Author: OFF

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Democrats Announce 2023 Gun Bans

 

06.08.2022

As expected,  Oregon’s far left wing is already planning a major attack on gun rights in the coming legislative session.

As we watch the current administration and its fellow travelers in congress use the most recent murders to ram through their civilian disarmament agenda and distract from skyrocketing inflation, soaring fuel and food costs, and a critical shortage of baby formula, Oregon legislators are climbing on board.

House Rep Lisa Reynolds has announced  her plans for the Democrats in Salem.

Here are some of them directly from her own office:

Oregon legislature: 2023 session
Two priorities for the 2023 session will be to crack down on ghost guns and close the Charleston loophole (which allows folks to purchase a firearm if their background check is not completed in three days, even if their background check would have blocked them from making the purchase). These measures have momentum behind them, and I’m confident that they will prevent gun violence, protect victims of domestic violence, and help law enforcement do their jobs.

Of course, we are actively considering a variety of additional measures, including an assault weapons ban, raising the purchase age for all guns to 21, regulating magazine sizes and ammunition, and many other steps. I am in conversations with my staff and colleagues, advocates, and constituents every day to pave a path forward for meaningful legislation, and we will continue to keep you posted.

Remember: we need 31 votes in the Oregon House, 16 votes in the Oregon Senate, and a willing governor in order to transform a bill (a concept) into law.

 

ERPO Education
In 2017, the Oregon Legislature passed the “Extreme Risk Protection Order” which allows a family member or law enforcement to petition the court to have firearms removed from a person (a respondent) who is at risk to themselves or others. The respondent can request a hearing to rescind this protection order. 

This law has saved lives, including saving folks from gun suicide. Our challenge is that not enough Oregonians know about this measure or understand how they can protect a loved one. Many of us are looking into ways to better educate on this difficult topic. Here is one program working to spread the word. 

Reynolds closed with a pitch for people to join the militant “Moms Demand Action.”

Reynolds will be running against OFF member John Woods in the November election.

We have already contributed to John’s campaign but if you want to help him and other candidates you can make a donation to our Political Action Committee here.

You can donate directly to John here. 

Please keep in mind, the Republican Caucus has pledged to oppose pro-gun candidates who we support, so any help we can provide to good candidates is going to be crucial.

In November Oregon voters will get to choose among 3 women for governor.

Tina Kotek has campaigned on a platform of banning guns.  Betsy Johnson has abandoned her long time support for gun rights and is now in the  gun ban camp.

Republican Christine Drazan has sided with the Democrats on bill after bill and stood by while they rammed through SB 554. So there is no reason to believe she will stand up to the Democrats if elected.

Republican “leadership” in the Oregon House and Senate have signaled that they have no stomach for a walk out, even if a ballot measure to prohibit walk outs fails.

Every single seat we can pick up in the legislature will be critical.

As Democrat policies continue to drive the US towards third world status, and resistance builds, expect the Democrats to go full speed ahead.  Prepare for another ugly session.
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School Boards Target Children

06.02.2022

School Boards Target Children

As a result of the passage of SB 554, schools in Oregon now have the authority to prevent licensed adults from being anywhere on their property while armed.

In the wake of the Texas school murders, more and more school districts are implementing this policy or are considering it, and the full court press by the media is rattling formerly pro-gun candidates.

While the details of the Texas murders are ever “evolving” most reports now agree that there was no police officer on the scene when the killer arrived, he entered through an unlocked door, and when the police did respond they waited between 40 minutes and one hour to make entry into the room where the killer had barricaded himself with his victims.

What no reports we have seen have mentioned, is that Texas has in place, the very rule that Oregon School Boards are attempting to enact here. Adults with concealed handgun licenses are banned from being armed in Texas elementary schools.

So, while for whatever reason police did not act quickly and neutralize the killer, no one inside the school could have lawfully had the means to take action themselves.

It does not take a Mensa candidate to recognize that this is a policy for future massacres. Especially at a time when liberals in Oregon are making every effort to make sure that even what little police protection a school might have, is eliminated.

In Portland, the public schools have removed  school resource officers so that students could feel more comfortable. 

One school board member, Julia Brim-Edwards, in an effort to justify this policy: “pointed out that in the absence of SROs, PPS is spending millions on school safety improvements, like installing more cameras, hiring more campus safety associates, and installing automatic door locks in schools.”

The events in Texas demonstrate the pointlessness of those feeble and purely symbolic efforts.  And so children die.

The Portland schools are now working on a ban of armed CHL holders on their property. (Portland reportedly will be debating this policy on June 14th.) According to school board member Julia Brim-Edwards, “There’s been an accidental discharge of a weapon somebody brought onto campus, not in a threatening way, but in a purse and just going off…”

We have contacted her to ask where and when this event happened as we can find no reports of it anywhere.
UPDATE. Thanks to an OFF member who found the story here it is:
The person whose gun “went off” was not a CHL holder and was charged with a felony.

For more updates see here and here.

In a moment of sanity, rare in the Portland Schools, KGW TV reported “Director of Risk Management for PPS Joe Crelier said he thought prohibiting responsible CHL holders from carrying on campuses would leave schools defenseless. He said he was especially worried about this since there are no School Resource Officers on PPS campuses.  “Without any perception of armed defense, what is stopping someone who is evil or out of their mind?

This is not complicated. Under no circumstances can the police be expected to be everywhere all the time. Even schools that have resource officers can’t expect them to cover every inch of every school at every moment.  And, as we have learned, the arrival of police to a murderous event does not guarantee that they will take timely action. None of this is debatable.

So, the efforts of school boards across the state to assure unimpeded access to our schools by killers is nothing short of criminal.

These policies are being rammed through in school districts large and small, urban and rural.

School boards, and their importance, have long been overlooked by many voters and even activists. But what is becoming painfully clear is that the decisions and policies of school boards are not only critical, they could well be deadly.

If anyone you love is in a public school it is essential that you know what their school board is doing, or has done. Many school board members will deflect or hide from questions of parents and voters, and many are totally in the pocket of the leftist teacher’s unions, but in almost all cases their meeting schedules and agendas are posted online.

