Category: OFF Alerts

As you know, HB 4005 will receive a hearing on Friday Feb 7 at 1pm.

The bill is currently scheduled to be heard in hearing room E in the Capitol.

Today the House Judiciary Committee released these “rules” for the hearing:

Public testimony before the committee will be limited to 2 minutes per person and will be heard until 4:00 pm.

Individuals intending to testify may sign up outside Hearing Room 50 beginning at 12:00 pm.

Individuals may sign up only one person at a time. Written testimony will be accepted until 5:00 pm, Friday Feb.7th.

You can email testimony against this bill to the House Judiciary Committee here: hjud.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

02.01.2020

They’re back.

As you know, in addition to a number of extreme anti-gun “bills” introduced in Salem for the “short” February session, there are several anti-rights ballot measures in play.

Oregon Firearms Federation is doing everything we can to derail them all as we have done in the past with your help.

The ballot measures filed with the intention of crippling your rights to defend and protect your family are:

IP 40

IP 60

IP 61 and

IP 62.

OFF has filed comments with the Secretary of State contesting the misleading draft ballot title language in all the measures. Furthermore we have filed an appeal for the “certified” ballot title of IP 40.

IP 40 is a mandatory gun incapacitation measure much like HB 4005 which is scheduled for a hearing on Feb 7th. (Remember, Feb 6th is the Timber Unity Rally on the capitol steps that gun owners are encouraged to join.)

IP 60 creates onerous new restrictions for modern firearms including banning  their possession by young Oregonians, eliminating private in-family transfers, requiring “training courses” before purchase (which most NRA instructors will not be allowed to teach) waiting periods and more.

The definitions in the measure for “semi-automatic assault weapons”  include not only fully automatic and select fire firearms, but firearms that are not in any way “automatic” such as shotguns with “revolving cylinders.”

It would ban the new sale, manufacture and possession of most ammunition magazines and outlaw the transportation of previously owned ones if loaded.

IP’s 61 and 62 contain parts of IP 60, with IP 61 having the restrictions on modern firearms contained in IP 60 and IP 62 having the ban on magazines.

It would appear that IPs 60 and 61 may very well also (inadvertently ) ban gun “turn-ins.”

IP 40 was filed by a  Bloomberg funded organization called  “State of Safety”.  To guarantee their safety they apparently have no phone number.

IP’s 60, 61 and 62 were filed by “Lift Every Voice” an organization that grew out of the failed “Ceasefire Oregon” and charades as religious leaders while working overtime to guarantee that the lessons of the Holocaust will be forever forgotten.

Laughably the “principles” they post on their website include:

“PRINCIPLE THREE:

Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.

Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil people.

The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil not people.”

Lift Every Voice clearly believes that  “evildoers” are not evil. But law abiding gun owners are.

As expected, the Democrats in Salem are wasting no time trying to ram through their anti-gun agenda.

HB 4005, mandatory gun lock ups, is now scheduled for Feb 7th at 1pm in Hearing Room E at the State Capitol by the House Judiciary Committee.

(Of course everything is subject to change.)

This bill not only forces you to lock up your self defense firearms, it punishes you even if you DO lock up firearms. While it penalizes gun owners if their firearms are stolen, it does nothing to penalize gun thieves.

The bill makes you strictly liable for misuse of guns that were stolen from you!

It requires that you use dangerous and easily defeated “trigger” or “cable” locks that violate every rule of gun safety but mandates that you  be prosecuted if you use them and a thief can defeat them, which of course any thief can.

The bill also virtually eliminates minor’s use of firearms even to protect themselves and their families in their own homes. Under this bill, a 17 year old with years of shooting experience would not be allowed to have access to a self defense firearm. Imagine how this will effect families in remote areas.

Needless to say this bill will have a devastating effect on youth shooting programs.

The bill requires (for no discernible reason) that firearms that are lawfully transferred (through gun dealers) are locked up during transfer and makes the transferor liable for two years for misuse of a legally transferred firearm if it was not locked. This assumes that for some reason the person to whom you lawfully transferred a firearm, with a background check, will not remove the required lock…for two years!

