Category: OFF Alerts

02.09.19

Democrats in the Oregon Legislature are demanding an apology from Republican Senator Dennis Linthicum. What was Linthicum’s transgression?

Dennis issued a statement pointing out that exorbitant taxes on cigarettes in New York contributed to the death of a man on Staten Island who was selling individual cigarettes.

The man, Eric Garner, died while being arrested for selling the cigarettes to people who presumably could not afford to buy whole packs because of New York’s high taxes.

In his original statement, Linthicum said : “Eric Garner’s death shows us exactly how disproportionate and abusive state power can become.”

Linthicum’s statement was clearly a commentary on the unintended, but very real consequences of out of control government actions.

So what was the problem? Well, the man who died while being arrested was black. And so, in the predictable and twisted minds of Oregon’s Democrats, Linthicum’s statement had to be…you guessed it, “racist.”

Never mind that Senator Linthicum was bemoaning Garner’s death and its needlessness.

Democrats, as is so often the case, ignored Linthicum’s obvious points in an attempt to smear him.

Linthicum responded with a follow up release in which he said:

“The attempt to shut down an honest conversation about the disastrous impacts of flawed public policy and abusive power of the state is doing a disservice to Oregonians, especially for the people who are disproportionately harmed by the nexus between the two. I am welcoming a rational conversation about tax policy, and the tragedies like Eric Garner’s needless death because we need to fix a broken system in our state that is hurting underprivileged communities.”

But “rational conversations” no longer have a place in Salem.

Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick immediately issued  a news release saying:

“Earlier this week Senator Dennis Linthicum released a statement that outrageously connects the tragic death of a man of color in New York with the existence of a high cigarette tax. When he was called on his callous behavior, Senator Linthicum doubled down, arguing in a second release that his comments should lead to a ‘rational conversation.’ His statements are reprehensible and an insult to  all Oregonians, who deserve better from their elected leaders. Senator Linthicum must apologize now.”

House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson wrote :

“The invocation of Eric Garner’s tragic death for a press release on taxes is completely abhorrent. Unequivocally, Eric Garner did not die because tobacco taxes are too high in New York. He died because law enforcement officials engaged in an act of brutality against a black man and then watched him die on a sidewalk as a direct result of their actions…  This press release is a low point. I think Sen. Linthicum owes everyone an apology and explanation.”

Senator Linthicum is one of the most thoughtful and honest people ever to serve in the Oregon Legislature, so it is no surprise that the Democrats would seize on any opportunity to silence him. That is to be expected.

What is a surprise, and a disappointment, was how quickly “Republican” leaders jumped on the bandwagon.

As soon as Burdick’s mindless attack was made available, a “joint statement” was issued  by Senate Minority Leader Herman Baertschiger, Jr. and Senator Jackie Winters.

Was  it a defense of their colleague and fellow Republican? Was it a request that members of the legislature engage in a thoughtful exchange of ideas?

No. Baertschiger and Winters doubled down on Linthicum and joined in the baseless and politically motivated bashing. Their press release said :

“Senator Linthicum’s recent rhetoric has no place in Oregon politics, and does not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the Oregon Senate Republicans. Using the death of a human being to make a policy statement is offensive and serves no purpose. We are deeply saddened by the death of Mr. Garner, and would like to apologize for any additional pain or suffering this may have caused.”

Republicans in the Oregon House chimed in too.

“We are prepared, because it’s horrific,” said Greg Stiles, a spokesman for the House Republican Office. No purpose is served in relating a cigarette tax request to the tragic death of a man of color,” their official statement reads. “At best, the remarks are unsavory and offensive. Such a comparison is indefensible and has no place in Oregon political discourse.”

(It’s interesting to note that even the deceased man’s widow believed that his death had nothing to do with his race.)

At at time when the Republicans are struggling to have any relevance, when the Democrats have total control over committees and process and are cutting Republicans out of any chance to represent the people who elected them, when they are steam rolling policies that will send this state further into a downward spiral, when they have announced their plans to make the lives of gun owners a legal hell, the Republican “Leadership” is crucifying one of the most committed, pro gun members of their party.

Please consider sending a message to Republican leaders telling them to back off.  Their obsequious pandering to the Democrats is not helping Oregonians retain their rights.

Please use the link below to  let them know you expect them to stand up for people who are actually working to protect those rights. If they won’t, what do you think they will do when the Democrats come for your guns?

Thank you.

 

01.31.19

A ballot measure to ban modern firearms and feeding devices, and make thousands of Oregon residents criminals, has been filed with the Oregon Secretary of State.