Public schools in Oregon are failing on every metric while continuing to demand more money, but these policies are far worse than the promotion of dangerous leftist ideology, these policies will cost the lives of children.

Please investigate your local school boards and watch for their coming agendas. And if they already have created policies that put your children at risk, take whatever actions you can to protect the kids.

Meanwhile, with wall to wall media propaganda, the most vocally pro-gun candidate for governor is starting to fold.  Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson has been the strongest advocate for gun rights in spite of her long affiliation with the Democrat Party.  But now she is beginning to parrot the talking points of the left. KGW TV reports Johnson as saying:

“As governor, I will support and enforce stronger background checks for gun purchases and raising the age to purchase certain firearms from eighteen to twenty-one. These are both practical ideas to help keep guns away from people who could be a danger to themselves or others.”

One of the left’s most prominent supporters of restrictions on the Second Amendment, former House Rep. Jennifer Williamson, has testified that 95% of background check delays are in error. And we see over and over that criminals often pass background checks.  The single most common call we get at OFF is from qualified people who have be denied firearm’s purchases. (Given how long many “delays” are, even “delays” are really denials.) So it is hard to imagine what Johnson means by “stronger background checks.” 

Of course, the knee jerk, politically correct, response that the purchase age of “certain firearms” should be increased does not address all the many criminals and mass killers who are over 21. If a 36 year old criminal shoots up a hospital or workplace will the answer be to raise the purchase age to 37?

Criminal acts will always be exploited at election time. Each new restriction will fail and be a call for more restrictions. But the real losers will always be the people who are legally denied the ability to protect themselves and others by the irrational dictates of those who work behind metal detectors and a phalanx of State Police guarding them.

Please tune into your local school boards and keep track of what they are planning for the children in your district.

https://ospa.k12.or.us/oregon-school-districts

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The Vultures Are Circling

 

The Vultures Are Circling


05.27.2022

In the wake of the horrific mass murder of children and teachers in Texas, the left wasted no time  dancing in the blood of the innocent.

We have come to expect this kind of repulsive behavior from liberals, be it the incompetent, yet dangerous, fool in the White House, or local mercenaries in Salem.

It does not appear the Republicans want to show any backbone either.

Before virtually any facts were known (and, of course, now there is still much to learn) a disgraceful cabal of opportunistic parasites in the Oregon Legislature sent out a press release demanding policies to get even more babies slaughtered.

These evil frauds sickeningly  bragged “In Oregon, we’ve passed legislation that requires background checks, prohibits guns on public school grounds, makes extreme risk protection orders available, and ensures the secure storage of firearms. We are committed to taking bold action during the next legislative session in 2023 to further prevent these types of tragedies from happening.”

Of course, an idiot could see that these absurd policies did not, and could not, have any effect on the kinds of mass shootings the leftists embrace for fundraising purposes.

As we learn more about the events it is becoming achingly clear that the only thing that could have saved lives in that death trap was armed adults, inside the building, prepared and committed to act. And that is the one thing the blood soaked hypocrites in Salem and Washington are determined to stop.

House Rep Dacia Grayber emailed us saying she expected us to now support a “complete ban” on guns in schools, the very policy that cost the lives of those innocent children and teachers in Texas. To call these people ghouls would elevate them.

While the left wing vultures are circling, the local press piles on with a pathetically transparent attempt to promote Tina Kotek’s run for governor.  And where is the “Republican” candidate?  Right where she was when she folded her tent and allowed the Democrats to pass the kind of legislation that has, and will, get more people killed. Nowhere to be found.

As long as politicians keep denying reality, and the unions who control our schools keep demanding these deadly policies, the longer innocent people, some very little people, will be their sacrificial lambs.

Enough is enough. This has to stop.

We thank you for your commitment to standing up to this madness.

https://www.oregonfirearms.org/join-support-off

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The Primary Is Over (almost)

05.20.2022

The 2022 primary election is (mostly) over.

Because of a massive snafu in Clackamas County, there are still many uncounted ballots, but assuming the trends don’t change radically we have an idea of how the election went. (See how our Marxist Secretary of State has responded to this event, which as with every communication from her, includes an infomercial about… her.)

The Democrat candidate for governor is a liberal, anti-police, woman. By contrast, the Republican candidate for governor is… a liberal, anti-police, woman. Both voted to support antifa. Both voted to stock kindergarten boy’s bathrooms with tampons. (As did every Oregon Republican House Rep.)

Oregon’s future looks bright. There is, of course, an additional wild card. Betsy Johnson is running as an independent non affiliated. She will need to get on the ballot by collecting signatures.

Johnson has raised more money than anyone else, and since she did not have to participate in an expensive primary election has plenty to spend.

Johnson served in both the Oregon House and Senate as a Democrat. She is currently campaigning on a platform that both parties are too extreme and her hope is to “bring Oregonians together.”

No one who has witnessed the carnage in Oregon in the last few years can argue that the Democrat Party has become too extreme. You can smell the tear gas far from Portland.  But Johnson’s position that Republican Christine Drazan is “too far to the right” is clearly ridiculous. Drazan is considered a “moderate” by most liberals and was even endorsed by Portland’s far left “Willamette Week” newspaper. And given the left’s jihad to attack, silence, and possibly imprison those who dare disagree with them, the idea of “bringing Oregonians together” seems overly optimistic at best.

Whether this is simply campaign rhetoric or Johnson really believes it remains to be seen. While Johnson votes pro-police and pro-business she is certainly no one’s idea of a “conservative.”  But one thing Johnson most certainly has been, is strongly and unapologetically pro-gun*. Johnson has stood up to her caucus time after time to vote to protect gun rights. She is the target of well funded attacks by Democrat operatives largely because of her pro gun stance. Before she left the Senate to concentrate on her race for governor she was the ONLY pro gun Democrat in the legislature.

Johnson is also very tough and very smart. Now that she will be attacked by both the Republican candidate and the Democrat candidate we are quite sure that the race is going to be very interesting.

