Category: OFF Alerts

PROZANSKI’S GAMES CONTINUE

We have been reliably informed that in spite of his vow to kill Kim Thatcher’s CHL privacy bill, Floyd Prozanski will be having a work session on the bill, where he plans to move the bill out of committee.

Sounds good right? Wrong. Floyd’s plan is to amend the bill to strip it of the protections that are in it and instead put the privacy language in the Oregon “Public Records” statutes.

But, those statutes are so complicated, arcane and riddled with exemptions that they provide virtually no protection. As you may know, the records of firearms purchases are “protected” from disclosure under these laws, yet the Oregon State Police have disclosed those records when no crime was committed. In fact, they have disclosed those records when there was not even an accusation of a crime.

HB 4045 must pass without these dangerous amendments. The only changes that should be considered are those that will speed up its implementation.

If you have contacted Peter Courtney, please do so again and tell him “no way” to Prozanski’s stunts. We want HB 4045 with NO “public records” amendments.

Senator Peter Courtney
503-986-1600
sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

CHL PRIVACY PASSES HOUSE

HB 4045, a bill to protect the privacy of CHL holders has passed the Oregon House  44-14.

The bill now moves to the Senate where Floyd Prozanski has declared it dead.

Prozanski has claimed that he wanted changes made in the bill or he would not consider it, but, as Representative Jeff Barker pointed out on the House Floor, the changes Prozanski demanded were included in previous versions that Prozanski also killed.

There is one more option to protect the personal, private information of Oregon’s most law-abiding  citizens.  Although Prozanski is the Chair of the Senate Judiciary where this bill will now go, and although he has pronounced that he will not hear it or allow the Senate to vote on it, any Senator can make a motion to withdraw the bill from his committee and bring it to the Senate Floor for a vote.

In 2011, when a similar bill was being held hostage by Prozanski, just such a motion was made by Senate Republicans.

Please contact your Senator and ask that they make this motion. Even if the motion fails, we will once again have a recorded vote that will tell us who supports your rights and who opposes them.

You can contact your Senator using this link.

Be sure to only check the box that says “State Senate.”

We suggest you also send a copy to Senate Republican Leader Senator Ted Ferrioli.

A sample message follows:
____________________________________________________________

Dear Senator,

The House has passed HB 4045 by a wide margin. This bill protects the privacy of concealed handgun license holders. Once again Senator Floyd Prozanski has announced his intention to kill this important bill.

Regardless of how you feel about this legislation, it deserves a vote. When the bill is assigned to Senate Judiciary, I urge you to move that it be withdrawn from committee and sent to the Senate floor for a vote. Oregonians deserve to know where their representatives stand on this issue.

________________________________________________________________

HB 4054 Heard In Committee And Killed.

HB 4054 GETS HEARING…AND DIES.

HB 4054 which “Prohibits Public Employees’ Benefit Board from authorizing or requiring collection of information or maintenance of records about firearms from eligible employee or family member” received a hearing in the House Health Care Committee today.

Senators Betsy Johnson and Ted Ferrioli testified in favor of the bill. OFF was the only representative of the “gun lobby” who testified in favor of the bill and on behalf of public employees’ rights to own guns without being harassed by the Public Employees’ Benefit Board. Although not present, the NRA was on record in support of the bill.

Not a single public employee union representative spoke on behalf of the bill or the union members. If you are a public employee, you may want to ask for better representation from the folks you pay dues to.

Because the bill did not have a “work session” scheduled, it is now officially dead.

On Wednesday we will have a floor session in the House for HB 4045. This was Kim Thatcher’s CHL privacy bill which passed out of committee in House Judiciary. We expect it will pass on the House Floor.

As you know, Floyd Prozanski, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has promised to kill this important bill when it gets to the Senate. There is one last possible solution. If any member of the Senate makes a motion to withdraw the bill from Prozanski’s committee, it is possible that the entire Senate could vote on the bill even if Prozanski refuses to hear it. This happened in 2011 and every Democrat Senator voted “no.”

On another note, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. In addition to making sure you pick up a little something for your sweetie, we recommend stopping by Starbucks for a beverage. Tomorrow is the first day of the anti-gun extremists boycott against Starbucks because Starbucks follows state law and allows open carry in their stores in places where open carry is legal.

Make sure to tell them why you are there.

House Bill 4045, a bill to protect the privacy of CHL holders, passed out of the House Judiciary Committee today. It was amended from its original form, but still a very good bill. Three of the five House Democrats, Mary Nolan, Carolyn Tomei, and Chris Garrett, voted against the bill. It is their intention to keep this sensitive private information available to reporters, direct mail fundraisers and criminals.

The rest of the committee voted yes. The bill now goes to the House floor where it will likely pass and then it will be dead.

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today, a clearly agitated Chairman Floyd Prozanski declared the bill dead along with the two gun-related bills his committee was due to hear today.

Those bills were SB 1550 and SB 1574.

SB 1550 was Ginny Burdick’s bill to keep all school property safe for rapists and killers by forbidding licensed concealed carry on school property.