The measure is a re-introduction of IP 43 from 2018 which we were able to defeat by preventing it from getting on the ballot.

This new assault on self defense, property, and common sense is currently IP 16. You can get details here.

As you may know, the Democrats in the Oregon legislature have numerous bills to essentially achieve the same end. The most extreme is SB 501, but there are others that are just as dangerous. Governor Brown’s HB 2251 defines “assault weapons” as any long gun you can hold with two hands. There are several bills that would require that your guns be locked up and useless. Except, of course, to a thief who could easily defeat the cable locks required. Those locks can  get you killed but do nothing to stop a theft.

These “lock up” bills would even hold you responsible for a gun you did lock up if a thief was able to obtain a “device” to open the lock. Around here, we call that a “wire cutter.”

We will, of course, be doing all we can to torpedo the latest right’s smashing ballot measure. But for now, please take  moment to let the legislature know you will not stand for more attacks from Salem.

You can see all firearms related bills here.

You can use this link to send a message to every member of the Oregon Legislature. You can add to the pre written message if you chose but it is not required,

It’s a full frontal assault. Please take action.

12.18.18 

 

 

Today President Trump unveiled his finalized form of his “bump stock ban.” In doing so he created countless new felons out of gun owners who have committed no crime, hurt no one and constituted no danger to anyone.

You can read the entire document here.

Persons who purchased these devices lawfully must now destroy them or turn them into the nearest BATF office. Those would be the folks who assured buyers that these accessories were legal.

The ruling states the following:

“The Department acknowledges comments on enforcement of and compliance with the rule. As stated in the NPRM, current possessors of bump-stock-type devices will be obligated to dispose of these devices. Acceptable methods of destruction include completely melting, shredding, or crushing the device. If the device is made of metal, an alternative acceptable method of destruction is using an oxy/acetylene torch to make three angled cuts that completely severs design features critical to the functionality of the bump-stock-type device. Each cut should remove at least¼ inch of metal per cut. Any method of destruction must render the device so that it is not readily restorable to a firing condition or is otherwise reduced to scrap. However, as the majority of bump-stock-type 67 devices are made of plastic material, individuals may use a hammer to break them apart so that the device is not readily restorable to a firing condition or is otherwise reduced to scrap, and throw the pieces away.”

 

The estimated cost for this pointless theft of private property (including the closed businesses and fired employees) is estimated to be about 312 million dollars.  That could build a nice stretch of wall.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said “We are faithfully following President Trump’s leadership by making clear that bump stocks, which turn semiautomatics into machine guns, are illegal, and we will continue to take illegal guns off of our streets,”

This ban, as with all gun control measures, will have no effect on crime or criminals except by creating so many more of them. It is state sanctioned theft. Trump’s willingness to bypass Congress to put many good Americans, (many who no doubt voted for him) in the cross hairs of zealous law enforcement and prosecutors is frightening .

Legal action against the ban has been filed. See more here.

 

Added 12.19.18
Gun Owners of America is also initiating legal action against the Trump property theft.

Learn more here.

 

11.30.18

As you no doubt know, President Trump plans to bypass Congress and ban a legal firearm accessory (“bump stocks”).

This ban of a device, that even ATF has long recognized as legal, will turn countless Americans into felons if they don’t submit to having their lawfully purchased property stolen by the government. There is no grandfathering and no compensation. Turn them in, or go to prison.

Since “bump” firing can be done with NO accessories or modifications, what will they demand next?

No matter how you feel about “bump stocks” this is a very dangerous precedent. Please take a moment to let your representative know that no action this serious should be taken with no input from  Congress.

You can take action here.

11.29.18

 

 

Those of you who have followed the abuse of Mike Strickland by Portland thugs and the corrupt “Justice” system in Multnomah County, Oregon may have been wondering where his case stands.

As with most legal battles, this one has dragged on for way too long at enormous expense. We want to thank every one who has so generously contributed to this fight for Mike’s rights.

Click here for an update on Mike’s case brought to you by Mike himself.

10.29.18

There are just a few days left to vote in the 2018 general election. The stakes have never been higher.

The Democrat majority in the Oregon legislature has promised to introduce (and may very well  already have) a slew of anti-gun bills that will mirror the failed anti-gun ballot measures.

The current governor even went to court to keep secret the bills the Democrats are working on.

We are even seeing some Republicans talking about supporting new gun restrictions. So if you have not already, please take the time to fill in and return your ballot.

The Oregon Firearms candidate ratings are available here if you have not seen them already.