None of the components of this bill make anyone safer. In fact, these rules can easily get people killed in the event of a criminal attack.

Please use this form to contact the Oregon House members and demand that they vote this bill down in committee. You may alter the subject line and add your own message if you choose. (Not required.)

You can email testimony against this bill to the House Judiciary Committee here:  hjud.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

The day before this bill is scheduled, February 6th, gun owners are encouraged to join our friends from Timber Unity on the Capitol Steps at 9am to stand up for liberty. Oregon Firearms Federation has been invited and we hope to see you there.

01.28.2020

The 2020 pre-session anti gun bills are now available. There are no real surprises.

As expected, we have another attempt to force you to keep firearms locked and useless.

HB 4005 will not only force you you to keep your firearms unavailable to defend yourself and your family, the bill creates a virtual prohibition on firearms possession by persons under 18, no matter how competent and responsible they are.

If your 17 year old daughter is home alone and your home is invaded, well… sorry kid.

A careful reading of Section 3 of this bill will demonstrate that even if you wanted to comply with it, you cannot.

Once again, Oregon’s pre-emption law is under attack by the usual suspects.(Senators Burdick, Manning Jr, Hass, Senator Beyer, Dembrow, Frederick, Gelser, Golden, Monnes Anderson, Prozanski, Riley, Steiner Hayward, Taylor, Wagner.)

SB 1538  would allow cities, counties, metropolitan service districts, school districts, and colleges or universities to create their own rules for firearms possession.

Under this proposed legislation, carrying a firearm in a place where a person may have lawfully done so for their entire adult life can now result in 5 years in prison and a $125,000.00 fine.

Don’t even think about picking anyone up at an airport should this pass.

Given that there have been essentially no issues with license holders in any of these places, it is clear that the reason for this bill is pure hatred for lawful gun owners. The Governor has talked about looking forward to “revenge” and apparently most Democrat Senators are along for the ride.

HB 4036 creates new restrictions for CHL holders and police officers at airports. We have not yet determined what “problem” this is intended to fix, but as we have seen, no problem is necessary for the Oregon Democrats to find a way to attack your rights.

As these bills move through the process, we will keep you informed.

01.14.2020

The Senate Judiciary Committee has released its latest version of legislation to render your self defense firearms worthless.

Tomorrow at 2PM they will have an “informational hearing” to discuss “Legislative Concept 38.” It is a mash-up of several previous attempts and appears to include the worst provisions of all of them.

This is the latest effort to require you to lock up your firearms and only transfer them with locks engaged. You will be liable, for two years, for anything that happens with a firearm that wasn’t locked. The assumption of course, being, that if you sell, give away, or trade a firearm the recipient won’t be able to remove the lock for two years.

Once again, the Oregon Health Authority will decide if a lock is good enough to comply with the latest restrictions. (This is because of the OHA’s proven expertise in lock construction.)

At this time only those opposed to civil rights will be allowed to testify. Supporters of gun rights are currently being silenced. You may still attend the hearing tomorrow at 2PM in Hearing Room F, but in keeping with Democrat policy you may not testify.  However, nothing prevents you (yet) from submitting written testimony here:  sjud.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

The draft, as it exists now, regulates the circumstances under which you may transfer a firearm to a minor. However Section 6 (1)(b) strictly forbids possession of a firearm by a minor unless they are being supervised by an adult. So if your 17 year old daughter is alone out on your ranch, well tough luck.

Another “legislative concept” to watch is “LC 193” which will be presented in the Joint Transportation Committee today at 2PM.  The draft’s “relating clause” says “Relating To Transportation” but section 2 of the draft creates new restrictions for CHL holders at the Portland Airport. We’ll be keeping an eye on that one as well.

11.09.19

Late Friday afternoon (11.08.19) the Secretary of State released a “certified” ballot title from the Attorney General for Ballot Measure 40, the “ban on self defense act” of 2020.

Under this measure, not only will you be required to render your self defense firearms inaccessible and useless under most circumstances, but you will be punished if any are stolen and you will be responsible for the misuse of stolen guns.

