Category: OFF Alerts

I’ve never backed down from a fight…

 

11.23.2021

Happy Thanksgiving.

The crowded field of Republicans running for governor just got a little more cramped with the announcement that House Republican “Leader” Christine Drazan is joining the pack.

While rumors of her throwing her tiara into the ring have been circulating for some time, it now appears, almost official.

And we could not be happier. Under Drazan’s abysmal “leadership” the House Republicans caved at every opportunity, and watched on the sidelines as our gun rights were eviscerated, our cities burned, our police were neutered, and the entire state was declared a stronghold of violent white supremacists.

Drazan not only allowed the far left to control every agenda and crush rational thought and liberties, she actually voted for much of this crap.

When the “BIPOC” caucus declared war on Oregon’s police and shouted “jump,” Drazan flipped her bangs away from her face and cooed “how high?”

After the jurors in the George Floyd case were throughly intimidated by the promise of more riots and voted for a conviction, Drazan tweeted “GUILTY. JUSTICE IS SERVED.”

Drazan voted to reward rioters (and Tina Kotek’s rioting staff member) (HB 3164 ) and to punish the only member of her caucus with any integrity. Drazan voted for, and whipped her caucus to vote for, the expulsion of House Rep Mike Nearman. Mike’s crime was allowing the voters of Oregon into their own building.

Throughout the legislative session Oregonians were locked out of their building and the entire process, something Drazan regularly complained about. But when one of her members did something about it, she rounded up her cadre of cowards and threw Nearman to the dogs.

When the Democrats announced their intention to strip away as many of our gun rights as possible, Drazan hoisted a white flag and said “help yourself.”

After she and her cronies were offered a multi-million dollar bribe of taxpayer money, Drazan agreed to allow the Democrats to force their demented agenda without so much as a speed bump to slow them down.

Drazan claimed that the deal she made to allow the Democrats to crush our liberties was in exchange for “equal representation” on the redistricting committee. A deal so preposterous that a five year old would have laughed at it.

For one thing, no similar deal was made in the Senate, and for another it never mattered. Even if the Republicans had equal representation, all the Democrats had to do was nothing and the redistricting plan would be handed off to their far left Secretary of State.

But in the end, it never mattered since Kotek yanked the football away from Drazan at the last minute and reneged on the deal. The only person who did not see that coming was Drazan.

Then in a response motivated by hubris, stupidity, and blind hatred, Drazan moved to “censure” speaker Kotek. A move that had a 0% chance of success and a 100% chance of retribution. 

In the end, Drazan demonstrated a complete unwillingness to stand up, a complete inability to form a coherent plan and a clear preference for a few bucks over the well being of the state. Amazingly, Drazan actually said: “When it comes to standing up for Oregonians, against powerful special interests and entrenched politicians in Salem, I’ve never backed down from a fight…”

The Babylon Bee could not have made that up.

According to Willamette Week  Drazan said “Over the past few months, I’ve been encouraged by friends and supporters to consider running for governor..”  We think it’s far more likely that she has been encouraged by people who are, like us, eager to have her cowardly backside out of the legislature so she can do no more damage.

In the extremely unlikely event that Drazan wins the Republican nomination, she will once again be a floor mop for the far tougher and smarter Tina Kotek.

If she doesn’t, she’ll be out of Salem, at least for a while. That’s something we can all be thankful for.

Don’t Wait For Christmas. Use Your Tax Credit Now.

Donations to our Political Action Committee Could Cost You Nothing.

When we said goodbye to 2020, none of us could have imagined that 2021 would be worse. But the sustained attack on our rights and way of life has been truly unprecedented.

The damage that the legislature has done to our state cannot be overestimated.  And it was the work of both parties.

It was far worse than just attacks on the Second Amendment.

Our property rights were assaulted, our police were neutered, election integrity was further diminished and we saw elected Republicans become the unpaid hitmen for the Democrat Party.

Through it all, the people were locked out of their building and there is no reason to believe we’ll be allowed back in any time soon.

The “elite” continue to promote the lie that locking people out increased participation because now “anyone could testify from home” conveniently ignoring the endless technical glitches, the arcane maze of requirements to log on, and the overlord’s ability to shut down or lock out whoever they disagreed with. Not to mention making sure that like minded people were prevented from coming together in the capitol to express their opinions.

