Category: OFF Alerts

04.30.2021

“Drazan said representatives like her, who stayed to vote no against the bill, are not the enemy. She repudiated deceptive language used by activist groups. She said their information is misleading and “buys into the aggressive swarm mentality. Cancel culture with full abandon.”

For more on “deceptive language” read on.

We are at the turning point. The Oregon Legislature is passing extreme attacks on your rights and safety. The Republicans are saying that it’s no big deal because the “people” can always pay many thousands of dollars to refer anti-gun bills to the voters. At the same time, anti-gun organizations are (once again) planning ballot measures that will require many thousands of dollars to challenge. None of the Republicans who accepted donations from gun owners have offered to return any of that money to fund the efforts to reverse anti gun bills or stop new gun control ballot measures.

As you know, SB 554 has passed the House. In exchange for their caving to the Democrats and handing them a victory on this bill, each House Member got 2 million dollars to spend in their districts with very few restrictions. The Senators who voted for, or allowed SB 554 to pass, each got 4 million.

Now that most Senate Republicans, and virtually all House Republicans, have caved, SB554 is much closer to becoming law. Because changes were made to the bill when it was passed in the House, it will have to go back to the Senate for their approval of the changes. If most Senate Republicans fold again, the bill becomes law. If the Senate does not agree to the changes, a “conference committee” will have to be appointed consisting of both House and Senate members.

That committee’s job will be to reach an agreement on final language.

So, while anything can happen, it is entirely possible that they will make the bill even worse than it is.

Because the bill has been through many iterations, we want to tell you what is in the language of the most recent version as passed by the House.

There are some elements of the bill we will not discuss.  We see no reason to point out to the people who are attacking your rights and ability to protect yourself, some of the mistakes they have made.

That would just allow them to go clean up the mess and make the bill even more dangerous. But we’ll point out the most important elements that will make you far less safe should this bill finally pass.

Keep in mind, the Democrats who promoted this bill are the same people who condone the mindless violence that has continued unabated in Oregon for the last year.

The Republicans who claim to oppose this bill but helped pass it by providing a quorum for the Democrats don’t approve of the violence but are willing to place you and your family in increased danger for a few million bucks.

Section 2(1) describes “authorized persons”:

“Authorized person” means a person authorized by the owner or possessor of a firearm to temporarily carry or control the firearm while in the presence of the owner or possessor.

Section 2(9) describes “possessor”:

“Possessor” means a person who possesses a firearm with permission from the owner of the firearm for a period of time when the owner is not present.

So it appears a person, other than the owner of the gun, can be allowed to be in possession of the gun whether the owner is present or not. A person can be given permission to control a gun by someone who does not own the gun if the person who is giving permission has been given permission to give that permission by the owner. But only while in the presence of the “authorized person”.

We hope that’s clear.

Both the sponsors of the bill, and the lawyer who drafted this language, have stated that you may allow your minor child to have access to one of your firearms to protect themselves. However,  Section 2 (3) (b) says that “control” (meaning control of the firearm)  means:

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.

It would appear, that while the owner of a firearm could “authorize” a minor, that minor could still not be in possession of the firearm since neither the owner nor a “possessor” is in the mandated “control” of the firearm if minors are present. We think.   

But while the bill seems to allow an “owner or possessor” to “authorize” another person to “carry or control” a firearm as long as the “owner or possessor” was present, the “authorized person” would still have to be someone who lived in the house. It’s not clear how you “authorize” someone to be a “possessor” instead of an “authorized person.”

Got it? Good, we’ll move on.

Section 3 of the bill deals with mandated storage.

SECTION 3. (1)(a) An owner or possessor of a firearm shall, at all times that the firearm is not carried by or under the control of the owner, possessor or authorized person, secure the firearm:

The bill mandates that all your guns be locked up and useless except in very specific circumstances.

While, as you can see, the bill’s language is mostly incoherent (don’t worry, according to the sponsors the courts will figure it all out) the bill mandates that you lock up anything you are not carrying or are  “…close enough to the firearm to prevent another person who is not an authorized person from obtaining the firearm”.

The bill does not say you must actually “prevent” another person from obtaining the firearm “only that you “be close enough.”

In order to comply with the law your guns must be “secured.” That means:

A) With an engaged trigger or cable lock;

(B) In a locked container; or…..

(C) In a gun room.

So. What’s a “gun room?”

(5) “Gun room” means an area within a building enclosed by walls, a floor and a ceiling, including a closet, that has all entrances secured by a tamper-resistant lock, that is kept locked at all times when unoccupied and that is used for: (a) The storage of firearms, ammunition, components of firearms or ammunition, or equipment for firearm-related activities including but not limited to reloading ammunition, gunsmithing and firearm cleaning and maintenance; or (b) Conducting firearm-related activities, including but not limited to reloading ammunition, gunsmithing and firearm cleaning and maintenance.

That sounds like almost any room in the average gun owner’s home. But since it’s not clear exactly where the “secured entrances” have to be don’t count on it.

There is nothing in the bill that exempts gun stores from all these locking requirements. It is not known how they will be able to comply with these regulations. So far, no one has thought to inquire about that during the floor debates.

A firearm is not considered “secure” if:

A) A key or combination to the trigger or cable lock or the container is readily available to a person the owner or possessor has not authorized to carry or control the firearm.
(B) The firearm is a handgun, is left unattended in a vehicle and is within view of persons outside the vehicle.

We are guessing that (B) means if the gun is locked in your car, but can be seen, it’s not “secure.”