In other races the establishment Republican candidates won most (though not all) primary races. This means we will almost certainly have at least two more years of surrender and capitulation to the Democrats. So dig in.  But, in any event, we believe we need to take a moment to thank the people who, win or lose, stepped up to run.

Political campaigns are hard work, expensive and often brutal.  And soon after the election the people who did not win are quickly forgotten. This is unfortunate.  Very often the reason people lose is because they were too principled to cave to the demands of the big money establishment cabal.

This primary election was no different. Republican candidates who showed a willingness to stand up to the failed leadership of the House and Senate Caucuses knew they would pay a price and many did. The Republican establishment made no secret of their intention to punish candidates who answered our survey or dared to accept donations from our PAC.

While many candidates refused to answer our survey out of fear of retribution from the caucus “leaders” many did answer. Simply responding was a risk for them even if their answers did not indicate they were ready to confront the power brokers. And the ones who answered 100% were the bravest of all.

We have a long way to go to replace the sell outs with candidates of conviction. But we owe a debt to the ones who showed it this election cycle.

To track the final outcome of this election or see the results in your district please use this link.

To see the results of our candidate survey see this link.

Below are the candidates who answered our survey. Some won, some lost. Some showed more courage than others, but every one of them showed more courage than the people who refused to take a stand at all.

To the ones who did win, we wish you luck in the general and encouragement to stand up for what’s best for our state instead of the demands of the establishment . To the ones who did not win we are grateful that you showed the willingness to take part and hope you will continue to be a voice for freedom in our state.

To you, and the truly patriotic candidates for governor and county races, we thank you all.

Senate Candidates.

Kevin Christman

Valerie Draper Woldeit

John Verbeek

Ben Edtl

Christopher J Morrisette

Steve Bates

House Candidates

Virgle J Osborne

Sandra A Abercrombie

Ralph Huber

Tyler S Collins

Nicole De Graff

Bill R Ledford

Caleb Clark

Keith Lembke

Beth Jones

Kyler T McNaught

Gabriel Buehler

Bob Niemeyer

Jason Fields

Glenn Lancaster

Sandra Nelson

Todd Morrill

Drew A Layda

Glenn H Gaither

John Woods

Daniel Tooze Sr

Bob (Elvis) Clark

Rob Reynolds

Tim LeMaster

Timothy R Sytsma

James Hieb

Jeff Helfrich

Britt Storkson

Emily G McIntire

* Update 05.31.2022

Not so fast. https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2022/05/31/pro-gun-rights-as-a-state-senator-betsy-johnson-now-open-to-gun-control-in-bid-for-governor/

 

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RINO HUNTING

WHAT IS A RINO? WHY YOU SHOULD STOP VOTING FOR THEM.

Oregon Firearms Director Kevin Starrett discusses the state of Oregon Republican legislators with David Medina of OFA Media.

While the title is “What is a  RINO” it may be time to rethink the term. “RINO” is often used as a pejorative for Republicans that stand for nothing and grease the skids for the left’s agenda.  But are they really “Republicans in name only?”

From Rockefeller to Romney, the Republican party has for generations had liberals pulling the strings.  In Oregon, the Republican “Party” plays almost no part in the selection or control of Republican legislators, and the “Republican” legislators often seem eager to do the bidding of the leftists who control the state.

Maybe the people we call “RINO’s” are the real Republicans and the patriots are the outliers.

In this conversation with OFA media, we talk about the party, the Republican Caucus and frauds like Christine Drazan.
You’ll need fast forward through the first 2 minutes or so of music to get to the actual interview.

 

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Eugene School Board To Ban CHL Holders

05.06.2022

EUGENE SCHOOL BOARD PLANS TO BAN CHL HOLDERS FROM SCHOOL PROPERTY.

If you, or someone you know, has children in the Eugene 4j School District please be warned that the school board is planning, at their May 18th meeting, to prohibit CHL holding parents from being anywhere on their property .

If they adopt this policy parents and friends will be forbidden from picking up or dropping off their children or attending any school function anywhere on school controlled property if they are in legal possession of self defense firearms.

The meeting is scheduled for 7pm, May 18. The address is:

200 N. Monroe Street

Eugene, Oregon 97402 [ map it]

Phone. 541-790-7706

The agenda item is listed as:

XII.1. Consider Revisions to Board Policies GBA – Equal Employment Opportunity; IGBB – Talented and Gifted Program; JFCJ – Weapons in Schools; and adoption of Board Policy KGBB – Firearms Prohibited (10 minutes)

Presenter: Christine Nesbit, General Counsel

Information about addressing the board to oppose this dangerous policy can be found here:

https://www.4j.lane.edu/board/meetings/

At a time when the state refuses to address rising levels of violence, taking away parent’s ability to protect their children is an act of insanity.  Please contact the school board and strongly object to this new attack on common sense.

Contact info for school board members follows.

Judy Newman, 2021-22 Chair. Email: newman_j@4j.lane.edu

Maya Rabasa, 2021-22 Vice Chair. Email: rabasa_m@4j.lane.edu

Keerti Hasija Kauffman  Email: hasijakauffman_k@4j.lane.edu

Alicia Hays. Email: hays_a@4j.lane.edu

Michelle Hsu. Email: hsu_mi@4j.lane.edu

Gordon Lafer. Email: lafer_g@4j.lane.edu

Laural O’Rourke. Email: orourke_l@4j.lane.edu

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VOTE!

05.03.2022

If you have not already reserved your moving truck it’s time to vote.

By now you should have your ballots. (And, as we are learning, some lucky people get more than one.)

We have had the results of our candidate surveys up on our website for some time. In case you missed our April 4th alert, you can see them here.
https://www.oregonfirearms.org/2022-oregon-primary-election-candidate-ratings .

There have been some updates since they were first published.

There is no question that Oregon is facing monstrous challenges and at a time when we need real leadership in Salem, most incumbent Republicans seem far more interested in pleasing the ruling party than standing up for your rights.

So, while in many cases the choices are limited, we encourage you to be engaged and involved.