SB 1574 was Prozanski’s confusing, complex and pointless “reciprocity” bill.

Before announcing that the bills would not move forward and that the House privacy bill was also dead, Floyd introduced amendments to his “reciprocity” bill that made it even more confusing.

In spite of the fact that he made it clear that the bills were dead, “Ceasefire Oregon” trotted out their typical false and hysterical testimony about the thousands of felons and murderers that get CHLs in other states. The expected testimony was also given about drunken, drug-addled and suicidal college students who would be shooting up college campuses if Burdick’s bill was not passed. (Note, as I said, that this testimony was given after the bills were declared dead.) No one explained why college students are not killing themselves and others off campus.

So with the actions taken today by Prozanski, virtually any chance of moving CHL privacy is over. Thankfully this is also true of his bill and Burdick’s.

That leaves one last piece of business this session. HB 4054 is due for a hearing in the House Health Committee on Monday. This bill “Prohibits Public Employees’ Benefit Board from authorizing or requiring collection of information or maintenance of records about firearms from eligible employee or family member.”

Please contact the members of the House Health Care Committee and urge them to support this important legislation. And please contact your own House Rep if he or she is not on the committee and urge support for this bill with no anti-gun amendments.

Feel free to use the cut and paste message at the bottom of this alert. Contact information for the House Health Care Committee members follows.

Mitch Greenlick, Co-Chair 503-986-1433 rep.mitchgreenlick@state.or.us

Jim Thompson, Co-Chair 503-986-1423 rep.jimthompson@state.or.us

Val Hoyle, Co-Vice Chair  503-986-1414 rep.valhoyle@state.or.us

Bill Kennemer, Co-Vice Chair 503-986-1439 rep.billkennemer@state.or.us

Jason Conger 503-986-1454 rep.jasonconger@state.or.us

Margaret Doherty 503-986-1435 rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us

Alissa Keny-Guyer 503-986-1446 rep.alissakenyguyer@state.or.us

Julie Parrish 503-986-1437 rep.julieparrish@state.or.us

Or you can use this link to mail to all Committee members.

___________________________________________________________________

Dear Representative,

I strongly urge you to support HB 4054 when it is heard in your Health Care Committee. Public employees should not be subjected to pointless invasions of their privacy. The ownership and storage of lawfully owned firearms should be no one’s business but the owner of those firearms.

Yours,

_____________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

NOTE: AS OF 4.48 PM SB 1551 has been removed from the hearing schedule on Feb 8. Work sessions for SB 1550 and SB 1574 have been added for Feb. 13.

The House Judiciary Committee today heard HB 4045. No action was taken.

This is Representative Kim Thatcher’s bill to protect the privacy of CHL holders and an issue she has been working on for gun owners for some time.

Representative Thatcher suggested an amendment to mollify the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Judicial Department who suddenly (after years of this concept being discussed) decided that it might be a burden on them to comply.  But that’s not why no action was taken on the bill today.

The reason no action was taken was the 10 or so anonymous amendments that got walked through the door at the last minute. While no one took “credit” for them, it isn’t hard to imagine whose idea they were. (Someone certainly kept the bill writers down in Legislative Counsel busy.)

The purpose of the amendments is to ban concealed carry in public buildings and schools, or require CHL holders to give up privacy should they ever need to go into one of the buildings their tax dollars pay for. One requires that CHL holders call or email any school they will be going to 24 hours before they go to announce that they will be carrying a firearm!

Let’s see, who could have requested these amendments?

The committee has scheduled another hearing and possible work session on Wednesday at 8AM.  It is essential that they hear from you that you want a clean bill with NO anti-gun amendments. You can use this link to contact the House Judiciary Committee with a simple message of “NO ANTI-GUN AMENDMENTS TO HB 4045!”

Also on Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be hearing three gun bills. We told you about these bills on Feb. 3.

Two of the bills are open attacks on your freedom. (It’s interesting that we have legislators who feel that it is their life’s work to assault your liberties instead of protecting them.) SB 1550 and SB 1551 are nothing more than an effort to demonize people who lawfully carry firearms for defense of themselves and others. Now their sponsor, Ginny Burdick, and the Chair of Senate Judiciary, Floyd Prozanski, are working to make sure that you cannot have a firearm on school property or in any public building.

Please use the contact info in this alert to remind members of the committee that you are watching them.

The other bill that will be heard on Wednesday in Senate Judiciary is Floyd Prozanski’s “Reciprocity” bill. This bill, SB 1574, is a convoluted, complicated and very flawed bill that will allow the State Police to decide if they want to recognize any other state’s CHL. But only if the other state recognizes ours first. The State Police are a law enforcement body, not a judicial body. This should not be their decision. When they had this authority in the past, they refused to recognize a single other state.

Efforts in the past to move a clean, simple, easy-to-understand bill were thwarted by the sponsor of this bill.