Any gun you do not lock up is a Class C Violation just for not locking it up.

However, if a minor gets an unsecured firearm, it’s a Class A Violation.

(2)(a) A violation of subsection (1) of this section is a Class C violation.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, a violation of subsection (1) of this section is a Class A violation if a minor obtains an unsecured firearm as a result of the violation and the owner or possessor of the firearm knew or should have known that a minor could gain unauthorized access to the unsecured firearm.

Here is what follows in Section 3.

c) Each firearm owned or possessed in violation of subsection (1) of this section constitutes a separate violation.

(3) If a firearm obtained as a result of an owner or possessor of a firearm violating subsection (1) of this section is used to injure a person or property within two years of the violation, in an action against the owner or possessor to recover damages for the injury, the violation constitutes per se negligence, and the presumption of negligence may not be overcome by a showing that the owner or possessor acted reasonably.

(4) Subsection (3) of this section does not apply if:
(a) The injury results from a lawful act of self-defense or defense of another person; or (b) The unsecured firearm was obtained by a person as a result of the person entering or remaining unlawfully in a dwelling, as those terms are defined in ORS 164.205.

So, if a person gets possession of your unlocked firearm you are liable for what they do with it even if you can demonstrate that you acted “reasonably.”  They replaced the term “ strict liability” but it basically means the same thing. There is nothing in the bill that describes how you can prove that guns taken from you were “secured.” So it’s not known if you have to prove they were, or the court has to prove they were not. 

  

If you read subsection 4 above, you might get the impression that your are not in trouble if an unsecured firearm was used in self defense or was stolen. But not so fast.

Subsection 4 says you will not be subject to being sued if a gun is stolen or used in self defense, but you can still be charged with having it unlocked. And then only if the gun was stolen from a “dwelling.” You have no protections if the gun was stolen from your business or your car. And, as you will see, other parts of the bill almost compel you to leave your gun in your car at times.

Section 4 of the bill requires that firearms be transferred with an “engaged trigger or cable lock or in a locked container.”

That means that every new firearm you purchase must be locked when you get it. And every gun you transfer to someone other than a close family member must be locked up.

If they are not, the person who transfers the gun is liable for misuse of that gun for two years. We don’t even have to discuss the lunacy of this demented provision. But again, no one knows how dealers and others are supposed to prove that guns that were transferred were locked up… two years ago.

Section 5 of the bill mandates that you report lost or stolen guns. You are responsible for any crime or accident associated with any lost or stolen gun for two years after it is lost or stolen if you don’t report the loss or theft. 

Section 6 deals with supervising minors.

We think we’ll just leave this out so the nazis pushing this crap don’t get any worse ideas.

Section 8 is where a lot more trouble happens.

The short version is licensed gun owners will no longer be allowed in their capitol building with firearms. Not even legislators.

The steps and the grounds surrounding the Capitol will still be open and available for blm or antifa or anyone else who wants to riot and threaten people. But licensed gun owners will now be forbidden from going through those gauntlets with any protection. But since we are not allowed in the building anymore anyway, really… what’s the difference ?

You don’t have any meaningful way to participate in the “legislative process” now, why should you expect it in 30 or 40 years when all the new variants of covid have been conquered?

You will also not be allowed in airport terminals. But don’t you worry about that, it’s been a while since there have been significant disruptions at the airport.

And you can always leave your gun in your car. (Ok well, never mind.)

But the bill also bans licensed carry on school grounds.

Any school, college and OHSU can ban licensed carry not only in their buildings, but on any grounds they “control.”

That means you can no longer drop off or pick up your kids. You can no longer attend sporting events. You can no longer participate in any program taking place at any school that decides to banish you. And it means the school shooters, who the supporters of this bill used to generate the tears and pant wetting they employed to pass this crap, get carte blanche to attack the babies unimpeded by CHL holders. And of course, the Democrats also want to eliminate police in schools, declaring open season on the kiddos.

Those are the highlights.  We expect this bill to be back on the Senate floor early next week. The Senate Republicans have one more chance to stand up for you, the people who elected them.

Or they can just keep the loot.

One man is keeping Senate Republicans on the floor to help the Democrats stick it to gun owners.

There is still time to let him know how you feel.

Senator Fred Girod

Republican – District 9 – Stayton

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709 
Email: Sen.FredGirod@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/girod

04.23.2021

While other states continue to reduce restrictions on gun owners, Oregon presses forward to tighten the noose around them.

(The Senate recently passed a bill making the display of a noose a crime, so we won’t illustrate this post. “Noose” means a tied loop in the end of a length of rope or cord. We are not making this up.)

Today after multiple delays and backroom deals so secret even Burdick and Prozanski were apparently excluded, the House Rules Committee amended and passed out SB554.

The final version was made public only hours before the work session and after the public could comment on it. That’s transparency at work.

Here is the version they adopted.

The bill now goes to the full House for a vote.

If the bill is brought to the floor as expected, it will pass. Bills like this do not get to the floor unless Kotek knows she has the votes.  So if it makes it to the floor the only thing the House Republicans can do is walk out and deny a quorum, something most Senate Republicans refused to do when the bill was in the Senate.

The amended version of the bill combines the attacks on law abiding gun owners of SB 554 with the attacks on gun owners that were in HB 2510.

Having only one bill to screw gun owners, while rewarding criminals. is less time consuming than having to run both bills and saves the Senate the hassle of dealing with a House bill.

Under the new version you will still need to lock up your guns and you will still be responsible for crimes committed with stolen guns. Because in Oregon, we don’t punish criminals, only  gun owners.