In short, it was a dumpster fire on a train wreck.

The Republican “leaders” in both Houses led their members over a cliff in exchange for a few pieces of silver, leaving any rational person to wonder what purpose the “opposition” served.

And there is little reason to think anything will get better in Salem moving forward.

Republican Senate “leader”, Fred Girod (who was our biggest fan when he had his hand out) stated on the Senate floor that we should be banned from the building. (An interesting irony considering all the people are banned from the building.)

Republican House “leader” Christine Drazan, always eager to ask for donations from us, called OFF a “rogue” organization while regularly voting for dangerous leftist bills.

Not a single Republican House Rep stood up for Mike Nearman when he was arrested and forced out of the legislature for actually DOING what the rest of them just bloviated about, opening the Capitol to the people who own it.

Wealthy, out of state, anti-rights groups joined and funded Kate Brown’s henchmen to attack Second Amendment Sanctuary ordinances in multiple counties, and now they’re using their endless resources to attack and recall pro-rights commissioners and school board members in Yamhill County.

It’s become clear that if this state has any chance of surviving, we will need a wholesale change in our cast of characters.

We think those changes are going to have to happen on every level, from school board on up. In fact, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the most important races are going to be local. School board, city councils, county commissioners. That is where this cancer started, in smaller races that get less attention. Those smaller races allowed our local institutions to become infected when most voters were not paying attention or failed to recognize how important they are.

One look only to Newberg, where the election of a few patriots to the school board has caused an uproar state wide, making the cartel media hyperventilate, the establishment left spend like drunken sailors and the Marxists in the legislature call for a take over of local boards by left wing radicals.

This is where the battle is going and you can help throw up roadblocks to the gun grabbers for free.

Donations to our OFF’s Political Action Committee qualify for a tax credit, which is even better than a deduction.  You can read the details here. https://www.oregonfirearms.org/oregon-firearms-federation-political-action-committee

For most people, donations are actually deducted from any money being extorted by Kate Brown. You can actually deduct up to $100.00 from your Oregon tax bill by donating that amount to OFFPAC.  The details and conditions are in the link above.

But don’t wait.  This Christmas season promises to be more hectic and challenging than ever due to the unending and ever changing restrictions on personal liberties and the damage being done to the supply chain by the demented policies of the sputtering Biden Administration .

Your donation has to be received by the end of December in order to qualify for the tax credit. So please don’t put it off. You are about to be deluged by holiday catalogs and junk mail so don’t wait till the last minute.

Every dime donated goes towards finding, supporting and electing good candidates, and, just as importantly, exposing the fakers and liars.

You can mail your donation to OFFPAC to PO Box 556, Canby Or. 97013, or make a secure donation online here.https://oregonfirearms.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/70447/Default.aspx

Please remember to choose “OFFPAC” from the dropdown menu to assure your donation is properly applied and you get your tax credit.

Thanks for you support and commitment to saving Oregon.

School Board Battles Are Here

 

As you know, SB 554 the awful gun control bill brought to us by cowardly Republicans, is in effect and includes a provision to ban concealed handgun license holders from being armed on school property. This does not just mean the school buildings, it means ANY school property including buildings far from campus and playing fields and the property surrounding them.

Under SB 554, any school district can vote to make their property an “active killer safe zone” by prohibiting law abiding people from being armed on school property during an attack. This mind numbingly stupid policy is being considered at the same time the politicians and  public school establishment are doing their best to eliminate school resource officers.   This policy is insane.

We have now learned that the Bethel Eugene School Board is considering instituting this dangerous policy and placing a giant “open season on our kids” sign on their schools.

It’s essential that you contact the school board and express how foolish and deadly this policy will be.

Remember, this won’t only affect the kids and the parents of the school district.  This disastrous policy will endanger any CHL holder who sets foot on any part of the school property.  Not only will trained, responsible adults be denied entry into the schools they are paying for but  anyone so much as watching a sporting event on their property will be violating the law.

It’s critical that we create as much opposition to this attack as possible. Because, as you know, the left won’t stop there. Soon enough every school will become a killing zone.