Many counties around Oregon have “Second Amendment Preservation Ordinances” on the ballot. We have received quite a few questions about these measures.

We do think they are far from perfect. Many of them allow the Sheriff of the county to decide what is or is not a constitutional gun law. We believe that is not the role of the sheriff and we certainly would not want a Bloomberg bootlick like Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese deciding what the law is.

That being said, we think they are a great step forward and will send a message to the Portland controlled legislature that the entire state does not support their gun grabbing schemes.  If we can pass many or all of them we can still come back and pass improved versions. And in each county that has placed them on the ballot there are now hard working independent patriots who have learned how to get this done. OFF supports these measures.

Please vote.

 

10.09.18

 

Oregon, like much of the country, is in turmoil.

The confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice brought out some of the most vile threats from leftists ever seen on social media but no one was held accountable.

Violent thugs control the streets of Portland while the Portland Police stand by and do nothing.

Kate Brown is using taxpayer’s money for her personal projects and her office is mired in corruption scandals.

It all looks like Germany in the thirties.

The top two contenders for the office of Governor, as well as the leader of the House Republicans, have all called for more restrictions on your gun rights.

The Democrats in charge have promised to enact the draconian attacks that were included in ballot measures 43 and 44, which you helped defeat. And of the very few pro-gun Democrats most have been cowed and intimidated into switching sides and working with the gun grabbers.

At a time when you and your family are most at risk, the power structure funded by leftist billionaires is doing all it can to make sure you are disarmed. It is truly terrifying.

We know we can never counter their millions. But we need to do everything we can to build as big a war chest as possible. And we are going to need your help.

And you can actually make a big difference for free.

Our state is in a very, very dangerous place right now. The question really comes down to how many legislative seats we can keep or pick up.

While Oregon has long been controlled by anti-gun, anti-rights Democrats, year after year we beat them back, but now we are seeing Republicans join them in efforts to attack your ability to protect your family.  I can’t sugar coat this. We have some mighty battles ahead. Expensive battles.

Imagine waking up one day and finding out you are a felon because a rifle you bought (with police “permission”) has suddenly been banned. Imagine being charged with a crime because you got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and left a pistol on your nightstand.  This is not some conspiracy theory fantasy. This is what the anti-gunners have already demanded. And there are plenty of elected officials who are eager to make it happen.

As you know, we are working overtime to pass a ballot measure to protect your gun rights, but no matter how successful we are, it won’t take effect until after the 2020 elections, and the 2019 Legislature can do a world of damage by then.

Make no mistake, we WILL have an anti-gun governor. There is no way around that. But we still have a chance to elect good legislators to the House and Senate. And if we don’t? Well I have no good news for you.

Together we defeated anti-gun measures 43 and 44. I want to thank you for that. It was an amazing victory. But unlike legislative battles, those were all about money and paying lawyers. And as you know, good lawyers are not cheap. We really need every single dime we can raise for the coming battles and to help elect good pro-gun legislators.

But you can help at no cost.   Just take advantage of Oregon’s Political Action Committee tax credit.

You can actually get a credit for money you donate to our Political Action Committee. That’s not a “deduction” it’s an actual credit.

If you file as an individual, you can  take up to $50.00 off any taxes you owe the state. And you can take up to $100.00 if you file jointly. (Of course, you can give more if you want to.) That means you can help us help you and it could not cost you a dime.

You know you do not get an endless barrage of messages from us asking you to “chip in”  5 or 10 dollars. But the fact is, the situation in Oregon is the worst it has ever been, and stopping the madness may really be cheaper then going to prison for exercising a God given right.

Please take a moment to use our candidate ratings to learn where your candidates stand on gun rights.

If you are not sure who your candidates are, please use this tool to find out.

And please, please, consider donating as much as you can (and taking advantage of the  tax credit) to put the brakes on the train that is running over our freedoms and our ability to keep our families safe from the violent leftists who are taking over the streets of our cities.

You can use this link to make a donation to OFFPAC and get a tax credit. (Please use the drop down menu that says “Donation Category” to indicate your contribution is for the PAC.). If you prefer to donate using PAY PAL you can use this link. (Please note in the Paypal window that you want your donation to go to the PAC.)

But most importantly, PLEASE be sure to vote. It has never been more critical that your voice be heard.  Thank you.

 

9.20.18

We have collected enough signatures for our “Common Firearms Protection Act” to qualify for a draft ballot title and expect to have one soon. When we do, any registered voter in Oregon can comment on the title and then be qualified to challenge the wording of the draft title.