There were some changes made in the prohibitions on public buildings. Now instead of all public buildings being off limits, you only face prison time and a loss of gun rights if you visit our (your) capitol, a school, or an airport terminal. We have no doubts many Republicans will consider this a massive victory.

The amended bill contains this language:

“(3) ‘Control’ means, in relation to a firearm:

“(a) That the owner or possessor of the firearm is close enough to the firearm to prevent another person who is not an authorized person from obtaining the firearm; or

“(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.

The drafter of this bill insists that this means that a minor can be an “authorized person.” The committee accepted that explanation.  We simply cannot see how they can reach that conclusion.

Because of delays in the House caused by a report that someone, somewhere, was exposed to covid, (or maybe exposed to someone who was exposed) we cannot tell you when this bill will reach the floor.

If it passes out of the House it will need to go back to the Senate because of the changes.

So, at this point both the House and Senate Republican leaders STILL have the power to kill this bill.  The ball is in their court.

The Senate and House leader’s contact info follow:

Senator Fred Girod

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709 
Email: Sen.FredGirod@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Christine Drazan

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1439
Email: Rep.ChristineDrazan@oregonlegislature.gov

04.21.2021

Important Update on SB 554.

If you are planing to testify (or attempt to testify) on SB 554 today, please be aware of an amendment proposed by Senate President Peter Courtney.

The “dash- 20” amendment combines the lock up law (HB 2510) with SB 554 and makes a few other changes. The most important one is the addition of an “emergency clause.”

The addition of an emergency clause eliminates the ability of the people to refer the bill to the voters. It was the absence of an emergency clause that the turncoat Republicans in the Senate were using to excuse their selling out on the bill. Their position was that the people could always run a ballot measure to reverse the bill.

With the addition of the emergency clause that option virtually disappears.

The amendment also seems to reduce the number of places that will be made off limits to CHL holders but still includes a doubling of the cost of the permit.

A copy of the amendment is included if you want to refer to it in your testimony.

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/ProposedAmendment/20425

Oregon House Closes Again. And that’s fine with us.

 

UPDATE:

It appears we may have jumped the gun on our last alert posted below.

The hearings and work sessions for SB 554 will almost certainly go on tomorrow and Thursday in spite of the House closing for a covid scare.

The hearing and work sessions are held remotely. So there will be no need to stop them. Please refer back to this post for the correct info,

https://www.oregonfirearms.org/gun-ban-bill-gets-work-hearing

04.20.2021

Once again, the Oregon House is closing down because of reported case of Covid.  As of now, the hearing and work sessions on SB 554, that we told you about in today’s earlier alert, will be postponed. We do not have a new date for those meetings.

While this only delays attacks on our freedom, it does give Republicans more time to grow a spine and stop these bills.

We did mention amendments being proposed to SB 554 in our previous alert and there are two new ones so far that may be considered.

Both of these amendments were introduced by Democrat Brian Clem.  Clem used to pretend to be a defender of gun rights and once apologized to us for supporting a gun control bill with the excuse that Speaker Tina Kotek “made him do it.”

Clem is now an avowed anti-gun militant.  His two amendments ban firearms in parks and add a complete removal of Oregon’s preemption statute to SB 554. Repealing Oregon’s preemption statute would basically allow any locality to ban anything anywhere.

Meanwhile, anti-gun Democrat Brad Witt messes with the wrong gal.

TURNING GUN OWNERS INTO FELONS BILL GETS “WORK SESSION”

 

04.20.2021

Yesterday, in our second alert of the day, we told you that the Oregon House had scheduled a public hearing on Wednesday for SB 554.  554 is the bill that will turn law abiding gun owners into felons and double the cost of a concealed handgun license. A license that will be worth far less should 554 become law.

This bill already passed the Senate with the help of 6 Republican Senators who greased the skids by providing a quorum for the leftists who pushed the bill.

Earlier yesterday we told you the House had delayed a vote on HB 2510, a bill to require that your self defense firearms be locked up and useless and hold you responsible for the crimes committed with stolen guns.

Now the House has scheduled a “work session” for SB 554 the day after the public hearing. Work sessions are were the committee votes to move the bill to the floor for a vote of the entire House.  But it’s also where bills are amended. The work session is scheduled for Thursday April 22 at 8 am.

We don’t know if the delay on HB 2510 has anything to do with the immediate scheduling of SB 554, but there are not a lot of coincidences in Salem.

SB 554 already lists a number of possible amendments. But the committee can always add more, right up to the last second. In fact they can add amendments the public, and even some committee members, have never seen.

We are going to go way out on a limb here and predict that if the bill is amended, it will still not be something gun owners will accept. Let’s face it, the Democrats despise gun owners and they have the votes to do what they want.

At this point there is NO reason to believe the House Republicans under  Christine Drazan will step up and stop the bill. The Democrats greatly outnumber the Republicans, so the only way the House Republicans can stop it is to walk out, which did not happen when the bill was in the Senate. But early in the session the House Republicans willingly gave up any leverage they had when they agreed to be on the floor for a vote on rules that would fine them if they walked out. How they could allow that is anyone’s guess.

If the bill is amended it will have to go back to the Senate for concurrence.

There are a few possibilities if the bill does have to go back to the Senate.

First, the Senate Republicans can roll over and agree to whatever the Democrats have put in the bill… and the bill will pass.

Second the Republicans can put on another absurd dog and any pony show like they did the first time SB 554 was in their chamber and pretend to fight the bill… and the bill will pass.