There are many races that don’t get the attention they deserve but really do matter. For example, once again we see large money from the far left attempting to sway DA races. We cannot overstate how dangerous it would be to elect more leftist District Attorneys like Mike Schmidt in Multnomah County.  The damage he has done is incalculable.

OFF does not have recommendations for all races. However we have suggestions in several.

In Josephine County we recommend John West for County Commissioner.

In Jackson County we support Colleen Roberts and Rick Dyer  for County Commission,

In Clackamas County OFF is supporting Dana Hindman-Allen for County Commissioner Position 5.

In Yamhill County Mary Starrett has been an outspoken voice for gun owners and should be re-elected to the Yamhill County Commission.

For Bureau of Labor and Industries we strongly urge against a vote for Cheri Helt or Casey Kulla, both of whom are vocal opponents of the Second Amendment.

In Congressional District 4 OFF recommends Alex Skarlatos

In Congressional District 5 OFF has endorsed Jimmy Crumpacker.

In Congressional District 6 Amy Ryan Courser has been a consistent supporter of Second Amendment rights, while Ron Noble regularly voted with the gun grabbers in Salem to promote their leftist agenda.

For US Senate both Sam Palmer and Darrin Harbick are strong supporters of gun rights and would be good choices to replace Ron Wyden who is long past his expiration date.

OFF has endorsed Marc Thielman for Governor. Your opinions may vary from ours. But whatever they are, please vote.

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Anti-gun newspaper endorses…Christine Drazan

04.27.2022

The far left Portland newspaper, “Willamette Week” has, not surprisingly, endorsed Christine Drazan for governor.

In many respects, this makes perfect sense. For all Drazan’s bogus campaign claims, she has consistently supported some of the most extreme policies of Oregon’s liberal ruling party.

WW comically claims “Drazan, the former House minority leader from Canby, hardly represents Portland values. She’s no RINO: Drazan is pro-life and opposed climate legislation.”

In fact, on vote after vote, Drazan voted to neuter the police and protect rioters. WW’s claim that she “opposed climate legislation” ignores the fact that she voted against oil exploration. Keep that in mind next fill up.

Proving the left has absolutely no sense of self awareness, they even state, hilariously, that  she “….unlike many in her party, knows how to exercise power. Last year, she even forced then-House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) to give the GOP equal say (for a while) in redistricting.”

The “for a while” is actually in the original quote. In reality, she forced Kotek to do nothing.  Drazan gave up her last tool to slow the far left agenda (forcing the reading of the entire bill before a vote) in exchange for a promise from someone well known for breaking her promises. And then, to no one’s surprise but Drazan, Kotek yanked the football away and Drazan and the Republicans got… nothing. (Well, maybe not “nothing.”)

WW goes on to say “ Firearms activists, for instance, blame her for letting Democrats pass a pretty innocuous gun safety bill last year. They wanted her to order her caucus to deny Democrats a quorum and are now blasting her for that. Drazan stuck around, perhaps because she knows walkouts are unpopular with the electorate.”

The “pretty innocuous gun safety bill” was SB 554 which mandates that your self defense firearms remain locked up and useless, that you be held responsible for the criminal actions of the thieves who steal guns, and that you be banned from your capitol building, the Portland Airport, and any school that decides that concealed handgun license holders no longer have a right to pick their kids up from school.

When WW said “…perhaps because she knows walkouts are unpopular with the electorate”  they misspelled “Democrats”.

You see, walkouts were very popular with Republicans who re-elected every single Republican House Rep who walked out in 2020 and elected two new ones! But Drazan is not really concerned with the best of interests of the people who elect Republicans. She is far more concerned with doing the bidding of the Democrats who she (and many other Republicans) vote with over and over again.

As you know, the “Firearms activists” mentioned in the WW puff piece are you, OFF members. No one else has spoken up for the rights of gun owners in Oregon.  We are grateful for your continued activism.  And we are grateful for the far left, anti-gun, Willamette Week newspaper for making it clear who (besides wealthy lobbyists) really supports Christine Drazan.

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Incoherent President Moves To Ban Homemade Firearms

04.11.2022

Today Joe Biden announced new rules to attack personally made firearms.

As with all of his press conferences, it was truly painful to watch.

Biden said that all unfinished lowers would now require a serial number. He also repeatedly referred to the BATF as the “AFT”.  He could not pronounce the name of his new prospective  ATF director, Steve Dettelbach.

He spoke of a place in Delaware where he did “a lot of hunting.” He claimed that when the Second Amendment was written you “could not buy a cannon.”

He completely misrepresented the recent settlement by the former Remington’s insurance company. It was comical and tragic at the same time.

America truly is in deep trouble and while the Democrats are no doubt desperately trying to figure out how to get rid of Joe, we suspect the Republicans would love to keep him around to help boost their credibility.

At one point in his rambling incoherent comments Biden noted that part of his new rules would be a requirement that gun dealers add serial numbers to privately made firearms they bought from others.  Biden is apparently unaware of the fact that privately made firearms may not be sold.
(With very limited exceptions.)

This new initiative is designed to harass honest people and will succeed. However, the reality is the toothpaste is out of the tube and Joe and his cronies don’t get it. You can outlaw information, but you can’t make it disappear.  We predict a surge in the sales of 3D printers.

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2022 Oregon Governor Primary

Oregon Governor Candidates

Let’s start with who we simply cannot recommend.

(Please note. Since we first published this list we have added Kerry McQuisten to the list of candidates we cannot recommend. See below.)

1) Christine Drazan

It’s no secret that we consider Christine Drazan one of worst things that’s ever happened to Oregon politics. Both vapid and narcissistic, Drazan is the establishment’s darling and the recipient of massive cash from the usual suspects. She is a favorite of big pharma.

On the campaign trail she has demonstrated an almost other-worldly ability to dodge questions. Her slick ads are a collection of outrageous nonsense.

While promoting herself as a tough negotiator who “stood up” to Tina Kotek, the reality is, Kotek mopped the floor with her over and over. 

