Category: OFF Alerts

A Response To Floyd Prozanski’s Email. If You Are Taking Flak, You  Must Be Over The Target.

As you can see here, Senator Floyd Prozanski has sent a mass email defending his record on gun rights and attacking OFF and me, Kevin Starrett, OFF’s director.  Here is my response.

Floyd starts by defending the gut and stuff he did to HB 2797, a bill intended to clarify lawful carry of firearms on motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles.

We should point out that early in the session we were warned that Prozanski planned to insert poison pills in any pro-gun legislation that came to his committee. In this case, he took a bill that was intended to do no more than fix a previous mistake (the dropping of the motorcycle language in SB 603 from 2009) and added Ginny Burdick’s favorite fantasy, disarming law-abiding Oregonians in schools, including on college campuses.

Now it’s interesting to note that while Prozanski claimed I used “scare tactics” to oppose this bill and that I am more interested in “drumming up utions” he neglected to provide a single example of why disarming the innocent while doing nothing to stop criminals makes the slightest sense. Nor did he provide an explanation for why he thinks CHL holders suddenly become irresponsible or crazy when they step onto school property.

As for “drumming up utions”, as far as I can tell, not one alert dealing with Prozanski’s gutting of bills asked for a dime.

It’s not uncommon for those who hate gun owners and liberty to claim that OFF’s motive is to get rich. But many of you know me, and for those who see what I drive to the Capitol to interface with people like Floyd, it should be obvious that getting rich is not my motivation.

Prozanski states that I have “testified that I believe all felons including murderers and rapists should be able to petition the court to restore their gun rights.”  Actually Floyd, the truth is, I think murderers and rapists should never be released from prison. Maybe people should take a close look at yourpositions on how we treat criminals.

It was a nice try, much like when he angrily asked Representative Kim Thatcher if she wanted to arm murderers, but it was so blatantly a “have you stopped beating your wife” type question that it hardly deserved a response.

And by the way, do you wonder why Floyd is so outraged that a person with a felony conviction (something you can get in Oregon for a driving infraction, no expungement allowed) can ask (just ask, not get) to get his rights restored, when it was Floyd who crafted the legislation that allows this? Floyd is a lawyer and a prosecutor, he is a veteran legislator. The bill passed out of his committee with his support and no opposition. It passed the full Senate, with no opposition, passed the full House with no opposition, and was returned to the Senate after minor changes were made in the House where Floyd again voted for it.

It is deeply troubling to think that a person with Floyd’s experience has so little understanding of a bill he himself was responsible for, that he only “noticed” something was terribly “wrong” with the bill after it had gone through that much of the process.

Prozanski told me in a meeting, where other stake holders were present, that he knew something was “wrong” with the bill before the Governor signed it. Yet he did nothing.

In fact, there was nothing wrong with the bill. It did no more than allow a person who had made a mistake to seek redemption. Nothing in the bill gave rights back to felons, and if Prozanski thinks our courts will give gun rights back to murderers, he should ask himself why those people are out of prison to begin with, and why he trusts those crazy courts in the first place.

Prozanski goes on to say “Kevin also believes that a CHL holder should be able to carry a firearm into any public building including schools.”

Yes, I do. I am sure that the thousands upon thousands of law-abiding gun owners with children in the government schools agree. As I said, Prozanski has provided not one single syllable to justify his desire to disarm the good people, except for the paranoid and delusional ravings of a handful of dishonest anti-gun zealots.

Prozanski says in his email “I have spoken to numerous OFF and NRA members who agree with me that certain felons should be prohibited from restoring their gun rights.”  I have no idea which NRA members Prozanski has spoken to, but not a single OFF member, not one, has ever contacted us to say that they opposed what we did when we changed the law to simply make sense. Prozanski has made this comment in the past, but I have yet to see any evidence that there is any truth to it. I think it would be difficult for OFF to continue our endless efforts to soak our supporters for donations if we took positions that they disagreed with.

I believe it is a horrible tragedy that Prozanski’s sister was killed. But Prozanski’s focus on the weapon used, while ignoring the fact that a person was responsible, is simply more evidence of how out of touch those who would disarm you are. The gun that was used in the killing of Prozanzki’s sister was not self-animated. Those who have lost loved ones in vehicular homicides have not demanded that parents not drive on school grounds.