Last, the Republicans can do the right thing and walk out, denying the Democrats the quorum they need to pass the bill.  Given the past cowardly behavior of the Senate Republican “leader” and the 5 sell out Republican followers who passed the first version of the bill, this is highly unlikely.

Anything can happen in Salem and nothing is over till the last gavel falls. So keeping up the pressure is essential. Both the House and Senate Republican “leaders” need to keep hearing from you.

The worst case scenario of course is the Democrats get everything they want. A ban on guns in countless places and a requirement that the guns you have be locked up.
We think it wise that you prepare for the worst while we keep doing everything we can to prevent it.

While few things are certain in life, one thing is. Portland, like many other places, is going to continue to burn.  The rioters are not going to be stopped and the people in power are going to continue to protect them.  We are heading for a very dangerous summer. The Democrats will be doing all they can to make sure you and your family are defenseless in the face of the thugs they align themselves with.

Make sure you have made whatever preparations you deem wise to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

The Senate and House leader’s contact info follow:

Senator Fred Girod

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709 
Email: Sen.FredGirod@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Christine Drazan

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1439
Email: Rep.ChristineDrazan@oregonlegislature.gov

Oregon House Now Moving Bill To Make Gun Owners Felons.

 

04.19.2021

Earlier today we told you that HB 2510 had been held over until next Monday.

The Oregon House has just announced that on Wednesday it will be holding a public hearing on SB 554.

The hearing will be in the House Rules Committee. That committee is run by anti-rights extremist Barbara Smith Warner.

554 will make Concealed Handgun License holders FELONS if they stray too close to any public building that has been declared off limits by whoever controls that building.

The bill also doubles the cost of a concealed handgun license. 

This  link:  https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Committees/HRULES/2021-04-21-13-00/Agenda  will provide info on viewing the hearing , submitting testimony, and “attempting” to testify “live remotely.” Note, these links often fail. If that link is broken try this link: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Testimony/HRULES?meetingDate=2021-04-21-13-00 
We have no control over the legislative website but that link should at least allow you to upload written testimony.

While we encourage the submission of testimony and making an attempt to testify to the committee itself, history has shown that these remote hearings are typically train wrecks where pro-gun testimony is often shut out.

(See also this video. https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement/Pages/How-to-Testify.aspx )

We encourage you to continue to contact the House Republican Leader who is also on the committee that will be hearing this bill.

Remember, if the Democrats are determined to pass this bill as a goodbye present to Ginny Burdick, they have the votes.  The Republicans can only stop them by refusing to cooperate.

 

 

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1400
Email the House Republican Leader: rep.christinedrazan@oregonlegislature.gov 

 

04.19.2021

HB 2510, the bill to hold you accountable for crimes committed with guns stolen from you, was NOT heard on the House floor today. It was held over again until next Monday.

(This bill would also require that your guns be locked away and useless.)

This is good news and bad news.

Every day the bill is delayed is another day for the Republicans to step up, grow a spine, and stop this madness.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is we have no reason to believe the bill is being delayed for any reason other than to make it worse.

The Democrats behind this bill live and breathe to attack law abiding gun owners so this bill will not die quietly.

HB 2510 is awaiting action in the House, but so is SB 554. So the future of both bills is in the hands of the House members.

554 would make gun owners felons if they were NEAR a public building with a firearm, even while in possession of a concealed handgun license.  So it’s possible the House Democrats are trying to combine the measures. Or they may just be biding their time. Or they may be hearing from so many angry voters that they are reconsidering. We think that’s the least likely option. Senator Ginny Burdick, Oregon’s premier, pathological gun grabber was just given a cushy payoff, so she will not be completing her term, but she will not be leaving before the end of the session. The Democrats believe they “owe” her the passage of more damaging gun restrictions , so there is no reason to relax.

No matter what, the bill did NOT get a floor session today so it did not pass…today.

That means we have another few days to contact House Republican Leader Christine Drazan and remind her that your gun rights are not negotiable.

The Republicans have caved on the requirement to read the bills. In exchange they got a “seat at the table” for redistricting. The fight over redistricting is really an effort for incumbents to save their seats.

If Republicans save their seats so they can continue to pass Democrat legislation, we do not win.

Please contact Drazan and tell her we expect her to do what she was hired do to, protect our rights.

Representative Christine Drazan

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1439
Email: Rep.ChristineDrazan@oregonlegislature.gov

The House of Cards Is Crumbling

04.16.2021 

With the Oregon Senate a lost cause due to the cowardly actions of half the Republican Senators, the Oregon House Republicans have now followed suit.

As you may know, the House Republicans had been slowing the pace of the leftist thugs by requiring that each bill be read in its entirety before being voted on. That has all changed.

The House Republicans have capitulated and given up any effort to slow down the pace of the destruction and are no longer demanding that the bills be read before they are voted on.  As House Rep Mike Nearman said, “Fasten your chinstraps,the speed of legislation is going to get fast and the tone of the legislation is going to make a hard turn left.”

Here is what the Republicans got in exchange for handing the Democrats the keys to the car and the liquor cabinet and 100 bucks in cash…

Now the Republicans will get “equality” on the House Committee that handles redistricting. (Or is it equity?)

Republicans in both Houses have been using redistricting as an excuse to continue selling Oregonians down the river. The claim has been that if they walked out, they could not influence the redistricting process. That was laughable on a number of levels.

First of all, walk outs are never intended to last forever. They last until your demands are met.

Second, the Republicans have nothing to say about anything. Period. If the Democrats want it, the Democrats get it. The Republicans can only get what they ask for if they are asking for something the Democrats want.