Drazan got her entire caucus to roll over for every demented Marxist scheme the Democrats cooked up. She declared unconditional surrender by agreeing to rules that completely neutered her party. She made a “deal” with the Kotek to stop even the pretense of a fight in exchange for a unicorn petting zoo and a counterfeit Herme’s purse filled with rainbows. And then, to no one’s surprise, Kotek said “just kidding” and welched on the deal. (Well, it surprised Drazan, but no one who paid more attention to politics than their hairdresser.)

In exchange for complete, cowardly, capitulation, Drazan was able to score two million bucks for every member of her craven caucus. When you add it up, $2,000,000.00 for a House district is not a lot of money to sell out the entire state.

But, as we learned, while most Oregonians are looking for signs that the state is turning around, Drazan is looking for dollar signs. She abandoned her House seat because rules restricted her from grifting for cash while the House was in session.

But don’t think Drazan just refused to fight. She actually VOTED for much of the Democrat’s extreme agenda.

If Drazan wins the primary, and Kotek is the Democrat contender, Oregonians will face two of the most loathsome individuals ever to run for office contending for the seat. The will also have a choice between two candidates who voted to enable Antifa. Drazan crawled into the sack with Tina to ban the publication of mug shots. (We have to wonder how the folks in this neighborhood feel about that.) After Kotek’s staffer was arrested for interfering with a police officer at a Portland  riot, Drazan joined with Kotek and voted to change the law to make that conduct virtually legal. If you still have any doubts about where Drazan falls on issues, check out this clown’s take.

2) Bud Pierce

Dr. Pierce responded positively to our candidate questionnaire.  While his responses were certainly not as strong as we would prefer, he did not take the anti-gun positions he expressed in his last run.  But, much like his peculiar last minute change of heart on abortion issues (he was endorsed by Oregon Right-To-Life) we just don’t believe him. Pierce has a history of changing positions when criticized for them and it just seems too convenient that he is suddenly pro-gun now that the political climate has changed and the extreme views of the Democrats are falling out of favor.

3) Jessica Gomez

Gomez did reach out to OFF and shared her views. We appreciate that, but her reluctance to take a public stand on 2nd Amendment issues (there is no mention on her website of gun rights) her middle of the road stance on policy, and her decision to not answer our survey put her in the “cannot recommend” column.

The other major candidates are Stan Pulliam, Marc Thielman, Bridget Barton, Kerry McQuistan and Bob Tiernan.

Updated 04.22.2022. After long and serious consideration, OFF is endorsing Marc Thielman.
While we believe that several of the other candidates would make fine governors, Marc has shown an unflinching willingness to simply show up and do the work. He’s always been unafraid to stand with the grass roots and has bravely stood up to Kate Brown and her bureaucracy. He’s smart and does not run from the hard questions. We believe he deserves your vote.

Barton, Thielman, McQuisten, and Pulliam all answered our survey.  All answered pro-gun.

Bob Tiernan contacted us several times, and given his comments and past history in the legislature, we believe he would be a pro-gun advocate, however he declined to respond to our survey and invitation to meet and we can find no mention of gun rights on his website. He entered the race very late and while well funded, the bulk of his money came from himself and a business he is associated with.  It remains to be seen if he can get traction with the grass roots.
UPDATE 04.05.2022 Bob Tiernan returned the OFF survey with informed pro-gun responses. He as also added his position on gun rights to his web page.

Stan Pulliam was one of the first to hit the campaign trail and his pro-business, anti-crime message resonated with voters. He has done well in the fundraising department.  We have no issues with his answers to our survey and believe most gun owners would agree with his positions. He notes his support for gun rights on his website. We do have some concerns about his commitment to his positions however.  While we certainly don’t expect to be in complete agreement with a candidate all the time, we do like to see them stick to what they said.  Pulliam told left wing Willamette Week newspaper that he believed Trump incited violence at the January 6th demonstration at the US Capitol. Whatever your position on that event, there is no reason to believe that accusation is accurate or fair. Since then Pulliam has tried to distance himself from that comment and campaigns as a big supporter of Trump.  This is unfortunately reminiscent of Knute Buehler who ran for Governor as a Trump hating liberal, then ran for Congress in eastern Oregon as the world’s biggest Trump fan and then renounced Trump once again when he lost that race.  Pulliam also often promotes a lawsuit he was behind to stop Kate Brown’s lockdown mandates. But a reading of the lawsuit shows it was a virtual demand for vaccine passports.  Pulliam has never provided a convincing explanation for this. While his personal life and choices are his and his wife’s, we do have to question the judgement of a person who advertises those rather unconventional life choices on Facebook. A person that much in the public eye has got to be pretty self absorbed to think that kind of stuff is not going to come out.

Marc Thielman gained a lot of attention for his role as school superintendent of the Alsea School District. Thielman famously refused to close his schools and bow to Brown’s dictatorial mandates and lock downs. He also tangled extensively with the Oregon Health Authority . (On whose board, coincidentally, sits Jessica Gomez.) Thielman has not been a favorite of the establishment or the PACs so he has not been one of the top fundraisers. However, Thielman does show up at lots of grassroots events that are shunned by other candidates who seem to prefer to go where the big money is. Thielman responded to our survey with positive pro-gun views and his 2A support is documented on his website. He was the first candidate to reach out to OFF to share his positions.

Bridget Barton(UPDATED 04.30.2022) has been a conservative activist for many years. While she makes no secret that gun ownership is new to her, she provided a strong and thoughtful  survey response to us.  She has been running a disciplined campaign and seems to have avoided the negative press some of the other candidates have been the subject of. Like almost all candidates she has positioned herself as an “outsider” but she has been involved in many levels of Oregon politics for some time. We’d like to see her be a little more informative about her views on her website including some mention of her position on Second Amendment rights.
ADDENDUM Barton has repeatedly claimed in debates that she is “supported by the Oregon Firearms Federation.” For the record, OFF has endorsed Marc Thielman and only Marc Thielman.  While we have no issues with Barton’s politics, and it’s flattering to have make this claim given the Republican Caucus’s assertion that we are a “fringe group,” her statements are incorrect.

