In what has become an all-too-regular occurrence, a bill that could benefit gun owners has been pulled from the schedule.
HB 2727, a measure we have been working on since before the session began, was scheduled, after numerous delays to be heard today, in the House Judiciary Committee. We were informed that it would NOT be heard just hours before the committee met, even though it was still on the legislature’s web page as being on for today’s meeting.
HB 2727 would protect the privacy of those persons who have applied for, or received, concealed handgun licenses. In its original form, this simple bill would have protected their personal information from disclosure unless it was needed for legitimate law enforcement purposes or pursuant to a court order.
As a result of the complaints of members of the media, efforts were made to water the bill down to the point where it would have served no practical purpose.
Right now, the sponsor of the original bill (Representative Kim Thatcher) is working to draft amendments that would return the bill to its original intent. But we are running out of time.
Deadlines are fast approaching, that, if exceeded, will eliminate any chance of a bill actually becoming law. (A bill that would recognize other states’ concealed handgun licenses was due to be heard tomorrow after having been pulled from the schedule before. It was inexplicably yanked off the schedule again and rescheduled for the 14th of April, just days before the deadline.)
While we want the best possible bills to pass, the clock is ticking. The same deadlines exist in the Senate, where not a single bill to improve Oregon’s gun laws has been scheduled for a hearing, yet the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled hearings out until the 16th of April, only one day before the deadline.
Please contact the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to move quickly on HB 2727 and pass the bill with all the original protections.
A link for the contact info for the committee members follows, as does a sample message.
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Dear Representative,
The delays on HB 2727 concern me. Time is running out to have work sessions and pass bills.
I urge you to pass HB 2727 with the strongest possible safeguards intact. Amendments that would allow the personal information of license holders to be revealed at the discretion of government agencies would eliminate the purpose of the bill.
Please do all you can to move HB 2727 to the floor without amendments that would render it useless.
Yours,
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