Prozanzki tries to make that case that he is not “anti-gun” by making note of the fact that the bill he mangled includes language to keep CHL info private. This is interesting since he refused to even hear a Senate Bill that would do the same thing, because in his own words, “my caucus does not support it.” But given the opportunity to strip good people of their rights to protect themselves, Prozanski was willing to insert that language in order to create a facade while viciously attacking the most law-abiding. It’s unlikely that he will convince too many people, but it  certainly proves that our information on his “poison pill” plans was accurate.

Prozanski also takes a swipe at Senator Jeff Kruse saying: “Some of you may have also received an e-newsletter from Senator Jeff Kruse making inaccurate claims about the bill, the committee process, and my intentions and position on these gun bills. It is unfortunate, because misinformation does a service to no one. Even though Jeff claims that I am “anti-gun” (I am not) he in fact voted with me and the three other committee members to amend another firearms bill, HB 2792, to pass it to the Senate floor with a “do pass” recommendation.”

In fact, Kruse’s newsletter was not at all inaccurate. Prozanski is clearly and undeniably anti-gun and no amount of protestation otherwise can change his record. But he is right about one thing. Kruse did go along with Prozanski when he gut and stuffed HB 2792, for reasons that still escape me. Kruse has always been a solid pro-gun vote, so this capitulation is inexplicable, but Prozanski’s attack should serve as a reminder that trying to get along with the anti-gun extremists is a losing proposition.

Obviously we have touched a nerve with Senator Prozanski, but I stand by each and every word that has been sent to OFF supporters about his actions and his record.

Prozanski accuses me of spreading “misinformation” but, as always, provides not one word of evidence for his false accusation.

Some of these bills are still “in play” so we still need to be vigilant and monitor the process. This session is not over by a long shot. If you received Prozanski’s email it is because you stepped up to confront the tactics of the freedom haters. For that I thank you. Your perseverance and activism continue to make a difference that cannot be measured.

Best regards,
Kevin Starrett

ADDED JUNE 8. Despite what Prozanski said in his email, we have not posted “photo shopped” pictures, or any pictures of him in any of our alerts this year. We do not even own Photo Shop. Please keep that in mind as you assess the accuracy of his other claims.

ADDED JUNE 18. Correction. We did in fact use a photo of Prozanski on a page discussing the bills that were sent to his committee. We forgot about that one. However, it was taken directly from the legislative website and was not “photo shopped.” The only change to the photo was that it was reproduced in black and white.

I want to thank everyone who sent me their comments on the various gun bills that were assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. I especially want to thank the vast majority of individuals who discussed the merits of those bills with civility and respect.

Unfortunately, many of you have received inaccurate “alerts” and other correspondence, including allegations that I am against keeping Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders’ and applicants’ personal information confidential. That is not true. In fact, I support keeping such information confidential. You also have been told that I am “anti-gun.” That is also inaccurate.

Let me first set the record straight about myself. I was born and grew up in Texas. I lived there for almost 30 years. I purchased my first gun when I was 15 years old and have continuously owned firearms ever since. My sister was murdered with a handgun in 1973. I believe the state has the right and duty to place reasonable restrictions on whom can possess guns and where they can be carried. I have been a prosecutor in Oregon for 24 years. As a gun owner for more than 40 years, I support both the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 27 of the Oregon Constitution.

Now let me set the record straight about the firearms legislation pending in this year’s Legislative Session. To maximize support, I amended a bill in the committee to incorporate several changes into one firearms bill. As amended, HB 2797 includes these major points. It:

– Prohibits the disclosure of personal information of CHL holders and applicants, Clarifies when and how ATV operators and motorcyclists can carry firearms,

– Prohibits certain felons from petitioning the court for restoring gun rights,

– Prohibits guns on public school campuses,

– Requires a report from the State Police on compliance with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Amendments Act of 2007,

– Includes provisions limiting police authority to arrest or charge a CHL holder,

– Limits prosecution of CHL holders to state (not federal) law violations, and

– Repeals the law requiring an individual to allow police to examine a firearm to see if it is loaded or not.

Many of you have received information from Kevin Starrett of Oregon Firearms Federation, who has used scare tactics, misinformation and “photo shopped” pictures to berate the bill or me. He seems more interested in drumming up contributions than discussing the merits of the entire bill. In fact, it seems he only disagrees with only two points of the bill.

Kevin has previously testified that he believes all felons including murderers and rapists should be eligible to petition a court to restore their gun rights. I disagree. I have spoken to numerous OFF and NRA members who agree with me that certain felons should be prohibited from restoring their gun rights.

Kevin also believes that a CHL holder should be able to carry a firearm into any public building including schools. Again, I disagree with him. I believe certain public buildings including courthouses and schools should be off limits for guns, except for ROTC programs and gun safety classes.