Kerry McQuisten(UPDATED 04.09.2022) is the mayor of Baker City and has been an outspoken supporter of gun rights and articulated her positions well when she responded to our survey. She makes no secret of her views on gun rights and they are prominently displayed on her website. We have a minor quibble with her take on background checks (she has a small misunderstanding of how the Feds interact with the OSP) but we also don’t expect everyone to be intimately acquainted with the minutia of our arcane gun laws. McQuisten’s campaign has generated some discord within the Republican Party as her campaign manager is also her mother and a party official. There have been credible accusations of unfair favoritism as a result. A donation made by the local party to McQuisten seems to be a clear violation of Republican Party rules.  The ejection of some audience members at a debate in eastern Oregon at the demand of her mother struck many as an over-the-top reaction. Furthermore, McQuisten’s mother was instrumental in the introduction of legislation (which failed) that would have made criminals out of the newly elected party leadership.  Republican Senators Hansel and Findley introduced SB 865, which was just one more disgraceful maneuver by two of Oregon’s most disgraceful Republicans. As you can see the bill was “at the request of Malheur, Baker and Morrow Counties Republican Executive Committees”. McQuisten’s mother is the chair of the Baker County Republican Committee. The bill would have applied to exactly two people. Republican Senators Dallas Heard and Dennis Linthicum. We think McQuisten would do well to consider a less controversial campaign manager. She has good positions on issues and we think they are being overshadowed by these distractions.
ADDENDUM. In a personal conversation McQuisten had with us, she flatly denied that her mother was involved in SB 865. It defies belief that McQuisten did not know about her mother’s involvement.  For that reason we simply cannot recommend her.

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Do You Remember Kevin Mannix?

03.03.2022

Do You Remember Kevin Mannix?  We do.

Kevin Mannix

 

Lawyer Kevin Mannix has filed to run for the House seat in the newly crafted 21st district.

If you’re relatively new to Oregon politics, the name might not be familiar. For others who have been around longer it may ring a bell.

While Mannix has run for numerous offices, and lost, he did serve in the Oregon House in 1999.

In fact, Mannix was the chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

Believe it or not, both houses of the Oregon Legislature were controlled by Republicans back then.

Mannix, who had been a Democrat, was then a Republican.

1999 was the first year Oregon Firearms Federation was active in the legislature.  Formed in 1998 after watching the institutional gun lobby bargain away our rights, OFF was created to stand up and stop the deal making and compromises.  And what a year it would be.

While it is often assumed that the Democrats are anti-gun and the Republicans support gun rights, 1999 proved that a letter behind your name does not mean much.

That year the Democrats were pushing hard to ban the private sale of guns at gun shows. Although not in the majority, they were making headway.

During that session Senator Ginny Burdick introduced legislation (SB 700) to end the private sale of firearms at gun shows. Despite our best efforts, the bill passed through the Republican controlled Senate and was sent to the House.

There, Kevin Mannix, set out to “amend” it. And amend it he did. Working with a group called “Oregon Gun Owners” Republican Mannix, and then House Rep Democrat Floyd Prozanski, actually managed to make the bill worse.

(Under Mannix’s bill you would have been restricted from selling or trading guns from your home.)

That was the birth of HB 2535.

From that point on, OFF worked overtime to kill this awful legislation, while “Oregon Gun Owners” pulled out all the stops to promote the new gun control bill they had help craft. The National Rifle Association withdrew from the battle altogether and never said one word to their members about the bill as it progressed through the legislative process.

It was a hell of a fight. OFF was brand new, still small and underfunded, and taking on the entire anti-gun machine alone.

On June 22, 1999, HB 2535 passed the House 34-26. Mannix proudly carried this bill on the House floor.

Things looked grim for gun owners. With both Republican and Democrat legislators pushing new restrictions, the National Rifle Association refusing to acknowledge that the bill even existed, and a supposedly “pro-gun” organization promoting it, the chances of beating it in the Senate seemed remote at best.

The original gun show bill had already passed the Senate. Mannix and Prozanksi’s even worse version had passed the House and now was headed for the Senate.

(A deal had been made to drop SB 700 and replace it with Mannix’s worse bill.)

We were uniformly warned that we had no chance of killing it. But OFF never gave up. With a constant stream of mail and electronic communication, OFF reached out to gun owners across the state who in turn hammered legislators. The Senate vote was scheduled for July 6. It was postponed until July 7 and again till the 8th. OFF kept up the pressure. The bill was postponed again until the 9th and again until the 12th.

When the vote finally came, after a chaotic and confusing floor session, the bill failed by one vote. David had slain Goliath.  Then-Senator Kate Brown attempted some last second procedural moves to keep the bill alive. They failed. The bill was dead. Mannix was furious. Ginny Burdick, who had made a floor speech when it looked like the passage was a sure thing and said “We rolled the gun lobby” was in tears. 

After a long hiatus and several failed attempts at other offices, Kevin Mannix is back hoping to return to the legislature.

Oddly, in an opening email pitch for donations, Mannix said “In Oregon, we have a citizen legislature, which means I can continue running my law firm while representing Oregonians from House District 21.” Why a guy running for a horribly dysfunctional legislature would want to kick off a campaign by telling people he did not plan to devote full attention to the job is anyone’s guess.  But Mannix has never been one to place the best interest of Oregonians above his own.

We know Kevin Mannix. Now you do too.

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COUNTY BATTLES HEATING UP

2.28.2022

We’ve been telling you about the train wreck that has been the 2022 legislative session. As it draws to a close it appears the biggest losers will be farmers, local school boards, voter integrity and the rule of law. So you could say we got off easy.

But, as you will recall, we have other battles taking place on a more local level.

Both Yamhill and Columbia County have Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinances, passed with OFF’s support.

Both are being challenged by the state and well funded anti-rights organizations.

In Columbia County two ordinances were passed by the voters through ballot measures. There, two of the county commissioners conspired to overturn the will of the people.

The two county commissioners, Henry Heimuller and Margaret Magruder,  devised a plan to rewrite the ordinances and then ask the courts to strike down the version they created.

They appear to have made plans to seek “judicial review” of their new ordinance before they even passed it.