Great efforts were made to craft this measure in a way to get the best possible title, but the Attorney General, who writes the title, has made no secret of her hostility towards gun owners, so be prepared.

We are now collecting signatures for our “Firearms Safety Act.”  This ballot measure would require basic firearms safety be taught in the sixth grade. It neither promotes nor discourages firearms ownership, its sole purpose is to prevent firearms accidents by young people because of ignorance.

As you can imagine, the anti-gun zealots are falling all over themselves trying to attack this common sense safety measure.   But let’s not forget, groups like CeaseFire Oregon see every firearms accident as a fundraising opportunity and the last thing they want is kids learning to be safe around guns.

We’ll need one thousand signatures to get a ballot title for this measure and you can help us. Download a single signer sheet, print on white paper. sign it and send it to:

“Firearms Safety”

2570 Greenwood Road S

Independence OR

97351

Please leave the “sheet number” field blank and do not check the box that says “No circulators for this petition are being paid.”

Please encourage your friends and family to do the same.

And please consider any financial support you can for the inevitable battles ahead.

09.14.18

The elections have not even taken place and Oregon Democrats are already announcing their plans to attack gun rights.

OFF  has obtained audio of House Rep Brad Witt, (D district 31) discussing his plans to ban the purchase or possession of common firearms and magazines for adults aged 18-20.

Witt is claiming he has “bi-partisan” support for this new attack on rights.

18 to 20 year olds can drive cars, hunt, serve and die in the military, and vote. Witt believes that people who are old enough to help elect him cannot be trusted with firearms.

There is no rational reason for this kind of legislation, it is nothing more than a pointless knee jerk reaction to a single event.

Steven Paddock, the murderer in the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay murders, was 64. By Witt’s twisted logic we should not allow anyone under 65 to own or purchase guns.

It would make far more sense for Witt to prohibit young adults from driving than take away firearms they may have owned for years.

Anyone who has ever participated in a hunter safety program has seen countless young adults safely and competently handling firearms. Now Witt wants to make them all criminals.

If Witt has his way, we will see young men and women who are issued fully automatic weapons in the military be prohibited from possessing common firearms in their own homes.

This is just one more nail in the coffin of gun rights in Oregon.

Please contact Witt today and express your outrage with his efforts to steal the rights and property of Oregonians whose only crime was not being born earlier.

You can take action here.

08.31.18

 

We are pleased to inform you that today the first set of signatures was turned in for our ballot measure to protect common firearms.

1000 valid signatures were needed to get a “ballot title” from the Attorney General. Approximately 2000 signatures were turned in.

 

 

 

This measure is a constitutional amendment that would prevent the regulation of common firearms by the state or by ballot measure. It would prevent restrictions on firearms because of their action type, stock configuration, or magazine capacity among other safeguards.

The AG now has ten days to write a ballot title which will appear in the voters’ guide in the 2020 election. The measure was very, very carefully crafted to get the very best ballot title possible, but given our AG’s open hostility toward gun owners, we are still expecting a fight.

Only after all disputes over the ballot title are settled will we be able to start collecting the signatures we need for the next phase. The number of signatures required will be a percentage of the number of votes cast for governor in 2018.

With new  and well funded groups forming to attack your rights, this ballot measure is critical to preventing the gun grabbers from banning virtually all firearms.

“Wessinger and his backers talk of State of Safety as a missing voice in Oregon’s often fractious debate over firearms.”

While the leaders of this new anti-gun group have not said where they will get their money, they have close ties to New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg whose tentacles are all over Oregon politics.

Because of how broad the protections in this measure are, you can rest assured that we will be facing the full force of opposition from rights hating billionaires on both coasts. This is going to be a long, ugly and expensive battle with well funded extremists pulling out all the stops to  defeat us.

There is a long road ahead, but we have taken the first steps. Please consider the most generous support you can afford to put an end to the kind of dangerous attacks we saw in Measures 43 and 44.

You can support us using this link or through PAYPAL with the “Donate” button on this page.

Thank you for your support and activism and thanks to all who helped us get this far by gathering and turning in the signatures we needed for this first step.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

07.24.18

A very carefully crafted ballot measure to protect firearms and firearms’ owners has been filed for 2020.

Called “The Common Firearms Act” it is the product of a careful reading of previous firearms court decisions.  You can read the measure here.

The language of the measure was created to diffuse as many of the expected attacks as possible, help get the best ballot title and increase chances of passage.

The measure is a Constitutional Amendment designed to help thwart the kinds of hateful attacks we saw with the now defeated Measures 43 and 44.

Please stay tuned for updates on what you can do to insure it gets on the ballot and wins.