It’s interesting to note that in a mass email sent from Floyd Prozanski to gun owners on August 24th of 2011, Prozanski attacked Oregon Firearms Federation and said:

“Kevin continues to provide you with misinformation and has lost credibility with many legislators. I suggest you consider getting the facts from another gun rights organization. The NRA and the Oregon Gun Owners are two respected advocacy groups that will provide you with actual facts and that work positively with legislators. Those groups are known to advocate effectively for gun rights in Oregon.”

Please note that “Oregon Gun Owners” works for gun control and has endorsed Floyd Prozanski. So we don’t recommend them as a source for pro-gun information. But what of the NRA? Well, we are happy to say that we agree in this case with Floyd’s suggestion that you consider the NRA’s position. The NRA has come out in opposition to Floyd’s “reciprocity” bill. As a result Floyd has attempted to mischaracterize their position on the bill. But, that’s Floyd.

We have already asked you to take the time to contact the Senate Judiciary Committee in this alert and oppose the Burdick Bills. We strongly suggest that if you have not, you take a moment to do so and if you have, do so again.

It’s important to understand that on Wednesday, Floyd will be hearing his bill which supposedly allows some states’ CHL holders to carry in Oregon, including in public buildings. At the same time he will be hearing bills that forbid CHL holders from carrying in public buildings!  We don’t expect legislators to write their own bills, but it would be great if they at least read them!

Clearly this makes no sense and our already confusing and contradictory gun laws will get much worse if these bills pass.

Finally, as we told you we would do, we hand delivered to the two Republican Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee a simple suggested amendment designed to address the issue of residents’ of other states carrying in Oregon.

While Burdick claims that Oregon CHL holders are not well trained enough to be in public buildings, Prozanski claims that other states don’t have our stringent training requirements. (I guess they don’t talk to each other.)  So we suggested a simple amendment to Floyd’s so called “reciprocity” bill. It makes a very minor change in statute and simply says that a person from any state, not just adjoining states, can apply  for an Oregon CHL.

This is an easy way to put the anti-gunners on record, whether the amendment is adopted or not.

Please contact the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary and ask them to propose the amendment.

Senator Jeff Kruse
sen.jeffkruse@state.or.us
503-986-1701

Senator Doug Whitsett
sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us
503-986-1728

Suggested cut and paste message:

______________________________________________________________

Dear Senator,

SB 1574 is a complicated and poorly drafted bill. However, it could be significantly better if an amendment were adopted that simply allowed residents of any other state to apply for an Oregon CHL. Please consider proposing an amendment that would do this.

Thank you,

_______________________________

____________________________________________________________________

BURDICK’S ANTI-GUN BILLS SCHEDULED 

Senator Floyd Prozanski has scheduled three gun bills for a hearing on Feb.8.

These bills are SB 1550,1551 and 1574.

1550 bans licensed concealed carry on school property.
1551 bans licensed concealed carry in all public buildings.
1574 is a supposed “reciprocity” bill we told you about in our Jan. 25th alert.

There have been no issues that warrant these attacks.

SB 1550 and 1551 are the most dangerous bills we will face this session.

It is critical that you act immediately.

If you can attend the hearing, it will be at 1pm, Feb. 8, in hearing room 343 in the Capitol.

Whether you can be there or not, please contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and tell them “hands off my gun rights.”

Please send the short, clear message “NO on 1550 and 1551!”

The members of the committee are listed below:
Floyd Prozanski
503-986-1704
sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Jackie Dingfelder
503-986-1723
sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us

Jeff Kruse
503-986-1701
sen.jeffkruse@state.or.us

Doug Whitsett
503-986-1728
sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us

Peter Courtney
503-986-1600
sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

If your own Senator is not on the committee please contact them as well with the same message. You can send an email to your Senator using this link, even if you don’t know who he is.

The anti-gun extremists are cranking things up and we have to act as quickly as possible!

MORE ON FLOYD’S “RECIPROCITY” BILL

Senator Floyd Prozanski, who, as chair of Senate Judiciary, torpedoed every pro-gun bill in 2011, has sent out a mass email (reproduced at the end of this alert) promoting  SB 1574, a bill he sponsored as a “reciprocity” bill. We told you about it in this alert.

Displaying his normal cognitive dissonance, Floyd said “This bill is the product of a work group that included representatives from the NRA, Oregon Gun Owners Association, Oregon State Police and Oregon Sheriffs Association.”

Oddly, in the very next paragraph, Floyd’s email says “The national NRA recently blogged opposition to the bill.”

In an amusing, but not unexpected closing, Floyd states “Please remember to contact my office to get my actual position on particular bills. Once again, the information included in Kevin Starrett’s January 25 e-alert was inaccurate.”

It has become Floyd’s mantra (along with some genuinely delusional accusations) that the information we provide is inaccurate.  We encourage you to read the alert in question and determine if there is a single word in it that is inaccurate.

Once again showing how little Floyd understands about bills that come before him, he states:

” Unlike previous bills that were supposedly reciprocal, SB 1574 will ensure that Oregon CHL holders receive equal treatment in states that Oregon recognizes under this legislation.”