But now, the House Republicans bargained away your rights for the illusion that having equal membership on the committee means anything.  For one thing, it has no effect on the Senate Redistricting committee. Furthermore, now all the Democrats have to do is refuse to agree to anything the Republicans wanted (which they would have done anyway) and stall the process long enough for leftist radical, Shemia Fagan, (our ultra activist Secretary of State) to take over the process. Which was the plan all along.

The Republicans threw in the towel as soon as they got what they thought would be cover.

Now, HB 2510, the bill to force you to be defenseless in the face of criminal attacks, AND be responsible for guns stolen from you will be the first thing on the agenda Monday.

The bill was carried over from April 12th so the Republicans would not have to fold so soon after another humiliating defeat.

As you know, if a bill gets to the floor, it WILL pass. The exceptions are so rare as to be meaningless.

This means the Republicans KNOW, that barring divine intervention, HB 2510 is going to pass Monday. And all the theatrics the Republicans have planned will be nothing more than another side show for the unwashed masses.

Meanwhile, the Republicans in both Houses keep shoveling their usual load of horse manure that they are “doing all they can” to stop these bills, when they refuse to do the only thing that actually can stop them and that’s to walk out.

The Senate (with the help of six Republicans) has already passed SB 554 and that bill is now awaiting action on the House side. The House will vote on Monday on HB 2510, and if all goes according to plan most of your gun rights will soon be gone.

As you may know, in reaction to this disgraceful behavior, a recall campaign has been filed against Senate Republican “leader” Fred Girod.  Girod is on record in numerous places saying he “doesn’t care” about the recall. (This, in spite of the fact that the recall is being run by conservatives, the very people who elected Girod.)

We have had numerous reports of people contacting Girod’s office to object to his sell outs only to be rudely told by Girod’s staff that they “don’t matter.”

While there is an official recall underway, others who appear to have no connection to the official recall are expressing their outrage with signage calling for Girod’s ouster.

The website on their sign was not active when we first were made aware of it, but  clearly other people are independently fed up.

Interestingly, this effort has been mocked by House Rep Bill Post, and Dru Draper.


Bill Post is a Republican who has courted gun owners for years and regularly asked OFF’s PAC for donations.  Dru Draper is the flack who is responsible for the endless stream of fundraising pitches the Senate Republicans have been sending since they began their sell outs.  Apparently, they think people who are upset with Girod (and other turn coat Republicans) are “clowns.”

It now appears that the sellout is nearly complete. While both SB 554 and HB 2510 still have a way to go to become law, it’s clear that the Republican leadership and most Republican legislators are committed to let that happen.

We fully support the recall of Fred Girod. We believe strongly that this kind of duplicity and cowardice cannot be rewarded. Girod came to us and asked for help when the election was underway. And we helped. That was your money he took and your votes he got so he could kick gun owners in the teeth.

Recalls are expensive. But in this case, we strongly believe there is no other option.

If you agree, we’d love your help. Donations to our PAC will go to the recall campaign.  Thank you.

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

04.01.2021

Gun Theft Victim Liability Bill Advances.

 

HB 2510, which will hold gun owners liable for crimes committed with firearms stolen from them, received a “second reading” today and is now scheduled for a “third reading” tomorrow on the House floor.

“Third reading” is the term used for that part of the process where a bill is actually voted on, on the floor of the House or Senate.

While it is scheduled for a vote tomorrow, that is unlikely.  The House Republicans have slowed down the process of ramming through legislation by requiring that all bills be read in their entirety before being voted on, a process usually waived with consent of the legislators.

As a result, progress on voting on bills has slowed tremendously in the House. And this is a good thing.  So unless something really out of the ordinary happens, the bill will not receive a vote tomorrow, but because it has been scheduled, it will receive a vote at some point.

Given the Democrats supermajority in the House, there is no question the bill will pass.

In addition to holding theft victims liable for the crimes committed with guns stolen from them, the bill requires that your self defense firearms be kept locked up and useless.

The Oregon Democrats have chosen an interesting time to make sure you are defenseless. Violent crime is surging to terrifying highs and the police admit they can’t handle it.

Make no mistake, none of this is an accident.

Once the bill passes in the House, it will go to the Senate where the Senate Republican “leader” has vowed not to walk out to stop this madness.

He and the five other Republicans who stayed behind on the Senate floor, to assure that SB 554 (go to the library go to prison) would pass, insist it would “look bad” for them to walk out, in some cases actually citing Democrats disapproval of a walk out.

It seems like we should not have to point out that Democrats did not elect them, or in almost every case, reelect them, after the last walkout which successfully killed dangerous legislation in the last session. They are also claiming that it would be “impractical” to walk out now when there is so much time left in the session.  This is particularly inane since they did not walk out for the entire session last time, only until their demands were met.(Senator Tim Knopp, who has made a career of staying behind to help the Democrats when others walked out, actually excused his betrayal of gun owners by telling one voter “Independents and Democrats oppose walkouts by 2/3rds or more.”

So the Republicans who refuse to leave, and thereby guarantee passage of extreme anti-gun bills, are now in the business of making excuses instead of protecting your rights.

In emails to voters who question them about their refusal to stand up, they dismiss voters concerns by telling them that they can always spend their own money and time and take the chance that they could repeal these bills by costly ballot measure. They also say “hey we voted against that bill” and ignore that fact that just by being on the floor they guaranteed passage.