Please contact the board https://www.bethel.k12.or.us/school-board/ to voice your strong objection to this proposed policy.

The entire board can be reached with one email at this address :  publiccomment@bethel.k12.or.us

Talking points:

This policy will have negative impacts for anyone near the schools, not just the residents and parents of the district.

No policy banning guns in the hands of trained law-abiding people will have ANY effect on criminals.  They may as well post a sign on school grounds that says “No viruses allowed”

CHL holders have never been, and will never be, a problem in schools. But the fact that they might be there dissuades bad actors.

We are losing school resource officers to budget cuts and demented, politically correct policies.  Advertising that good people can’t protect themselves and kids is a recipe for disaster.

These kinds of bad ideas will make the school districts liable for any crime that hurts or kills kids because trained gun owners were denied the ability to protect them.

The schools may very well be setting themselves up for lawsuits if it’s determined that a law handing over legislative abilities to schools turns out to be unconstitutional .

We have no doubts there will be many of these battles coming. Please help us stop this one in its tracks and send a message to school boards that you will not accept them putting our kids in harm’s way.

Thank you.

 

10.22.2021

 

Meet the new boss…

Same as the old boss…

 

 

The Senate Republicans, proving once again that while genius has its limits, stupidity and cowardice are boundless, have replaced their “leader” with someone who is arguably worse than Fred Girod who stepped down “for health reasons.”

And because he already got his 4 million bucks.

While most would find that impossible to imagine, it’s true.

Girod, who sold out all Oregonians but especially Oregon’s gun owners has been replaced by Tim Knopp, who not only joined Girod in his disgraceful collaboration with the far left Democrats, but who actually has a longer history of doing so.

In previous sessions, under real leadership, the Senate Republicans walked out denying the left some of their most sought after and destructive policy victories.  Except for Tim Knopp who stayed behind in an effort to provide the Democrats the quorum they needed to ram through their agenda.

At the time, Knopp, laughably contended that he had been “asked” to stay behind to “monitor” the Democrats.  That was complete crap of course, but sadly a fair number of people believed him.

Needless to say, this past session Knopp was part of the cabal of cowardly Republicans who stayed on the floor to ensure that the Democrats could pass their endless attacks on our rights, including SB 554, the crown jewel of gun control.

We can’t actually say this will make things worse. Once you’ve hit bottom all you can do is stay there.

10.07.2021

Second Amendment Sanctuary Update

We want to send a big and sincere thank you to everyone who is supporting our battles to protect local Second Amendment Sanctuary ordinances.

Our recent victory in Columbia County could not have happened without you. But, as you know, the leftist Oregon establishment is furious, vengeful, and well funded. These will certainly be our most expensive battles to date.

We recently informed you that the State of Oregon, backed by billionaire bucks from Bloomberg’s “Everytown,” has declared war on counties with Second Amendment Sanctuary ordinances.

They started with Columbia County and when they failed there, set their sights on Yamhill and Harney County.

When we defeated them in Columbia County they immediately appealed. So there we are facing not only the State of Oregon as adversaries, but also two duplicitous County Commissioners who are suing to repeal their own ordinance.

Now the Oregon Department of “Justice” has filed against the ordinances in Yamhill and Harney counties hoping to intimidate all the other localities that have established rules to protect their citizens from the extreme agendas of Kate Brown and the liberal legislature.

We believe the counties are the last line of defense against Brown and her cronies.  As we learned in the last legislative session, Republican office holders in Salem will not stand up for your rights even when they have a virtual guarantee of victory.

Under the failed “leadership” of Fred Girod in the Senate and Christine Drazan in the House, the Republicans ran away from every fight, leaving Oregon in far worse shape than when the session started.

So, if Oregonians are going to preserve any shred of freedom, we must take these fights to the counties.

But many counties are not well funded and they are fearful of Brown and her henchmen (and women.)

We are concerned that the commissioners in Harney County will be bullied into submission by these lawsuits.

While counties have their own legal counsels, all too often those lawyers lack both the skill and the courage to take on big fights. In many cases, these lawyers are actually trying to undermine the will of the people and the commissioners, as we saw in Columbia and Yamhill County.