The fact is, the bill that Floyd killed in 2011 was not a “reciprocity” bill, it was a straight “recognition” bill that had strong support from the Oregon Sheriffs.

In an ironic twist, Floyd notes “The NRA’s national office favors legislation that would permit lesser-qualified, out-of-state CHL holders to carry in Oregon.”

Obviously we have some pretty high standards here and need to make sure residents of other states can match them. The irony is that today on KOPB’s Think Out Loud, Senator Ginny Burdick, Floyd’s gun-hating soul mate, explained why we need to ban CHL carry in public buildings. It’s because CHL holders are “not trained.”  There seems to be some intellectual bankruptcy in the gun control cabal.

Floyd’s email includes a survey that is designed to elicit the responses he wants rather than an accurate reflection of what people really think. His assertion that our earlier alert was “inaccurate” is just another lie from Floyd.  If you want to ask him  what we said that was not accurate, you can contact him here:

Senator Floyd Prozanski
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1704
District Phone: 541-342-2447
Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Floyd’s email follows:

_______________________________________________________________________

Dear Friends,
I mentioned to you in my previous e-letters that I would keep you informed of any gun legislation that I introduced for the 2012 short session. I have introduced SB 1574. This is a true reciprocity bill that will allow out-of-state CHLs to be recognized in Oregon if their permitting requirements are substantially similar to Oregon’s and if the other state recognizes Oregon CHLs in their state. You can review my bill, here: www.leg.state.or.us/12reg/measpdf/sb1500.dir/sb1574.intro.pdf.
This bill is the product of a work group that included representatives from the NRA, Oregon Gun Owners Association, Oregon State Police and Oregon Sheriffs Association. Unlike previous bills that were supposedly reciprocal, SB 1574 will ensure that Oregon CHL holders receive equal treatment in states that Oregon recognizes under this legislation.
The national NRA recently blogged opposition to the bill. The NRA’s national office favors legislation that would permit lesser-qualified, out-of-state CHL holders to carry in Oregon. This would allow an out-of-state CHL holder who has not met the same standards as Oregonians, such as a criminal background check, not being a felon, and not having been adjudicated with a mental health illness, to have their out-of-state CHL recognized in Oregon. As an Oregonian, I do not agree with this approach. It would make Oregon residents second-class citizens in their own state.
Your opinion is important to me. I put together a brief survey on the matter. It can be accessed, here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/BSZRVRQ.
Please remember to contact my office to get my actual position on particular bills. Once again, the information included in Kevin Starrett’s January 25 e-alert was inaccurate.
Floyd

______________________________________________________________________

CHL PRIVACY SCHEDULED FOR HEARING

HB 4045 is scheduled for a hearing on Monday February 6. This bill, introduced by Representative Kim Thatcher, will protect the privacy of persons with concealed handgun licenses.

The bill will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee which meets at 8am in Hearing Room 343.

If you are a license holder and want to protect your privacy please attend and testify at this hearing.

If you cannot attend, please contact the members of the committee and urge their support for HB 4045. Contact information and a sample message follow:

_______________________________________________________________

Dear Representative,
HB 4045 is an important and overdue protection for Oregon residents. I urge you to support this bill in committee and when it gets to the House Floor.

Yours,

_____________________

_________________________________________________________________

Committee Members and Contact Info

Jeff Barker, Co-Chair rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-491, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1428

Wayne Krieger, Co-Chair rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-381, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1401

Chris Garrett, Co-Vice Chair rep.chrisgarrett@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-377, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1438

Wally Hicks, Co-Vice Chair rep.wallyhicks@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-490, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1403

Mary Nolan rep.marynolan@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-493, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1436

Andy Olson rep.andyolson@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-478, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1415

Mike Schaufler rep.mikeschaufler@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-382, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1448

Carolyn Tomei rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-279, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1441

Matt Wand rep.mattwand@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-378, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1449

Gene Whisnant rep.genewhisnant@state.or.us
900 Court St NE, H-471, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1453

GUN BILLS INTRODUCED. CHL PRIVACY BILL RETURNS. GUN BANS IN SCHOOL AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS ALSO ON THE AGENDA.

The first “regular” February session has not yet started, but the gun bills have already been introduced.

These sessions were sold to Oregonians as a way to deal with an ever more complex budget, but as you might have expected, Senator Ginny Burdick will be using the session to,once again,try to ban guns on school property. But this time she has broadened her targets. Now she wants to ban licensed concealed carry in all public buildings.

SB 1550 bans CHL carry on school grounds including colleges.

SB 1551 bans CHL carry in all public buildings.

As always, there have been no incidents to justify these restrictions, but this is Burdick’s life work, so who cares about the economy?

A “reciprocity” bill has been introduced by, of all people, Floyd Prozanski.  You will recall that in 2011 Floyd torpedoed every positive gun bill or amended them so they were unrecognizable. In 2011, Floyd took a bill that was intended to clarify lawful transport of firearms on motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATV’s and turned it into a bill to ban firearms on school property. That bill died after he passed it out of his committee.