The state of Oregon, and deep pocket anti-gun groups, then got involved and ask the court to throw out the new ordinance.  The court recognized the game being played and refused.  So the anti-rights cabal that includes our attorney general appealed.

That is the costly battle we are fighting right now in Columbia County.  During both phases of this court fight the other side as repeatedly lied about what the ordinance did. After being smacked down in the lower court, they have reasserted the same false allegations about the ordinance in the appeals process.

We beat them once and have no choice but to fight them again.  Our legal team has done an amazing job of pointing out what a sham these attacks are, but the state and Bloomberg’s freedom haters have endless resources and the bills are adding up.

In Yamhill County, the ordinance was passed by the commissioners themselves.  Commissioners Mary Starrett and Lindsey Berschauer passed the ordinance over the hysterical objections of Commissioner Casey Kulla.

Casey Kulla

Kulla is a far left extremist who recently announced a run for Governor and now has decided he wants to be labor commissioner. But as in Columbia County, the heavy hand of the state has come down and the Attorney General of Oregon is suing to block the Yamhill ordinance as well.

Kulla is using the state’s lawsuit to attack Commissioner Berschauer and has joined a cabal of left wing radicals in an effort to recall her.  This group of agitators tried to recall her once before ( as they did with several Newberg school board members).  They failed.

Now, flush with cash, they are attempting to recall her again. Kulla has published a letter filled with lies promoting the ouster of his colleague.

His lies are so outrageous it’s hard to imagine anyone taking him seriously. Kulla states:

“Commissioner Berschauer knowingly breaking state law, forcing elected officials to break the law and violate their oats (sic) and forcing county taxpayers to to foot the bill of the consequences is not disagreement”

We expect absurd and nonsensical accusations like this from liberals, but Kulla’s error filled rant really takes fraudulent accusations to a new and pathetic low.

We support Commissioner Berschauer, who won her seat on a promise to enact this exact ordinance, and will stand against the insidious and false attacks that have become the hallmark of the far left in Yamhill County.

But we need your help.  The protection of these ordinances is more than a local issue. How these cases are decided could determine the future of ordinances across the country that seek to stand up to the unconstitutional and tyrannical mandates made by leftist controlled state legislatures on counties and cities.

As you can imagine, these battles are extremely expensive.  We would be grateful for any support you can afford to help us win these essential fights.

Your tax deducible donation to the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation could be all that stands in the way of the state crushing people who stand up to them.

Please consider making the most generous contribution you can.

You can use our secure online page by choosing “Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation” from the “Donation Category” drop down menu.

For those who prefer PayPal there is a yellow PayPal “Donate” button on this page.

If you prefer to donate by check, please send your contribution to ;

Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation

PO Box 556

Canby OR 97013

Thank you for your support. It’s never been more important.

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Situation Normal….

Situation Normal

02.12.2022

 

Unfortunately, the February legislative session has unfolded exactly as we predicted.

The majority Democrats have been ramming through an endless stream of Marxist bills to promote racism and redistribute wealth while attacking and undermining our school boards and indoctrinating our kids.

The Republicans, as expected, have done… nothing.

In the beginning of the session many of you received an email from the office of the House Republican Leader Vicky Iverson in response to your request that House Republicans stand up to the coming attacks from the left. 

The email was comical and pathetic. In it, her staffer wrote:

“The House Republicans have the ability to walk out any time they feel Democrats are pushing policies bad for Oregonians. Tuesday’s vote was simply for House Rules, it does not and will not stop House Republicans from walking out in the future of this 35 day short session.”

This is borderline demented. The “vote” she mentions was a vote to FORBID the House Republicans from walking out. And, of course, it passed because the House Republicans remained on the floor to provide the quorum needed to pass it. To suggest that somehow that vote does not prevent the Republicans from walking out it is quite simply, a lie.

In fact, the Democrats have been doing nothing BUT pushing bad policies. Far too many to count or report, but here is a perfect example.

“Representative E Werner Reschke (R-Klamath Falls) responded to the situation, “This is shocking. It is grooming at best, evil at worst. Sexualizing children is wrong, period, full stop. It is child abuse, no matter whether done by a pedophile or by the state.”

But while, once again, the Republicans stomp their feet and bleat their outrage and indignation, they stick around to make sure these bills pass.

Iverson’s email went on to say:

“Oregon House Republicans have bills to curtail Governor’s Over Reach, create transparency in school curriculums, support police, end mandates and more. We cannot do the work by walking out at this point. We will be fighting against Ag Overtime, and pro criminal bills coming from Democrats at the same time. If we walk out, the Governor will just push these policies through executive order.”

So which is it?  They’ll walk out “when” bad policies are being pushed but they can’t now because they “have bills?” Do they really think you are that stupid?

Since Iverson’s email was sent, we have seen nothing but a long stream of email newsletters from Republicans remarking how their bills are going nowhere. Of course they’re going nowhere. They are Republican bills. Did they really believe their bills would move?

To then suggest that they must remain (even after saying they “could” walk) in order to fight anything is a pathetic fraud.  They have NO power while they remain. None, zip, nada.  And to whine that if they walk out the governor will just impose these policies by “executive order” is cowardly slight-of-hand. What difference does it make if the governor does it by executive order or the legislature does it with the tacit agreement of the Republicans?

The same polices are in place and the Republicans helped.

Of course, no email from a Republican politician would be complete without a pitch to elect more Republicans.

“We must change the majority in November. This is the only way to change Oregon.”

This conveniently ignores what they want you to forget.  After they walked out last time they GAINED seats. People responded to their courage. People don’t respond to politicians who are part of the swindle.

In another email we received from another Republican House Rep, (who mercifully won’t be around after the short session) we were reminded that this is all YOUR fault.

In it she said:

“The reality is that we’re getting our asses kicked because some republicans and conservatives won’t show up to vote, they don’t give money, and they can’t count to 31 or 16.”

There you have it. You are not voting and sending them enough money. And apparently you can’t count. It’s no one’s fault but yours. (Which makes you wonder how they got elected in the first place.)