While the slow down in place in the House is helping, it is highly unlikely that it will kill any legislation that the Democrats are determined to pass. So the House’s refusal to walk out is every bit as dangerous as the refusal by some Senate Republicans. But at least the House is slowing things down.

On the Senate side, not only are they speeding bills along, but Senate Republican “leader” Fred Girod has actually made motions on the floor himself to speed the process up.

You can still  let the Oregon Republicans know how you feel about their complicity in this outrage by using this link: https://freeroots.com/go/stop-the-attack-on-gun-rights

It’s true that many legislators are now not even looking at your emails so if you prefer to call you can reach the voice mailboxes of House Leader Christine Drazan here 503-986-1439 and Senate Republican Leader Girod here 503-986-1709. 

Some folks have received messages back from Girod saying their email was “deleted unread” so a phone call may be a better bet.

The six Republican Senators who sold out gun owners on the vote on SB 554 are listed in this alert. They are all working overtime to cover their tracks, but the fact remains, they came to the floor knowing the bill would pass no matter how they voted, and now they want you to fix the mess they made.

If the majority of the Republican House members also refuse to walk, gun owners will have very little left at the end of this session.

THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO DEMOCRATS

 

 

03.30.2021

Today the House held “work sessions” on two anti-gun bills.

The House Judiciary “worked” HB 2543, the bill that will allow the State Police to deny a firearm’s purchase forever with no justification. That’s “forever” with an “F”.

The House “Health” Committee  “worked” HB 2510. This is the bill that will hold gun owners “strictly liable” for crimes committed by the criminals who Oregon continues to release without punishment, using guns they stole from the law abiding.

Under 2510, even if a gun owner locks up a gun, if it’s stolen, the victim is responsible if the thief kills someone.

It’s hard for rational people to make sense of this. But that’s the way Oregon rolls in 2021.

Without explanation. the Democrat Chair of the House Judiciary Committee moved HB 2543 to the Rules Committee “without recommendation.”

The Rules committee does not have the deadlines most other committees have. That means that this bill can be safely kept alive until the very end of the session.

The Democrats have the votes to pass this bill so it’s not clear why they are waiting, but there is no reason to consider this good news.

House Bill 2510 was passed out of committee to the House Floor where it faces certain passage if the House Republicans continue to cooperate with the majority party in these endless attacks on rights, safety, and common sense.

The Oregon Senate, with the pathetic compliance of six Republican Senators, has already passed SB 554 which will make Oregon concealed handgun license holders felons should they go NEAR the public buildings they pay for.

HB 2510 will help ensure that Oregonians will be placed in great jeopardy should they attempt to comply with the Senate Bill 554.

You see, the Senate bill will require that gun owners park far from any government building and lock their self defense guns in their cars. (People without cars are screwed the minute they leave the house.) If a person does comply and lock her gun in a vehicle, and one of Oregon’s many unpunished criminals steals it, the gun owner is responsible for whatever crimes are committed with that gun.

For those of you who are lucky enough to live in parts of the state far from the hellholes of Portland and Salem who might think the thugs who rule the streets have quieted down, think again.

This insanity took place at the State Capitol, this Sunday. Yes, the Capitol has been closed for months and yes there is no one there on Sunday anyway, but the animals still took over and of course, one person trying to protect himself was disarmed by the police who stood by while innocent people were attacked.

We want to thank the six Senators who refused to be part of the sellout on SB 554 by not showing up on the Senate floor for a vote on the bill.

They were:

Senator Kim Thatcher

Senator Art Robinson

Senator Chuck Thomsen

Senator Brian Boquist

Senator Dennis Linthicum and

Senator Dallas Heard

The other six took gun owner’s money, sold them out and now are using their sell out to make excuses and raise more money for themselves.

The Republican House members surrendered before the battle even began by agreeing to vote on rules that would fine them if they walked out. While they can claim they voted “no,” they did so knowing those votes would not make a damn bit of difference and they would lose.  What thinking person shows up to agree to be neutered escapes us. But that will have to be taken up with House Republican “leader” Christine Drazan.

Senate Bill 554 had its first action on the House side today where it was “first read”. This is the first step in setting the bill up for a vote.  If the bill passes on the House side without any changes it will soon be law.

Should the House make any changes it will need to go back to the Senate where, unless there is a change in “leadership” among the Republicans, it will pass again and then become law.

At this time there is no indication that anything will be stopped on the House side either because the House Republicans have showed no willingness to walk out.

Anything can change at anytime. But as of right now, there seems to be no chance that there will be any effort on the part of Republican legislators, (with the exception of the ones listed above) to take steps to protect your rights.

But at least some brave elected officials are willing. 

Yamhill County recently moved a Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance. We commend them for refusing to be slapped around by the apologists for lawless thugs.

This piece by KGW was clearly intended to attack the ordinance and the commissioners who passed it, but really backfired on the sock puppet delivering it when their own legal expert explained that it would not be so easy to challenge it.

Our deep gratitude goes out to County Commissioners Lindsay Berschauer and Mary Starrett for having the courage to do what so many Republican Legislators would not. (Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulia [kullac@co.yamhill.or.us]voted against protecting gun owner’s rights.)

The fight is far from over.  There is still time for the legislators, who gladly took your money to get elected, to stand up. But every passing day makes the fight for our rights to defend our families harder.

This Train Wreck Was Planned.
03.27.2021

 

As you know, this past Thursday, the Oregon Senate passed SB 554. 

SB 554 was a direct attack on persons with Oregon Concealed Handgun Licenses. This assault was based on nothing except the Democrat’s blind hatred for gun owners.