Now Floyd, is back with a so called “reciprocity” bill. This bill was the result of private “work groups” Floyd held over the interim where no public input was allowed. Floyd has taken a lot of heat for his attacks on gun owners. Is this his attempt to buy them off?   It’s a peculiar bill.

SB 1574  “Directs Department of State Police to identify states that recognize Oregon concealed handgun licenses and that impose eligibility requirements for issuing concealed handgun licenses that are substantially similar to Oregon requirements.
Provides nonresidents who are licensed to carry concealed handgun in state identified by Department of State Police with defenses provided to persons with Oregon concealed handgun license. Prohibits arrest of nonresidents who possess valid concealed handgun license issued in state whose license is verifiable through use of national law enforcement data system.”

It will be interesting to see where this goes. At one time in the past, the Oregon State Police had this exact authority. They could recognize a license from any state that had “substantially similar requirements” to Oregon’s.  They recognized exactly …none. We are wondering what has changed. We also wonder what the State Police will claim it will cost to make these determinations. As you know, Oregon is not exactly awash in extra cash.

Obviously we think Oregon should simply recognize every state’s permits or not require permits at at all. This has worked out just fine in Vermont, Alaska, Wyoming and Arizona.But here is a simple solution that for some reason, legislators refuse to consider. Since the anti-gun zealots have constantly stated that we cannot recognize other states’ licenses because they don’t meet our lofty standards, why not simply allow any person from any state to apply for our license?

Then, if the State Police for some reason find a state that does not have the extremely rigid and demanding requirements that Oregon has, a resident of that state could still get an Oregon permit and come to Oregon and spend money. (After having spent money to get the permit.)

We have been reliably informed that Prozanski has stated he will not even consider the idea.  We think we should work to change his mind.

If this bill goes anywhere (and since Prozanski is chair of the committee that will hear it, it probably will) we will hand deliver, to the Republican members of the committee, (Senate Judiciary) a request that they introduce an amendment to do just that. Then let the gun haters explain why even this is unacceptable.

Speaking of the Senate Judiciary Committee, with anti-gun Senator Suzanne Bonamici gone in search of a US House seat, the Committee was short one anti-gun member. So Senate President Peter Courtney replaced her with …Peter Courtney. This is not good news. No friend of gun owners, Courtney, as  Senate President, presided over all the shenanigans and game playing that went on in that committee in 2011. In the rushed February 2012 session, gun owners should be watching the Senate Judiciary Committee very carefully.

There is one other Senate Bill that, although not gun related, will be important to anyone who is concerned about the actions of our legislature. This is SB 1572.

Introduced by Senator Alan Olsen, this bill requires that amendments (which are getting harder and harder for the public to see) list the name of the person or committee that requested them. In an environment where playing “hide the ball” is becoming more and more standard operating procedure, this is an important step that we applaud.

Two gun bills have also been introduced in the House.

Pro-gun hero Representative Kim Thatcher has once again introduced a bill to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders. We told you about this bill in a previous alert. It is HB 4045 and as always, Kim deserves our gratitude and help.

The other bill is HB 4054 which prohibits Public Employees’ Benefit Board from authorizing or requiring collection of information or maintenance of records about firearms from eligible employee or family member.

By the way, you may have heard that anti-gun groups plan to boycott Starbucks starting on Valentine’s Day to protest their policy of obeying local gun laws. You may want to consider stopping in for a cup that day.

A list of 2012 gun bills will be available and updated if necessary here.

The session starts on February 1. We will keep you informed.

Here We Go Again

On February 1, the Oregon Legislature will convene for its first “official” even-year session. While we have had a few warm-ups with “emergency sessions,” this was the first regular annual session, sold to the voters as a way to deal with Oregon’s budget problems.

But there are other problems. As we’ve pointed out in the past, the legislature is not in any way compelled to stick to budget issues. And, as even some legislators have noted, in very short sessions (this one is due to end on Feb. 29) things get rammed through that are poorly drafted, poorly vetted, poorly understood and often not even read. And that’s a dangerous thing.

We do not yet know what will be coming from the anti-gun zealots like Senator Floyd Prozanski in terms of anti-gun bills. One obvious possibility, based on our successful lawsuit against the Oregon University System, is another attempt to ban self-defense firearms on school property.

In 2011, Prozanski “gut and stuffed” a pro-gun bill and turned into a “no guns on school property” bill which died after he passed it out of his committee.

Prozanski made it clear in the past that he will take any pro-gun bill and either completely rewrite it or put poison pills in it. This is what he did during all of 2011. He also manipulated the hearing process to assure that pro-rights people were always at a disadvantage. Expect more of the same.

We have been working closely with pro-gun champion Representative Kim Thatcher to, once again, introduce and pass a bill to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders. In 2011, just such a bill passed with wide bipartisan support in the House, only to be killed in the Senate.

While not yet available on the legislative website, the bill is drafted and should be numbered HB 4045.