At the moment, it does not appear that any direct attacks on gun rights will be moving forward. Even the ridiculous bill promoted by Republican Greg Smith looks dead.

One bill that threatened self defense is on hold though we’ll be watching it. 

One thing we agree with the Republican legislators on is this, we have to make some big changes at election time.

 

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Unconditional Surrender

Unconditional Surrender

02.01.2022
Once again, the House Republicans have declared a complete and unconditional surrender to the Democrats.

In spite of the lip service paid by the new House Republican “Leader” Vicky Breese Iverson about walking out, the Republicans once again agreed to rules that fine them if they do not meekly show up on the House floor to obediently do the bidding of their leftist overlords.

Last session they agreed to completely neuter themselves in exchange for 2 million bucks of Federal money.  We have no idea what they sold you out for this time.

This means that once again, the extremists who are in control of the Oregon legislature will ram through every dangerous and demented bill without a whimper from the bootlicking Republicans.

The new “leader” is every bit as cowardly and craven as the last one.

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Buckle Up

01.30.2022

The 2022 “short session” begins on Feb 1.

The former House Republican “leader” Christine Drazan announced her plans to resign from the House completely to concentrate on raising money for her bid for governor, however her resignation does not become effective until Jan 31.

This means that Drazan could continue to collect her state paycheck until the very last minute, but it also means that the process to appoint her replacement could not begin in time to have anyone in place to represent the district she is resigning from until the session is under way.

While it’s not clear exactly how much time this will take, there is no question that whoever actually gets the appointment will be missing the important opening days of the session, including the vote on whatever rules are adopted.

Now a good case could be made that it makes no difference since no Republican vote matters (unless it is to, once again, support the insane policies of the left like the Republicans did last session.)

However, learning the ins and outs of the how Salem works is a long process and whoever gets picked is going to be at a disadvantage even bigger than being in the irrelevant minority.

Certainly Drazan knew all this when she announced she was taking a powder to raise more money, so it’s safe to say her primary focus is not the best interests of her caucus.

There are a number of bills on our screen at the moment.

SB 1577

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2022R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB1577/Introduced

This is Jim Manning’s second try at criminalizing privately made firearms.

HB 4149

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2022R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB4149/Introduced

This bill claims to hold liable any person or public body for damages that occur in a  “gun free zone”  if the victim could have protected themselves had they been armed.

While that sounds like a good idea, the sponsors of the bill could not resist the urge to bow to identity politics and add a provision that provides treble damages if the victim is a minority.

What motivates this kind of effort to further divide us is a mystery, except that the sponsors may have the delusion that this kind of meaningless gesture might slide their bill past the “BIPOC” caucus that controls the legislature.

We are willing to go out on a limb here and say it’s not going to work.

HB 4073

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2022R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB4073/Introduced

This is Marty Wilde’s effort to outlaw self defense in Oregon.  You have to get to the bottom of the bill but here is the relevant part:

SECTION 6. Notwithstanding ORS 161.190, the justifiable use of physical force in selfdefense or in defending a third person under ORS 161.205 (5) is an affirmative defense when the defendant engaged in, directed or otherwise participated in wrongful conduct that was intended to cause the victim to be unavailable as a witness, and did cause the victim to be unavailable.

We know, it’s gibberish, but here is the translation into English.

If you act in self defense, and the person against whom you defended yourself dies, you no longer have a presumption of innocence and will be presumed guilty.

As with virtually every bill now introduced, they politicians have injected a racial component. In their notes on the bill they included this:

1. Justified use of physical force: The law should not presume that a homicide victim acted unreasonably in his last moments. As the law stands, if a defendant files a claim of self-defense, admitting that they caused the death of another person, they must prove nothing; instead, the state must disprove their claim, beyond a reasonable doubt. This becomes an obvious problem when the victim cannot testify because the victim is deceased by the defendant’s own hand. This is particularly important in cross-racial homicides, where the perception of threat is often unreasonably greater due to unconscious bias.

This bill is, no doubt, in response to this incident where the Deschutes DA has abandoned any pretense of seeking the truth as he becomes an advocate for “the victim” even prior to having the facts.

SB 1510

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2022R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB1510/Introduced

While not a gun bill, this proposed legislation gives one more indication of the focus of our legislature, where every single issue comes back to the assumption that Oregon is a despicable racist state.

The bill would prohibit police from stopping a car for the following reasons:

(a) A headlight that is not in compliance with ORS 816.050 or 816.320, and the vehicle has a headlight that is in compliance;

(b) A taillight that is not in compliance with ORS 816.080 or 816.320, and the vehicle has a taillight that is in compliance;

(c) A brake light that is not in compliance with ORS 816.100 or 816.320, and the vehicle has a brake light that is in compliance;

(d) A taillight that does not emit red light as required by ORS 816.080 (2); or

(e) A registration plate light that is not in compliance with ORS 816.090 or 816.320. (2) A police officer may issue a citation for unlawful use or failure to use lights under ORS 811.520 or operation without required lighting equipment under ORS 816.330 based on circumstances described in subsection (1) of this section only if the police officer has already stopped and detained the driver operating the motor vehicle for a separate traffic violation or other offense.

While completely ignoring the reality that missing lights can be very dangerous, and that getting pulled over for a faulty light might be the only way a motorist even knew about the problem, the stated reason for this bill is very telling. During an informational hearing on this bill during legislative days, House Judiciary Chair Janelle Bynum was asked why this bill was needed.

Her reply was “Because black and brown people are dying.”

We have not noticed the highways of Oregon littered with the bullet ridden bodies of black and brown people gunned down by racist cops because they had a missing taillight.

But this is the way our legislature rolls.

You may recall we alerted you to a bill draft by House Rep Greg Smith that purported to be a repeal of the anti-gun measures in SB 554 but was actually a gift to anti-gun democrats. 

https://www.oregonfirearms.org/contact-greg-smith-now

After you pressured Smith to fix or pull this bill, he contacted us and said it would be fixed.  As of now we have seen no actual legislation corresponding to his draft.  We’ll keep watching but that is good news for now.