So we have to get to work.  Harney County is a long way from Portland. If the leaders of Harney can be bullied and intimidated by Kate Brown and Mike Bloomberg, the rest of the state will be next and what few rights we have will soon be gone.

We already know that Brown’s Department of Justice plans to lie and misrepresent what these ordinances do, just like they did in Columbia County. 

We know they are testing the waters to see where they can get a victory after their defeat in Columbia.

We know that the “elite” in Salem consider the residents and commissioners of Harney County to be rubes and bumpkins they can batter into submission.

“These actions will hopefully send the message that we are prepared to preserve the rule of law across our state..” said Oregon’s anti-gun Attorney General and candidate for governor.

But we think they are messing with the wrong cowboys.  Please let the commissioners know they must stand up to Brown and defend their counties.

It makes no sense to create ordinances to protect your citizens from the crushing boots of the state and then fold when the state threatens you. Especially when the state tried that once and failed.

When several counties declared emergencies because of looming shortages of first responders due to vaccine mandates, the governor told them they are “on their own”.

According to “The Salem Reporter”:

“The state Office of Emergency Management maintains that cities and counties are responsible under law to provide emergency services for their citizens, and the state should only step in when local governments are overwhelmed. Spokeswoman Chris Crabb wrote in an email that the office will evaluate requests for help from local governments, but they should try first to solve their own problems. “

So when counties face crises because of state mandates, they are “on their own” but when they create protections for their residents they are sued by Brown. This is outrageous.

Please contact the Harney County Commissioners and tell them to stand up to Brown and her foot soldiers.

Please remind them they work for the people in their county.

Thank them for having the courage to write, and enforce, an ordinance that defends the constitutional rights of Harney County residents and visitors.

Let them know they are the last line of defense against the failed and deadly politics of Portland and Salem.

And remind them that the rest of the state is looking for their leadership.

Rural Oregonians are regularly the victims of dangerous Portland dictates. This has to stop.

The Harney County “Court” (commissioners) are:

Pete Runnels, County Judge
450 N. Buena Vista #5
Burns, OR 97720
Phone: 541-573-6356
FAX: 541-573-8387
Email: pete.runnels@co.harney.or.us

Kristen Shelman, County Commissioner, Position 1
Email: kristen.shelman@co.harney.or.us
Phone: 541-589-4384

Patty Dorroh, County Commissioner, Position 2
Phone: 541-589-1898
Email: patty.dorroh@co.harney.or.us

10.01.2021

 

Oregon’s anti-rights attorney general has now added Yamhill and Harney Counties to her list of targets.

Both counties have Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinances, and now, as in Columbia County, Oregon’s AG has filed suit against them.

Oregon’s AG, along with Bloomberg’s “Every Town For Gun Safety,” and the county of Columbia, sought to have the Columbia County’s Second Amendment ordinance overturned, and as you know, they failed.

But with the limitless resources of New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and your tax money, all three of them are appealing our victory.

Now Ellen Rosenblum is using your money to attack similar ordinances in Yamhill and Harney Counties.

In an ironically worded press release, Rosenblum said:

“Gun safety laws exist to help keep guns out of dangerous hands and keep people safe. A county commission simply doesn’t get to override state law in this way.  The laws of Oregon remain fully in force – and fully enforceable – notwithstanding these invalid ordinances. No officials should be frightened out of properly doing their job by the threat of illegitimate criminal charges or bogus lawsuits. Although today’s lawsuits are addressed to only these two Oregon counties, other counties have enacted similar illegal ordinances. These actions will hopefully send the message that we are prepared to preserve the rule of law across our state.”

This will be an interesting battle given Oregon’s forceful efforts to thwart immigration law and its legalization of hard drugs.

Once again, the state will be using your tax dollars to attack the rights of Oregonians while they work overtime to protect criminals.

As you are aware, these battles are insanely expensive.  Our victory in Columbia County came at a high cost and now we are not only fighting an appeal of that victory but witnessing the crushing boot of the state coming down in other counties.

You can see the AG’s suit against Harney County here.

You can view the AG’s suit against Yamhill County here.

What counties in Oregon and around the country have been saying in these ordinances is that they will decide how to prioritize their law enforcement budgets, no differently than Portland refusing to cite people for traffic violations or rioting.