Some of you may have also received an e-newsletter from Senator Jeff Kruse making inaccurate claims about the bill, the committee process, and my intentions and position on these gun bills. It is unfortunate, because misinformation does a service to no one. Even though Jeff claims that I am “anti-gun” (I am not) he in fact voted with me and the three other committee members to amend another firearms bill, HB 2792, to pass it to the Senate floor with a “do pass” recommendation.

I’ve heard from constituents who have two significant issues with HB 2797. Some support making CHL holders and applicants’ personal information confidential, and some support prohibiting CHL holders from carrying weapons on public school grounds. Many individuals support only one of these provisions, but not both. I support both, along with the other provisions of the amended bill.

I hope this letter clarifies what is actually included in HB 2797 as well as my personal beliefs and history regarding gun rights. I understand that we may not always agree, but I am open to hearing your point of view. Again, I want to thank everyone who contacted me and was civil in expressing their views.

Very truly,
Summary of HB 2797 as amended:
I. Carrying guns on ATVs and motorcycles
Sections 1-3: Clarifies when and how ATV operators and motorcyclists can carry firearms.

II. Concealed Handgun License (CHL) records
Section 4: Prohibits the disclosure of personal information of CHL holders and applicants.

III. Felons gun rights
Sections 5-6: Sets limits on when and who may petition the court for restoring gun rights. Prohibits felons who were convicted of a person felony while using a firearm or deadly weapon or a Measure 11 offense from seeking restoration of their gun rights. Requires eligible felons to wait three years before seeking restoration of their gun rights.

IV. Guns on public school grounds
Sections 7-8: Prohibits most firearms on public school grounds. Maintains current exemptions and adds new exemption for CHL holders.

V. Limits police authority to arrest or charge CHL holder
Section 9: Exempts CHL holders from being arrested or charged for violating ORS166.250 (1) (a) or (b) or ORS 166.370 (1)(a).

VI. Limits prosecution under ORS 166.425 to state law violations
Section 10: Limits application of ORS 166.425, Unlawful purchase of a firearm, to state law violations (deletes federal law violations from statute).

VII. Report from OSP to the Legislature regarding mental health records
Section 11: Requires state police to provide a report re: compliance with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Amendments Act of 2007. Including the state complying with reporting mental health records of those found guilty except for insane or declared insane by a court.

VIII. Sunset Clause
Section 12: Repeals Section 11 on 1/2/12.

IX. Repeals Examination of firearm by police
Section 13: Repeals ORS 166.380, Examination of firearm by police to determine if it is loaded or unloaded and prohibits arrest for failure to allow examination.

X. Effective Dates
Section 14: Sets effective date for changes to existing laws amended by Sections 1 to 3, 7, 9 and 10.

XI. Emergency Clause
Section 15: Emergency clause – bill becomes law and is effective upon governor’s signature.

We are now entering into that time in the legislative session where tempers fray, rational thinking is in short supply and really bad things happen.

Now that our session has a statutory ending date, the last minute back-stabbing, bill-stuffing and childish retribution is highly compressed.

While following what has happened to gun bills in 2011 would be better illustrated with a flow chart, we’ll do our best to explain where we stand now.

Although we had quite a few bills introduced in 2011, four actually made it through part of the legislative process.  They were:

HB 2787, a bill to protect the privacy of CHL holders.

HB 2791, a bill to turn background checks over to the Feds and save gun buyers some money.

HB 2792, a bill to recognize other state’s concealed handgun licenses and,

HB 2797, a bill to define how a person may lawfully transport a firearm on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile. (This link takes you to the “gut and stuffed” version of the bill.)

Early in the session we were informed by an unimpeachable source that Floyd Prozanski planned to insert a poison pill in any gun bill that came to his committee, unless he planned to kill the bill outright.  This information turned out to be painfully accurate.  So here’s where we are at.

HB 2787 passed overwhelmingly in the House and was killed by Prozanski  in Senate Judiciary. Although scheduled for a work session, Prozanski simply ignored the bill and it died on Wednesday.

HB 2791 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. Representative Andy Olsen, usually a supporter of gun rights voted no, but Representative Chris Garrett, who is not in any way a reliable friend of gun rights, voted yes as a courtesy for a Republican rep who was out of the room at the time. 2791 was sent to the Ways and Means Committee where it currently lies, bruised and bleeding by the side of the road while legislators step over it and pretend it does not exist. It is not officially dead, but without some action soon it will die of neglect. The State Police will continue to mismanage background checks and gun buyers will continue to pay twice for a “service” they never requested.  Even some of the early supporters of this bill started to get cold feet when the public employee’s unions came out in force to proclaim that if a few union employees at the State Police ID unit lost their jobs, Oregon’s economy would collapse.