Under this bill, persons with concealed handgun licenses will face 5 years in prison for being near a public building with a licensed firearm.

(During the floor session, the proponents of this bill repeatedly misrepresented this fact.)

The Democrats gave no examples of CHL holders in Oregon shooting up libraries or bus shelters. This extreme attack on the rights, and even the freedom of Oregon’s most law abiding citizens, was motivated by nothing more than the “feelings” of liberals whose mental stability is clearly in question.

At the beginning of the floor session, Oregon Firearms Federation was attacked by Republican Senator Bill Hansell for the headline of an email alert we put out the day before.

Here is that alert.  The headline, as anyone listening to the attached audio can see, is 100% accurate and true.

But, after Democrat Senate President Peter Courtney was heard on an open mic saying “I saw Hansell here, they’re gonna get crushed” just before the floor session where the Democrats crushed the Republicans on the SB 554 vote, Hansell came to the floor on Thursday to praise Courtney, discuss their relationship and insist that the comment referred to a sports team. 

As you can see in our headline, we never said who Courtney was referring to, so we think the ladies doth protest too much.

Hansell’s fawning lovefest with the Democrat leader was followed by  comments from Democrat Floyd Prozanski who said that our alert was the product of an organization and person (Director Kevin Starrett) who has a “history of misleading people.”

Just to set the record straight on that comment, Prozanski has accused us for years of misleading people. He once sent out a lengthy email claiming we doctored a photo of him to make him look foolish and posted it on our website.  As with everything else Prozanski said, this was a complete and total lie. In fact, Prozanski inadvertently demonstrated how deceitful he is by linking to the photo in question. The link was to a website that is not OFF’s and which OFF neither controlled nor had anything to do with.

At the time, we publicly offered Prozanski $10,000.00 dollars if he could demonstrate that one word of what we had reported was untrue. As you might expect, he never attempted to collect.

Prozanski suffers from his own demons that make him terrified of gun owners.  But for some reason he never stops working to make life easier for criminals.  What motivates his twisted agenda is not hard to speculate about, but people like Hansell have no excuse.

As we have reported, six Republican Senators were on the floor for the vote on SB 554. 5 Republican Senators, and one former Republican (Brian Boquist) were not.

We know, unequivocally, that most of the Senators who were not there, walked out to protest this bill.  The Republicans who were on the floor all voted “no.”  And this is where the sideshow begins.

We have repeatedly noted that the Republicans who were on the floor assisted in the passage of this bill.  Their “no” votes were immaterial, meaningless, theater.

Once that bill came to the floor, it was guaranteed to pass.

The Republicans knew that. Every single one of them. And any one of them that says differently is a liar or a fool.

The Democrats have complete dictatorial control over what passes and what does not. Period. That is the end of the story. Bills do not reach the floor of the Senate unless Senate President Courtney knows he has the votes to pass them.  You can research yourself and see how incredibly rarely a bill is voted down on the floor. And SB 554 was no different.

The six Republicans who showed up on the floor on Wednesday allowed the Democrats to schedule the bill for Thursday simply by showing up. Once the bill was on the floor for a vote, it was going to pass.

And by showing up on Thursday, and once again providing the Democrats a quorum, the six Republicans guaranteed passage of the bill and their “no” votes and comical and pointless procedural moves to slow it down meant nothing.  Every single objection they raised was trashed immediately by the majority as they knew it would be.

That was all a sideshow for the ever failing cameras so they could go back to the gun owners in their districts and boast about all they did to “protect gun rights.” In some cases the charade was a success. OFF received numerous emails saying we were wrong about the vote. Because they heard from these brave Republicans and by God, they voted “no!”

Of course they did. Because anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in the Senate knows how these things go, and know a vote against a bill has no bearing on the outcome. (Ok maybe newly elected Dick Anderson doesn’t know anything, but we’re guessing someone clued him in.)

The Republicans had one option to kill this bill and prevent the Democrats from placing you at risk for prison time. And that was to walk out and deny quorum, a lawful, constitutional tactic that was used in the past to stop the Democrat’s radical and hate filled agenda.  They all knew that, and six Senators stayed away.  The others remained, gave a meaningless  “no” vote, assisted Democrats in their agenda …and then ginned up the spin machine.

Senator Tim Knopp told people who wrote to him that he took a “leadership role” in fighting the bill.  This is the same person who stayed behind to help the Democrats get a quorum when Republicans walked out last time and successfully killed these kinds of bills.  Then Knopp told people that he had been “asked to stay behind to monitor things.” Anyone who believes that should talk to the folks who were in charge during the successful walk out.

For a moment of entertainment, have a look at this video of Senator Lynn Findley “explaining” the important reasons he folded and let the Democrats screw gun owners.

Findley is assuming all the voters in his district are rubes who have no grasp on how things actually work.

After telling viewers what a big supporter of gun rights he is, he says there are “significant fines” associated with SB 554, somehow failing to mention the 5 years in prison part.

He then claims to have “made progress” on the bill and points out it has no emergency clause, which means it can be challenged “in the initiative process.”

He then shifts gears and talks about all the amendments and issues they planned to bring up to give the “opponents , if they choose to litigate, more ammunition in their litigation.”

It’s not clear if Findley is using the term “litigation” to refer to a ballot measure or if he is implying the law, once passed, can be challenged in court.  We see exactly zero basis for challenging the law in court, and all the amendments and meaningless procedural moves in the world would have no effect on a ballot measure.

So exactly what he is talking about is unclear. But there are a couple of take aways from his comments.