You can rest assured that the anti-gun, anti-privacy extremists in the Senate, led by Senate President Peter Courtney, will do all they can to defeat this bill. That’s why we need as much pressure as possible to stop them from killing this important legislation. There is just too much at stake.

Most, if not all sheriffs have included notices on their CHL applications which ask the applicant if he or she wants to keep their records private. Many sheriffs believe this will protect them against record demands from nosy “journalists” or others wanting to exploit these lists. They are wrong. This information is still public and very much at risk.

We are going to have a protracted battle to pass this bill, along with dealing with whatever mischief the gun haters throw at us. So we may as well get started.

Please contact Peter Courtney and demand that a hearing and work session be held on the CHL privacy bill with no games and no “gut and stuffs.” It has become a regular practice in the legislature to hold a “public hearing” on a bill and take testimony from Oregonians. Then, after people have had an opportunity to express their opinion, the bill is completely changed in the “work session,” but the public is not allowed to testify on the changed bill, making the entire process a scam. We need to put an end to these efforts to prevent public input.

Please contact Senate President Peter Courtney by phone or email and request a fair and honest hearing on the bill. Contact info and a sample cut-and-paste email message follow.

Senator Peter Courtney
Capitol Address:
900 Court St. NE, S-201
Salem, OR 97301
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1600
FAX:
503-986-1004
email sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

You can find your own Senator using this link. He will be the fourth person listed, under “State Senator.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Dear Senator Courtney,

I was appalled at the games that were played in the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011. I hope you will not allow this to happen in 2012.

The Oregon legislature will almost certainly be seeing a bill this session to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders. As you well know, the holders of these licenses are the most law-abiding members of our society. The information demanded of them, and available to anyone as “public record,” is not information about government activity, which should, of course, be public. It is very sensitive private data demanded by the state in order to exercise what should be a right.

It is long past time that this information be protected from the prying eyes of those who seek to harass gun owners. Your website says “I encourage you to participate in the legislative process.” Please prove it by making sure honest hearings and work sessions are held on this important bill with no poison pills and no “gut and stuffs.”

Sincerely,

_______________________

_____________________________________________________________________

THE FEDS AND THE STATE LOOKS AT “RECIPROCITY”

As you may have heard, the US Congress is likely to hear HR 822 as soon as tomorrow.

This bill is intended to allow your CHL to be honored in other states. While very well intentioned, the bill has some definite flaws.

You may have read some of the arguments for and against this legislation. Some pro-gun groups and the Brady Anti-gun Campaign are opposed to it. The pro-gun groups claim it’s a dangerous intrusion by the Feds into gun rights. The Brady Campaign is (as usual) claiming the sky will fall and out-of-state murderers will descend on us to wreak havoc.

Meanwhile, the NRA is claiming this bill is a terrific solution and a great step forward. Our friends at Gun Owners of America have done the most level-headed analysis we have yet seen on this bill and we encourage you to look at the following alert, which if you did not receive directly, is linked here:

You should also know that the Oregon House and Senate Judiciary Committees are meeting this week, Wednesday for the Senate and Thursday for the House.

Members of both committees have been involved in closed door, private meetings in Salem, and the committees will be discussing one of the issues from those meetings. Their schedule lists it as:

“Work Group Report: Reciprocity – Recognition of out-of-state concealed weapons permits and license holders records, if other states recognize Oregon concealed weapons permits and have similar requirements “

While this sounds like it is potentially positive we have been informed that the intent is to create a system where the Oregon State Police will be given the authority to determine which other states’ permits should be recognized. In fact, they had this authority in the past and recognized exactly… none.

We believe that it is a mistake to task the State Police with this authority. The police are an enforcement body and not a judicial body. Their history indicates that they consider no other states good enough. While we support any effort to move Oregon into modern times (we currently recognize NO other permits) we think this may be little more than a ploy to create the illusion that a reciprocity bill is being considered when the final outcome will be no different from where we are right now.

You can see committee agendas here.

You can view hearings live here

The Senate Committee meets in Hearing Room C and the House Committee meets in Hearing Room F.

Both meetings are at 2pm on their respective dates.
_________________________________________________

First Congressional District Race.

As you now know, the primary for the House seat in the First Congressional District was decided with no big surprises.

The very well-funded State Senator, Suzanne Bonamici, easily won the Democratic Primary and Rob Cornilles easily won the Republican Primary.

The race to replace disgraced Democrat David Wu is receiving national attention since it is not taking place during a regular election cycle. Of Oregon’s five Congressional Districts, four of them have been held by enemies of gun rights. With David Wu now out of the picture, this race could replace him with another outspoken opponent of the Second Amendment (Bonamici) or a supporter of liberty. But here’s the problem. While we know where Bonamici stands because of her terrible record in the Oregon Legislature, her opponent, Republican Rob Cornilles, has no voting record and has so far refused to say where he stands on gun rights. As of today, November 12,Cornilles’ website makes no mention of the issue.

If he is willing to stand up for liberty, he could be a tremendous asset in Congress. If he is another middle-of-the-road, establishment politician, he will be of no use to gun owners at all.