HB 2792 passed the House by a wide margin and was also sent to Floyd Prozanski’s sausage factory. There, any reference to recognizing other states’ permits was removed. Inserted was the motorcycle language from HB 2797 and new restrictions on felon’s abilities to get gun rights restoration.  This issue has been an obsession with Prozanski ever since 2009 when SB 603 passed. 603 allowed felons to go to court and make a case for why they should have their firearms rights restored. From the moment that bill passed (with no opposition in either house) Prozanski has been trying to reverse it. This is all the more odd since the bill was crafted by and approved by and voted for by…Floyd Prozanski. 2792 will next go to the full Senate for a vote. If it passes there (which is likely given that the two Republicans on the committee gave their blessings to this latest “gut and stuff”) it has to go back to the House for “concurrence.”  The House can refuse to concur in which case a “conference committee” will be created to craft a compromise. We have repeatedly requested the key players to consider an amendment that will move “recognition” forward and defuse the gun haters argument against it.

The gun haters primary, stated objection to recognizing other states’ handgun licenses is that other states do not have the lofty standards we do when issuing a CHL. We have crafted an amendment and have been distributing it to key legislators for months that instead simply allows residents of any state to apply for our license. We still believe this is a positive strategy but there is a serious case of  “not-invented-here” in our legislature and it’s unlikely any politician will suggest this simple commonsense amendment.

HB 2797 is the most pathetic example of legislative nonsense. In 2009, we drafted and passed legislation to define the term “readily accessible” for the purposes of transporting handguns for those without concealed handgun licenses.  Our language included definitions for transport on a motorcycle. The motorcycle language was mistakenly removed from the final version, so right now we have no legal and practical way to transport a handgun on a motorcycle without a CHL. HB 2797 fixed that problem, but also clarified how to lawfully carry on a snowmobile or ATV. This was NOT in any way a controversial bill. It passed the House without a single no vote. Then it was sent to Prozanski to be turned into a Frankenstein’s monster.  We have to give him credit, he did a heck of a job. That bill now bans guns on any school or college property, a goal that has been Ginny Burdick’s delusional fantasy for years. It’s interesting to note that in the past, Prozanski voted against the same legislation because he knew it could not pass the House and he did not want to force Senators to go on the record supporting such lunacy when it had no chance of passing. Now, with the exact same dynamics. Prozanski did a 180 and passed this garbage out of his committee, forcing Senate Democrats to go on record with almost no chance of the bill ever becoming law. We’ve been told that Burdick has been haunting Prozanski about this issue and that might explain his otherwise inexplicable about-face, but maybe it was this brilliant letter from “Ceasefire Oregon.”

They repeatedly testified that there were three murders committed by CHL holders in schools. While there is no evidence in any of the cases they mentioned that the killers were actually CHL holders, what is interesting is this; none of the cases were in Oregon, they had to search nationally to find three incidents, all happened in states where it is already illegal to have a gun on school property and not a single one of these incidents would have been prevented by the enactment of their demented “no self-defense-in-schools” policy. But it looks like this was enough for Prozanski and his fellow Democrats on the committee, Bonamici and Dingfelder. Who needs facts when you can always fall back on hysteria? (The bill also includes language to keep CHL info private. Prozanski told us he could not move a bill that did this because his caucus did not approve, but he did put it into this bill which is sure to fail. Confused yet? )

The Republicans on the committee, Doug Whitsett and Jeff Kruse responded with a “minority report” which is basically an alternative bill that the Senate can vote on. Neither discussed any element of the proposed legislation with OFF, and while their proposals were ambitious, even Senator Kruse, on a local talk show, admitted it had no chance of approval. Given that their proposal  was 34 pages, that it gave almost every anti-gunner something to hate, and was hastily and poorly drafted, this may be no net loss. The minority report had plenty of pro-gun language in it, but also included things that really made no sense, like making it a crime for someone under 18 to have a concealed firearm on school grounds. Last time we checked, that was already illegal.

On the other hand, the House Judiciary Committee modified a Senate Bill (SB 347) that was intended to protect private info of domestic violence victims and now includes protection for CHL holders. House Reps Mary Nolan and Carolyn Tomei, staunch liberal feminists voted against the bill in committee because it protects CHL holders. They would have voted yes to protect victims until the bill also protected victims who took steps to protect themselves. There are some people we will never quite understand.