The Attorney General did make some changes to the draft ballot title, some based on our objections. (See pages 3 and 4 of the “certified ballot title.)

You can see the “draft” ballot title here and the “certified” ballot title here.

You can review the complete language of this very dangerous measure here.

While some changes have been made in the “certified” ballot title, it is still very misleading. The average voter will still have no idea how much jeopardy Oregonians will be put in by this measure.

Not only because they will generally not be able to lawfully have a firearm accessible to protect themselves and their families, but because they will be responsible for misuse of firearms stolen from them.

This measure even assumes that if you lawfully transfer a firearm, that the person you sold or gave it to will not remove the required trigger lock for four years.

Oregon voters who submitted timely comments on the draft ballot title are qualified to challenge the “certified” ballot title in court. If you did submit comments you should have received a notification of this from the Secretary of State. Information on filing a challenge is included in the Secretary of State’s notification of the “certified” ballot title.

The deadline for submitting a challenge is Nov 25.

To all of you who took the time to submit comments pointing out how misleading the draft title was, we thank you for your commitment and activism.

Obviously the “certified” title is not much of an improvement.

10.25.19

Yesterday was the deadline to submit comments about the proposed ballot title for IP 40, the gun lockdown, theft victim punishment, initiative.

As you know, Oregon voters who submit ballot title comments are qualified to file legal challenges to proposed ballot titles.  You can read the entire ballot measure along with the misleading ballot title and submitted comments here.

(Please note, at the time this alert was prepared, the link in that page for “complete title and AG letter” is not working. The Secretary of State has been notified.)

It’s quite clear if you read the measure (a challenge in itself considering how poorly written it is) that the ballot title is dangerously misleading, in no way letting voters know how many liabilities they’re facing even if they attempt to comply with this effort to render them and their families defenseless. We feel strongly that the ballot title (which is often all some voters read) is an effort to confuse voters into thinking this measure is about safety when clearly it is nothing more than an effort to find new ways to punish gun owners and deter defensive firearms ownership.

You can see all submitted comments here and see OFF’s comments here.

Rest assured OFF will be doing everything we can to ensure that an accurate ballot title is drafted and Oregonians know exactly how the crafters of this message are attempting to deny them the ability to protect their families.

10.11.19

The Oregon Secretary of State has issued a ballot title for a measure to force you to keep your self defense firearms unavailable and useless.

Ballot Measure 40 “Oregonians for Safe Gun Storage and Reporting Lost/Stolen Firearm” received a draft ballot title yesterday.

You can read the entire measure here.

You can read the entire ballot “title” here.

The title consists of a “caption,” the “results of a yes or no vote” and a “summary” of the measure.

This Constitutionally dubious ballot measure is riddled with dangerous ambiguities and confusing contradictions.

For example, while it requires that guns be rendered useless with cable or trigger locks, [section 1 (a)]  it also says the gun isn’t legally locked if these locks can be defeated. [ Section 1 (b) ] Trigger locks and cable locks can easily be defeated with common household tools.

Section 4 (1) (A) restricts transfers of firearms to minors, but section (3) of that same section says it doesn’t apply to firearms “owned by the minor.” How do you transfer a firearm to a minor who already owns it?  There’s more.

In short, Ballot Measure 40 creates a quagmire of incomprehensible mandates and dangerous restrictions designed to create a legal minefield for gun owners.

We are preparing a response and we’d value your input on two separate issues.

First, if you are inclined to deal with the minutia of this poorly written attack on your safety, we encourage you to read the measure itself and help us point out its obvious flaws.

Second, we have until Oct 24th to file comments on the entirety of the Ballot Title. That means the Caption, the Result of a Yes and No vote and the Summary, and suggest alternatives.  This does NOT mean comments on the ballot measure language itself. Just the accuracy of the Ballot Title.

If you’d care to share your observations with us please send them to off@oregonfirearms.org.

Thank you.

09.19.19

“If a loaded gun was not easily accessible to him that night, I believe he would be with us today.”

