Gun owners in Oregon have had significant victories in spite of the anti-gun majority in both Oregon’s House and Senate.
House Bill 2334 passed the Senate yesterday, May 21st, after passing in the House.
You’ll recall that 2334 was the second attempt by Oregon’s sheriffs to alter the concealed handgun license law.
In its last incarnation in 2005, the bill was one anti-gun provision after another. Because of your decisive action, that bill was killed.
This session, because of your input, that bill came back with no anti-gun provisions, but it did include something we have been attempting to accomplish for two sessions. That is the common sense provision that active duty military can renew CHL’s by mail.
It has always been clear that the men and women who serve in the armed forces don’t get to decide where they will be deployed, and to punish them for their service by forcing them to lose their CHL’s, because they cannot go in person to the sheriff’s office, is not acceptable.
Senate Bill 81 passed the House on May 18th after passing in the Senate. This bill addresses the ridiculous federal law that takes away gun rights FOR LIFE for people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. Thousands of people plead guilty to this charge after being told by overzealous prosecutors that it is the easiest way to put a minor issue behind them. But they are never told the draconian ramifications of their pleas. For the rest of their lives they may not possess even a single round of ammunition.
SB 81 requires that a person be informed of this dangerous federal law before pleading guilty.
House Bill 2370 is scheduled for its second hearing tomorrow in Ways and Means. This bill includes a provision that forbids local authorities from confiscation of firearms in times of emergency.
These are all positive developments for gun owners, but we still have a way to go before the danger passes. Your extraordinary efforts have bottled up every anti-gun bill and killed two separate attempts by the law-breaking Port of Portland to expand their police powers, but they not have given up. On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be hearing House Bill 3442A. The language in the bill, and its relating clause make it the perfect candidate to be amended to accomplish the Port’s goals. We’ll be watching it carefully. We have plenty to do before the session ends, but so far your activism has been an against-the-odds success.