The state’s position is that they can compel the counties to enforce laws while allowing places like Portland to choose to ignore laws. The hypocrisy is blinding, but the anti-gun left will stop at nothing to eliminate your right to protect yourself and your family while ensuring that criminals walk free.

If you have not already booked that U-Haul to leave the state, please consider supporting our efforts to throw roadblocks at the anti-rights machine that is in power in our state. They have your money and Bloomberg’s billions. All we have is you.

You can make a secure donation online here: https://oregonfirearms.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/70447/Default.aspx

If you prefer PayPal, there is a yellow “Donate” button at this link: https://www.oregonfirearms.org/join-support-off

If you prefer to donate through the regular mail our address is:

OFF

PO Box 556

Canby OR

97013.

We are grateful and humbled by your generous support. We know these battles seem endless. Thank you for your generosity.

GUN LOCK DOWN BILL IS LAW

09.25.2021

SB 554, the rights crushing bill brought to us by leftist Democrats and cowardly Republicans is now in effect .

We have received numerous requests for an explanation of exactly what the bill does. But given the contradictions between what its proponents said it would do, and what the actual language of the bill says, any attempt at an in-depth explanation of the bill would be a fool’s errand.

Just one example of what a cesspool of state efforts at entrapment it is,  is this line from Section 2 of the bill:

(It apparently is referring to a definition of what an integral firearm’s locking device is)

(b) A device incorporated into the design of the firearm that is designed to prevent the operation of the firearm by any person not having access to the device.

If you are scratching your head, you are not alone.

During the time the bill was being debated its proponents insisted that you could lawfully allow a minor child to have access to a firearm for self defense in the home. They repeated this over and over. And over and over we contacted Republican legislators to request that they ask how that position could be reconciled with this language in the bill:

(b)That the owner or possessor of the firearm is in the person’s own residence, either alone or with only authorized persons who also live in the residence and who are not minors, and the residence is secure. (Emphasis added)

As you probably have concluded, the Republicans repeatedly let this contradiction slide.

So, while we will in no way attempt to dissect this poorly written garbage, we are confident telling you this:

Under the law, you need to keep any gun you are not carrying locked up and useless.

You can be held responsible for any crimes committed with guns that have been stolen from you.

Your rights to allow a minor to use one of your firearms are now extremely restricted and very complicated.

Your liability when you LAWFULLY transfer a firearm is now exponentially higher.

You may no longer carry a firearm with a concealed handgun license in the Portland Airport Terminal, the Capitol Building (YOUR building) and the grounds of any school that chooses to make its property off limits.

The cost of a CHL has doubled.

Those are the highlights.

As you have been hearing, there is a massive uproar in the legislature because House Speaker Tina Kotek pulled the rug out from under the House Republicans by reneging on a deal she made to give them equal representation on a redistricting committee.

This is all theater and a giant fraud. Anyone with a functioning brain cell knew that having equal votes on ONE redistricting committee meant nothing.  All the Democrats had to do was not agree to anything the Republicans wanted and refuse to pass anything. And then redistricting would be taken away from the legislature and handed over to militant anti-gunner, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan.

The Democrats never had anything to lose.  And now, with the football yanked away again as they set up for a kick, the Republicans are whining about what a bad deal they got and acting surprised that Kotek would lie to them.  It’s all nonsense.

The deal was always about money and nothing else.

Suddenly, the Republicans who refused to stand up for anything this session and watched as our rights were stolen, are outraged that the same people who screwed us are screwing them.  Because you see, while losing your rights is YOUR problem, getting redistricted and maybe losing their seats is THEIR problem.

No matter how this ends, we lose.  Of course, if the Democrat’s plans to gerrymander all of Oregon to forge even bigger majorities for the party of left wing extremists are successful, it’s hard to imagine that things could get worse considering the complete refusal of almost all Republicans to stand for anything but a payoff.

Meanwhile, we want to thank everyone who has contributed to our battle in Columbia County and our fights against two anti-gun ballot measures. No other organization stepped up to fight these ballot measures and these fights are very expensive. So your support has been critical.

We are facing some of the most challenging times in our history. Across the state medical and emergency service workers are facing termination for refusing to have their bodily autonomy stolen by the same people who are working to steal our Second Amendment Rights.