During the primary, Cornilles would not take a position on gun rights. Some of the other candidates, even those who opposed gun rights, went on the record. Now that the general election is looming, knowing his position on the Second Amendment is more important than ever.

Minor party candidates can file for this race until December 1. It is possible that a minor party candidate may file who is unapologetically pro-gun. That’s why we need to know if the major party candidate actually believes in your rights.

Whether you live in the First Congressional District or not, the winner of this special election will be casting votes that effect your life and your liberty. With two militantly anti-gun senators and three sitting congressman who oppose your rights, this election will be pivotal in the fights ahead.

Please consider contacting Rob Cornilles and urging him to complete our candidate survey so we have some indication if he plans to stand up for your rights, or like Suzanne Bonamici, work to undermine them.

UPDATE 11.25.11

We have received scores of copies of the form email the Cornilles campaign has sent to voters who asked him to answer our survey. Usually the text consists of the following message:

“Rob has taken a consistent position in the last two cycles regarding his strong support for the 2nd Amendment whenever he has been asked about it or whenever it comes up on the stump.
As a rule, due to a lack of sufficient time/staff, we do not respond to any of the myriad of questionnaires sent to this office on a daily basis by the entire spectrum of advocacy groups. If we did so, our staff would be overwhelmed.
However, I would be happy to discuss Rob’s strong support for the 2nd Amendment. Please call HQ at 503.922.2014 and ask for me.
Regards,
Mike C.”

What makes this perplexing is that they have no time to answer a very short survey, but they have time to take many phone calls and send out countless form emails saying they have no time to answer a survey. Unfortunately what this translates into is “Take our word for it, but don’t expect us to go on the record.”

What’s even more troubling is the email one OFF supporter received which said “We did receive an A rating from the NRA last year in our run vs Congressman Wu – without answering their questionnaire. Instead,they spoke with us and we explained our positions.”

So the NRA gives “A” ratings to candidates who have never held office, have no voting record and won’t put their positions on the record.

Politicians make lots of promises. Often they even break the ones they have put in writing, but refusing to even commit to a position is cause for alarm. We encourage you to keep after Cornilles.

Contact info and a sample message follow:

Rob Cornilles
P.O. Box 2272
Tualatin, OR 97062
503.922.2014

info@cornillesforcongress.com

______________________________________________________________________

Dear Rob,
I am concerned that you have refused to take a position on Second Amendment rights.

I notice you make no mention of this important issue on your website and you have not responded to requests from the Oregon Firearms Federation to complete their short survey.

In a state where almost all of our Federal representatives are hostile to gun rights, as is your opponent, it is very important to me to know where you stand.

I strongly urge you to respond to OFF’s survey so voters in your district, and potential utors nationwide, have an accurate idea of your position.

Sincerely,

_______________

_____________________________________________________________________

One Step Up…

As you may know, the Oregon University System has chosen NOT to appeal their loss in the Oregon Appeals Court.  The decision in the lawsuit our foundation filed said that the OUS does not have the authority to make up rules denying CHL holders the right to possess firearms on OUS property. While this was an important victory, it is clear, that as we predicted, the OUS plans to use every trick they can find to circumvent the court’s decision.

The Oregonian reported that “…lawyers across the system are working on a comprehensive set of contracts and policies that would effectively ban guns from all classrooms, dorms and university buildings, said Di Saunders, spokeswoman for the system. ”

We told you this would happen the very day we won the case and it’s no surprise. Clearly the bureaucrats would rather spend thousands of your dollars on lawyers to find ways to bypass the law rather than simply obey it.

On another more positive note, your efforts undoubtedly had a profound effect on the Superintendent of the Newberg School District who has now reversed her illegal “no guns” policy.

The Newberg Graphic is reporting:  “The Newberg School District is now in compliance with the law of the land. It’s OK for patrons to pack heat on local school campuses, after the district dropped language banning the possession of firearms last week.
The change of language happened after the district received a complaint from a Beaverton resident who was attending a community event in Newberg, superintendent Paula Radich said. That was at about the same time Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) wrote this newspaper to complain about the district’s illegal practice and call on the administration to end it.”

Based on the correspondence we have received it’s clear that the calls and emails from OFF supporters had a major impact on the Radich’s “change of heart.”

While there can be no question that this battle is far from over and an endless parade of petty despots will be doing all they can to bypass the clear language of the law, your efforts have once again made a difference. 

NEWBERG SCHOOL DISTRICT TELLS LEGISLATOR THEY PLAN TO CONTINUE BREAKING THE LAW.

The Newberg, Oregon School District is setting an interesting example for the children it is “educating”. That lesson is: if you don’t like the law, ignore it.

In spite of the fact that the Appeals Court has ruled in no uncertain terms that schools cannot create or impose their own rules dealing with firearms, Newberg School District Superintendent Paula Radich has made it clear that she intends to do just that.

