have questions for them, Traci can be contacted at idoliquor@msn.com (liquor agent) and Ray can be reached at 503-397-6061 .