Violent crime is soaring as police numbers dwindle and nationally our country is under the control of people who clearly are determined to destroy it.

You are the front lines now. There is no other way to put it.  Thank you again for your uncompromising support and stay safe and strong.

Here We Go Again.

 

09.13.2021
As you know, we had a significant victory recently defending the Second Amendment in Columbia County.

When the County, with the help of radical anti-rights groups, attempted to overturn Second Amendment sanctuary ordinances in place in the county, we fought them and won.

None of that would have been possible without your help. Unlike the county officials who  count on the backing of New York billionaires, all we have here at Oregon Firearms Federation is you.

But now they are back with a vengeance and a big bankroll.

The county, the Oregon Attorney General, and Everytown For Gun Safety are all separately appealing our victory.  This is not a surprise even though county officials and their legal counsel falsely claimed the were not trying to overturn the will of the people.

Please note, one County Commissioner, Casey Garrett, has opposed these attacks on our rights but the county lawyer and Commissioners Henry Heimuller and Margaret Magruder have joined forces to reverse the sanctuary ordinances passed by the people.

Now these enemies of the Second Amendment have the backing of not only Mike Bloomberg’s billions, but your tax dollars which will be used by our own Attorney General to try to strip away the rights of Columbia County residents and visitors.

This is a case with national implications and that’s why Gun Owners of America has stepped up to help, but we are still facing a new round of very large legal bills.

One thing we have learned in the last year is that in spite of the self serving and phony claims of our elected officials, we can expect no help from politicians. Their greed and cowardice is no longer a matter of debate.  We are on our own.

As much as we prefer NOT to have our battles in courtrooms, in this case we simply have no choice.  With your help we won the first round.  The anti-gun forces faced a humiliating defeat that reverberated across the country and now they will stop at nothing and spare no expense to get revenge.

So we have no choice but to ask you once again for the most generous support you can give us to defeat them one more time.

If we lose this fight, Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinances across Oregon and the country will be at immediate risk and we could very well see the end of local resistance to the demented policies of Salem and Washington DC.

Please consider whatever contribution you can afford to help us pay these legal bills.

Thank you for your help and all you have done to get us this far.

Secure online donations can be made at this link:

https://oregonfirearms.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/70447/Default.aspx

For those who prefer to use PAYPAL, there is a PAYPAL “Donate” button in this link:

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

For those who prefer to donate by check our address is:

PO Box 556

Canby OR

97013.

You can donate to either OFF or our foundation, Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation, since it all goes to the same fight. Donations to “OFEF”, our foundation, are tax deductible.

08.09.2021

LEFT ATTACKS WORSHIPPERS AND ATTEMPTS FIREARMS CONFISCATION

 

While you probably have not seen any mention in the cartel media, the mob violence continues in Portland. Now the target of the leftist thugs are people committing the unforgivable act of…praying.

While Christian worshippers are violently attacked on the streets of Portland the police have become little more than disinterested observers.

Meanwhile, frauds pretending to be “religious,” who are aligned with the thugs, are doing all they can to make sure you are disarmed and helpless while the mobs attack innocent people unimpeded by police.

Two ballot measures are in the works to virtually eliminate firearms ownership in Oregon. The obvious end goal here is to ensure that the gangs who now rule our streets can do so without fear. See the chief petitioner, Walter  “Mark” Knutson, here  and here with leftist extremists.

Ballot Measure 17 would require a “permit” before you could purchase a firearm. This would be IN ADDITION to the permission required from the Oregon State Police that is current law.

The permit would require the same training currently required to get a permit to carry a handgun concealed and also require :

(A) Review of federal and state laws in place at the time of the class and other safe practices related to ownership, purchase, transfer, use and transportation of firearms;

(B) Review of federal and state safe storage laws in place at the time of the class and other safe practices related to safe storage, including reporting lost and stolen guns;

(C) Prevention of abuse or misuse of firearms, including the impact of homicide and suicide on families, communities and the country as a whole; and

(D) In-person demonstration of the applicant’s ability to lock, load, unload, fire and store a firearm before an instructor certified by a law enforcement agency. This requirement may be met separately from the other course requirements in subpargagraphs (A), (B) and (C) of paragraph (c), which may be completed in an on-line course, provided the on-line course has been conducted by a trainer certified by law enforcement.