In an email to unhappy gun owners, Findley wrote “…my Republican colleagues and I used every tool we had at our disposal to prevent this bill from passing as it is currently written.”

But his discussion of a ballot measure to reverse the bill  and all they would do to provide “ammunition” make it clear that he understood the bill’s passage was a foregone conclusion.

Other turncoat Senators have also suggested that if the voters were unhappy with their sellout they could simply do a ballot measure to reverse it.

And while this is technically correct, what Findley and the others don’t mention is that gun owners will also have to mount extremely expensive ballot measures to undo the other gun control bills that the Republicans are going to let pass including:

Mandatory Lock Ups

Endless Delays  and

A revocation of preemption which will have the same effect as SB 554 (and more) even if 554 is defeated at the ballot box.

Also not mentioned by any of them that we know of, will be the costly battle to stop the gun control ballot measures being filed by the well funded anti-gun extremists even now.

So far, none of the Senators who showed up and allowed this bill to pass have offered to contribute any funds from their own PACs to mount these battles.

As of this writing Findley has over $88,000.00 in his PAC.

Knopp has over $13,000.00

Hansell has almost $19,000.00

Anderson has almost $40,000.00

Bill Kennemer has over $33,000.00 in his old House Pac. Which is interesting, because Kennemer did not even run for his Senate seat. He was appointed after Senator Alan Olsen resigned.

Senator Fred Girod, the “leader” of the Republicans who stayed and helped this bill pass has almost $300,000.00 in his PAC and the “Leadership Fund,” a PAC he controls that is supposed to benefit all Senate Republicans, has almost $90,000.00.

All of these people were the beneficiaries of money donated by gun owners.

And by the way, the “Leadership Fund” has sent out numerous fund raising emails out using the gun control bills as reason to send them money.

In them, they announced, with a straight face, their intention to “send a petition” to the Democrats to make them stop attacking our rights.  (And please chip in  20 bucks.)  Frankly, in the face of their willingness to hang gun owners out to dry, this is nothing short of pathetic.

But surely all these good folks will be eager to help fund the insanely expensive battles that their actions made necessary right?

Amazingly, on Saturday, Findley sent out a fundraiser asking for more money because of the loss he helped engineer. In it he said : “I’ve never run from a fight before, and I won’t run from this one. I will continue to fight the supermajority’s agenda to take away our rights. Can I count on you to join me in this fight?”

In fact, running from the fight is exactly what all 6 did.

In what can only be considered a bizarre recreation of reality, Findley said :

“My Republican colleagues and I proposed common-sense, data-driven approaches that would protect Oregonians’ constitutional rights and enhance public safety. It is unbelievable that the supermajority wasn’t interested in the facts and instead, is clearly determined to pursue a political agenda at the expense of our rights.”

In what alternate universe do rational Republicans believe that the controlling party is interested in facts?  Really Lynn, you find this “unbelievable?”

Findley went on : “I cannot neglect the need to fight these fights too. Over 140,000 Oregonians are counting on me to show up for all the issues in Salem and that’s what I have sworn to do—but I need you with me.”

Only the most out of touch think “showing up” for certain defeats is the answer to what even Findley calls a train wreck.

In spite of all the nonsense and posturing, these 6 knew that showing up on the Senate floor on Wednesday and Thursday was the beginning of the end for gun rights in Oregon.

It’s interesting to note that the legislative website listed SB 554 as scheduled for action on the House side hours before a vote was even taken on the Senate side.  Could this be one more technical screw up by the same folks who have locked you out of the process or was it simply understood by all parties that passage was a foregone conclusion?

The Oregon Republican Party has some new leadership. We can only hope that after the last few years of miserable performance, the new blood will be able to turn around this disgraceful mess. We wish them well and they have our support.

The Republican Senate Caucus has no leadership.  Fred Girod has proven he is willing to throw his supporters to the dogs rather than take a courageous stand and is leading the other 5 down this same path to disaster.

The reality is, nothing good is going to happen as long as someone who is happy to take your money but not the least bit interested in protecting your rights is in “leadership.”

SB 554 now goes over to the House.  The House Republicans under Christine Drazan have indicated they cannot walk out because they face $500.00 per day fines if they do so. However, that rule was adopted by a vote. A vote the House Republicans participated in knowing that rule would be included and knowing that they did not have the votes to stop it.

Agreeing to vote on that rule created a perfect excuse for them to take the easy way out. Numerous other bills, as mentioned above, are moving on the House side.  If the House Republicans don’t take a stand, and the leadership of the Senate Republicans does not change, it’s doubtful that there will be much left to save at the end of this session.

* In an email today, received shortly after this alert was posted, and unrelated to this post, Senator Brian Boquist said:

The above six GOP registered Senators did make several SB 554 procedural motions for the record, but in sixteen years in the legislature, I have never seen Democrats break ranks to support a procedural motion.  Remember, the super-majority registered Democrats have 18 votes while the minority has 6 to 12 votes. 

Bills must be stopped before they go to the Floor of the State Senate as no real debate exists.  The Senate President controls 100% of the process, there is no republic or democracy, thus only bills with Democrat majority votes are sent to the Senate Floor.  Contact your State Senator above with your request to support the People not the government that has been controlled by Democrats for four decades. 

Ironically on Wednesday, the day before the above bills passed, the Democrat Senate President sent out forms to Republican State Senators asking them if they wanted federal rescue money for their districts or projects in their districts with borrowed bond money.  The later project money is processed through the Capital Construction Subcommittee chaired by the Republican Caucus Leader under the direction of the Democrat Senate President.