When informed that the District’s policy (PLEASE NOTE, AS OF 11.09.11 THIS LINK NOW TAKES YOU TO THEIR AMENDED POLICY,NOT THEIR ORIGINAL POLICY)on firearms possession was illegal, Radich wrote to a district resident: “After considerable research and thought regarding your request to change Board Policy KG and Administrative Regulations KG-AR, in the interest of protecting the safety and well-being of children in our care, I will not be recommending a policy change to our Board of Directors. Thank you for your input”

When contacted by House Rep Kim Thatcher and reminded that the Oregon University System squandered almost $50,000.00 in taxpayer funds in a failed attempt to defend their unlawful gun policies (in spite of having been repeatedly warned that they were illegal) Radich responded: “Thank you for writing me. I have read both court cases and have discussed this matter with our Board of Directors. At this time, I am not recommending a change in Board policy.”

In other words, “The law means nothing to us.”

This is an interesting situation given that not a legislative session goes by without the public school establishment demanding huge increases in their funding. The District Superintendent is handed a very well publicized court decision saying she is breaking the law, she is reminded of how costly these policies can be and she chooses to simply ignore the facts and the law. And these people are teaching Oregonian children.

Clearly, the law must be changed so that bureaucrats who flagrantly ignore or break the law can no longer flush away precious taxpayer money. They must be held accountable themselves.

Given the current makeup of the Oregon Senate, any change of that kind will be an uphill climb, but if you would like to share your thoughts with the Superintendent, her contact info follows:

Newberg School District Superintendent
Paula Radich
(503) 554-5042
radichp@newberg.k12.or.us

Sample cut and paste message:
________________________________________________________________________

Dear Superintendent Radich,

I am amazed and outraged that after being repeatedly told your firearms policy is forbidden by law, you would respond with nothing more than an arrogant refusal to consider obeying what the courts have decided. Your reckless disregard for the potential cost to the school district is incredibly irresponsible in these difficult financial times. The example you are setting for the students in your district is reprehensible.

Yours,

___________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Here is contact info for the school board members:

Melinda Van Bossuyt
Board Chair, Director Zone 3
503-538-5717
melinda@springcreekllamas.com

Polly Peterson
Director Zone 2
503-538-6923
popeters@gmail.com

Todd Thomas*
Director Zone 4
503-780-4880
TThomasNWNGS@nwnatural.com

Jim Chogyoji*
Vice Chair, Director Zone 5
503-538-9530
jchogyoji@verizon.net

Mitsi Vondrachek*
Director Zone 6
503-538-4241
mitsi@verizon.net

Debbie Hawblitzel
Director Zone 7
503-537-0888
debbiehawblitzel@comcast.net

Addendum
We have gotten reports that not all of these* emails are working.
To get in touch with any Director, you may contact him/her directly or contact School Board Secretary Mikaela Schamp at 503-554-5041 schampm@newberg.k12.or.us

ADDED 11.3.11. An email we received.

Hi,
I’m still in Afghanistan serving in the Army. Just thought it so fitting, after reading the post about the school officials, to send you a copy of quoting from Justice Brandeis [written years ago]:

“Decency, security, and liberty alike demand that government officials shall be subject to the same rules of conduct that are commands to the citizen. In a government of laws, existence will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. if the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law, it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that in the administration of the criminal law the ends justify the means would bring terrible retribution.”

And some wonder what has gone wrong with our laws, government, and people in general…. I believe the answer is in the above statements; no, I know it is. Take care my friends, John S.

Notice to Oregon residents who are prohibited from possessing firearms in Washington State because of prior criminal record.

I am an attorney in Washington State whose practice focuses on gun rights. The majority of my clients are persons seeking to remove a firearm disability because of prior criminal records.

I am interested in challenging a recent amendment to Washington firearm laws (RCW 9.41 et al) restricting where a petition to restore gun rights may be filed. The amendment, effective July 22, 2011, requires petitions to be filed in the county of residence or the county of prosecution resulting in the loss of gun rights.

While prohibited persons who reside in, or have prohibitive convictions in, Washington state may file a petition for relief from the disability imposed under state law, the statute is silent as to venue for nonresidents who are prohibited under the laws of Washington state because of a conviction in another state. The result constitutes a violation of the 2nd and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

One must have standing to challenge the law. In other words, only a person who falls within the category of “nonresident with out-of-state prohibitive conviction” can challenge the law. I am seeking an individual (one qualifying person) who falls within this category so that I may file a petition on his or her behalf. This is not a class action case

I am not seeking compensation for legal services in connection with this issue. Legal services would be limited to removing a firearm disability imposed by RCW 9.41.040 and guidance for following up with a Voluntary Appeal File application if desired.

Be advised that persons convicted of a sex offense or convicted of a felony punishable by a maximum term of 20 years or more are ineligible to petition for relief in Washington.

Restoration of the right to possess firearms by a superior court of the State of Washington for an out-of-state conviction does not remove a firearm disability resulting from operation of federal law or the laws of other states.

nterested parties may contact:
Paul T. Ferris
Attorney at Law
105W 5th Ave., Suite 108
Ellensburg, WA 98926
ptferris@washrecord.com
www.washrecord.com