(Note, this means NRA certified instructors no longer qualify.)

You would have to wait a month for the permit. The fee would be $65.00. The police who would issue (or refuse to issue) these permits, would, of course,maintain a database for future confiscation in addition to the database kept by the Oregon State Police of every firearms transfer.

“A permit-to-purchase issued under this section does not create any right of the permit holder to receive a firearm.”

The permit can be denied by whatever police agency refuses to issue it based on their own completely unprofessional and unqualified assessment of your  “mental or psychological state.”

If, after receiving the “permit” from the local police, the Oregon State Police refused to complete their own background check , dealers would be prohibited from transferring the firearm to you for as long as OSP decided to withhold their “permission.”

These “permits” would be required for all transfers, not just purchases from gun dealers. Before a person could acquire a firearm they would first need a “permit” from local police and then “permission” from the State Police.  This process could literally take… forever.

IP 17 also bans most firearms magazines.

Ballot Measure 18 bans virtually all modern firearms with extremely restricted exceptions that do not include self defense.

Under the very restrictive scheme you could keep (but not freely use) the banned firearms if you “registered” them with the police for future confiscation. But it goes further. It actually requires that you turn in your registered firearms to the police BEFORE you have been charged with a crime!

Section 5 of the measure actually requires that you…”Permanently and voluntarily relinquish the semiautomatic assault firearm to law enforcement or to a buyback or turn in program approved by law enforcement, prior to commencement of prosecution by arrest, citation or a formal charge.”

When we submitted comments to the Secretary of State about the proposed ballot titles given to both these measures, the Attorney General responded that this confiscation of firearms PRIOR to even being charged with a crime was not a “major effect” of the measure!

As you may know, the Attorney General is considering a run for governor. Let that sink in for a moment.

Because OFF submitted comments on the “proposed” ballot titles for both these measures, we are qualified to challenge the “certified ballot titles.”

Today we submitted our legal challenges to the “certified” ballot titles for both measures.  In both cases, the “titles,”  “summaries” and “results of yes and no votes” do not come close to letting Oregon voters know how dangerous, extreme and misleading these ballot measures are.

Every legal challenge places one more obstacle in the way of the hateful, anti-freedom bigots who are promoting these attacks on our rights and safety.

If you want to contribute to the mounting legal bills for these efforts you can do so here.  Thank you for your support and activism.

All details for Ballot Measure 17 can be viewed here.

All details for Ballot Measure 18 can be viewed here.

07.15.2021

In spite of what you may hear from the press release wing of the minority party, gun owners, and anyone who thinks rationally, took a serious beating this last legislative session.

The Democrats are crowing about all the damage they were able to do, while even Democrat Senate President Peter Courtney has expressed his fears about the nature of the Democrats now in power.

You can hear what Courtney has to say about his fellow travelers in this extraordinary interview.

But while for the moment, the politicians are away from the building they locked the rest of us out of, there are still multiple battles taking place right this minute.  And as we have told you before, these are not fights that can be won with activism.

These fights can only be won with money.

Our two principle battles right now are initiative petitions 17 and 18, (see below for measure details) and our battle to protect the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance in Columbia County.

I wanted to update you on both these fights.

As you know, if measures 17 and 18 pass, firearm’s rights as we know them in Oregon will quite simply be a thing of the past. These measures are so extreme, and so dangerous that we have to do everything we can to stop them.

Given the political attitudes of Oregon’s population centers and their complete disdain for people who live anywhere else, it’s perfectly believable that these demented measures could pass.  And given the bottomless war chest of the east coast leftists who support these attacks on our rights, it’s reasonable to expect massive media buys to convince low information voters that they will be safer if Oregonians are denied the ability to protect themselves and their families.

The last time the Portland Marxists attempted these measures we were able to prevent them from getting on the ballot because of your support. We must do it again.

As we have done in past ballot measure fights, OFF submitted comments to the Secretary of State on the proposed ballot titles for these measures.  Ballot titles are critical during initiative fights because often that’s all many voters read.  While any sane person would vote “no” if they read the entire measures, all too often all they read are the titles and summaries that the anti gun attorney general writes.