“Carol Manstrom says she lost her 18-year-old son when he grabbed his father’s unsecured pistol and shot himself….”

Now as a result of the reckless and foolish behavior of her and her husband, Manstrom wants to punish you by taking away your right to defend yourself and your family from criminal attack.

Manstrom has joined the usual chorus of Oregon leftists determined to harass law-abiding gun owners by forcing them keep their self defense tools inaccessible when most needed.

They have turned in the initial signatures to get a ballot title for Measure 40 a rehash of gun lock-up regulations we defeated in their last ballot measure effort and when they tried to pass it as legislation in 2019.

This ballot measure includes provisions that require you keep a trigger or cable lock on your firearms. Bizarrely, you would still be in violation even if you did  have a trigger lock or cable lock on your firearms.

If someone steals your firearm and commits a crime with it, you, the victim of the theft, are strictly responsible for the acts of the thief.  It’s interesting to note, that as we have come to expect from those who want to deny you the right to protect yourself, there is not a single word in the measure that deals with punishing people who steal guns, only the victims of the theft. This is the mantra of the left. Protect criminals, punish victims.

In Oregon, people who steal guns face very little in the way criminal liability.  Under this twisted measure, you as the victim could face far greater punishment than a person who steals guns.

The US Supreme Court has already declared that mandatory trigger locks are unconstitutional. But in Oregon that doesn’t matter. We have no choice but to fight this latest attempt to sabotage the Second Amendment and put you and your family in mortal danger. Unfortunately, unlike in legislative battles, we cannot rely on your activism alone.

This battle will be won or lost in the courts. Oregon Courts are notoriously biased against gun owners. So this will be no easy feat. But because of people like you, we have prevailed before. And we can again.

Your donation to this fight will give us the tools we need to defeat this dangerous attack one more time. Legal battles are expensive, we need your help.

You can make a tax deductible donation to our Foundation and it can make all the difference in this battle. Please use this link to donate. If you want your donation to qualify for a tax deduction please choose  “Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation” from the  “Donation Category” drop down menu.

If you prefer to donate by mail our address is  OFF, PO BOX 556 Canby OR 97013.

If we don’t defeat the anti self defense zealots again we are all at risk

Thank you for your support.

8.17.19

After running on a platform of protecting the Constitutional Rights of gun owners, President Trump seems determined to alienate as many of them as quickly as possible.

Early on he supported firearms confiscation laws, saying “Take the guns first, due process later.” He followed this with a wholely unconstitutional redefining of  a legal firearms accessory into a “machine gun,” an act so absurd and dangerous it is remarkable the NRA was virtually silent on it.  Not only did Trump’s actions steal the lawful property of  thousands, it made felons of countless Trump supporters who refused to comply with a completely illegitimate order.  (OFF is party to a current lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban.)

Now Trump is again openly supporting and encouraging one of the most dangerous gun confiscation proposals ever; “Red Flag” laws or “ERPOS” (extreme risk protection orders.)

As you know, Oregon has enacted this dangerous and unconstitutional law. Now Trump wants to see it spread nation wide.

Under an ERPO, a person with no mental health qualifications can declare that you are a danger to yourself or others. If a judge agrees, the police come and confiscate your firearms. No due process, no day in court until after your property has been stolen. And then only at your own expense, if you can somehow prove you are not a danger. Good luck with that. In Oregon, reasons for believing you are a danger to yourself or others include recent use of marijuana products, a past DUI or the lawful purchase of a firearm in the last 6 months.

The idea that you can be punished without ever having committed a crime is pretty chilling. But rest assured, these laws will be expanded until “predictive policing” will be used against anyone who  opposes the people in power. And we’ve seen it here before.

There are many who will accept anything Trump does believing anyone else would be worse. But as Trump continues to align himself against gun owners the differences between Trump and his opponents shrink for gun owners.

We believe if Trump hears from enough of us it may still be possible to correct the direction he’s taking.  Please take a moment to use the GOA letter to the President to urge him to reverse course and stand strong for the people who elected him.

Click here for the GOA letter.