As you would expect, the proposed ballot titles and summaries did not begin to describe the damage these ballot measures would do.

By submitting comments that pointed out the deficiencies in the titles and summaries, OFF became legally qualified to challenge whatever ballot titles the Attorney General decides on.  No signature gathering can begin until all the court battles are complete, so it’s essential that we be prepared to go into court and demand titles that reflect just how dangerous and draconian these measures are.

The most effective way to do this is with attorneys who are experienced in the ballot measure process.  We believe the comments we submitted made a strong case for considerable changes but as you might guess, all that lawyer time adds up.

The second front is our battle in Columbia County.  The citizens of Columbia County twice passed citizen ballot measures to protect gun rights against outside infringement .

These sanctuary ordinances have been spreading rapidly across the country as more efforts are made by state and federal bureaucrats to crush gun rights.

The anti-gun billionaire cartel has been looking for an opportunity to challenge them in court and lucky us… they chose Columbia County.

After both Second Amendment Ordinances were passed, the Columbia County Commissioners decided they were losing control of the people who pay them. So they conspired with wealthy east coast anti-gun groups to overturn the will of the voters.

The commissioners basically re-wrote the ordinances the people passed, made unwanted changes and then requested that a court declare their own ordinance invalid.  They did all this while pretending they supported the decision the people made and were just seeking clarification, but in fact, were working behind the scenes with a radical, leftist, anti-gun group to torpedo the sanctuary ordinances.  The case was to be a test to see how many Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinances they could shoot down.

The good news is that all their briefs and pleadings demonstrate little more than a grotesque and willing disregard for what the measures actually do.

While they threw a barrage of baseless allegations against the Sanctuary ordinances, they provided hardly any statutory or other legal basis for the myriad of false claims they made.

But what is even more interesting was their repeated confusion about what they were actually seeking to overturn.  The measures passed by the people were, according to the county commission, replaced by their rewritten ordinance, which they claim was all that was in effect.  But the arguments made by the anti-rights cabal weave drunkenly between attacking the ballot measures that purportedly are no longer in effect, and the bogus “ordinance” drafted by the county.

We believe our lawyers have done an outstanding job of demolishing the propaganda created by the unholy alliance of the county commission and Mike Bloomberg’s paid anti-gun hacks.

The hearing on the case is scheduled for July 21st. Either way it will have national implications. But as we have pointed out, it will be very costly.

We would be grateful for any financial support you can offer to help us cover the legal fees. The past session was rough and these two legal battles are expensive.  But they have grave implications for all gun owners in Oregon and nationwide.

You can make a secure online donation here.

https://oregonfirearms.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/70447/Default.aspx

For those who prefer PAYPAL please use the orange button that says “Donate” on this page:

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

If you prefer to donate through the mail you can send a donation to :

PO Box 556

Canby OR

97013.

Donations can be made to either OFF  or the OFEF, the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation.

Thank you for your support.

Info on Ballot Measure 17

Info on Ballot Measure 18

07.06.2021

Today the County Commissioners of Benton, Marion, Yamhill, and Polk County voted to appoint Anna Scharf to the House Seat vacated when the Oregon Legislature expelled House Rep Mike Nearman.

Mike was one of 5 candidates chosen by the precinct committee people of the Republican Party in House District 23. Mike won that vote by a substantial margin.

The Commissioners chose to ignore the vote of the PCP’s and instead picked Scharf who used to work for Nearman. When asked during the PCP selection process if she would have voted to expel her former boss, she joined the entire Republican House Caucus and said she would have expelled him.

The only Commissioner to honor the overwhelming decision of the PCP’s was Yamhill County Commissioner Mary Starrett.

Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis did not vote.

All the other candidates made clear their intentions to compromise and grovel to the Democrat majority. Only Nearman spoke of standing up to them.

The Republican PCP’s demonstrated a lot more integrity than the Republican House members.

And with only one exception, the commissioners also demonstrated that politics beats principle.

Thanks to commissioner Starrett.  The others will be remembered.

 

Email links for commissioners.

ainsworth.mike@co.polk.or.us

pope.craig@co.polk.or.us