So that’s where we stand today. 2797 and 2792 will be on the Senate floor soon.  2791 remains on life support in the Ways and Means Committee and Floyd has managed to artfully muck up everything that came from the House with wide majorities.  And now we get to do this every year.

Today, House Bill 2792 was, as we expected, gut and stuffed so all the language that recognized other states’ handgun licenses was removed.

Yesterday we told you about the amendments we expected to be added to the bill, so their adoption was not a surprise. What was a surprise was who made the motion to adopt the amendments. The motion to adopt the amendments was made by Republican Jeff Kruse.

Senator Doug Whitsettapproved of the amendments and the gut and stuffed bill was moved to the Senate floor.

The amendments include the language that would clarify how to lawfully carry a firearm on a motorcycle, snowmobile or ATV. But all this language existed in a clean stand alone bill that was mangled by Senate Judiciary Chair Floyd Prozanski. That  mangled bill, HB 2797 now also includes a ban on concealed carry on school grounds. 2797 is almost certainly dead, so getting the motorcycle language in a bill that could pass has a benefit, but all of this could have been easily accomplished by simply passing a clean version of HB 2797!

The amended version of HB 2792 also includes Prozanski’s language to restrict felon’s ability to apply for gun rights restoration. Both Republican Senators expressed reservations about the broadness of the new restrictions but both voted to gut and stuff the bill. Senator Kruse, after making the motion to approve the amendments commented that he really had not had time to read them in any depth.

There is one gun bill left in Senate Judiciary, HB 2787. This was the original CHL privacy bill.

That bill is scheduled for a work session tonight at 5:30 PM.  Given what has taken place in the Senate Judiciary Committee so far, the best we can hope for is that the bill just dies.

Frustrated by the childish shenanigans in the Senate Judiciary Committee, pro-gun members of the House Judiciary Committee today passed amendments to Senate Bill 347.

This bill  “Exempts from disclosure records of domestic violence service or resource center that concern individuals affected by domestic or sexual violence.”

The amendments add to the bill language that would protect CHL holder’s privacy. A House bill which would have done the same thing, and which passed the House by a wide margin has been stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. While that bill is due to be heard tomorrow, we expect that as with all gun bills that go there, efforts will be made to mangle or kill it.

This is a positive development and thanks go to Co Chairs Jeff Barker and Wayne Krieger of House Judiciary for making this happen.

To no one’s surprise, House Reps Mary Nolan and Carolyn Tomei both voted, once again, against CHL privacy, and now have voted against the privacy of domestic violence victims. Way to go girls.

Having already eviscerated HB 2797 by turning a simple motorcycle carry bill into a ban on self-defense in schools, Floyd Prozanski is now making another colossal mess of HB 2792, a bill that would recognize other states’ concealed handgun licenses.

With these amendments, any language that recognizes other state’s CHL’s is removed and replaced by a bizarre mash up of other bills.

In these amendments the recognition language is gone and in its place is much of the language that Prozanski stuffed into 2797 dealing with restricting felon’s rights restoration, but he has also included the language that clarifies lawful carry on motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles! The motorcycle, ATV and snowmobile corrections were already in HB 2797! All Prozanski had to do was leave the bill alone. Confused yet?

Frankly, we cannot give you any clue to what Prozanski is thinking.

HB 2792 is scheduled for a work session tomorrow. Also scheduled is HB 2787, a bill that would protect the privacy of CHL holders. Strangely, Prozanski stuffed the privacy language from that bill into the motorcycle bill where he also included a ban on guns in schools. Never has the old saying about law and sausage been more appropriate.

What amendments may be offered to the House CHL privacy bill are anyone’s guess, but given the astonishing mess Prozanski has made out of the other two bills, he may well amend THAT bill to ban guns in schools as well.

The Senate Judiciary Committee under Prozanski’s chairmanship has devolved into a dysfunctional graveyard for popular legislation, The two Republican members have done what they can to maintain some sanity, but frankly they are outnumbered.

Tomorrow’s work session promises to be another exercise in confusion and futility.

Please contact Senate President Peter Courtney and request that he provide some adult supervision for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Contact info and sample message follow:

Senator Peter Courtney
503-986-1600
FAX:
503-986-1004
sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

____________________________________________________________________

Dear Senator Courtney,

Bills that passed the House with overwhelming bi-partisan support are being turned into unrecognizable and confusing nonsense in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We’ve already seen House Bill 2797 go from a simple clarification on firearms transport to an all-out attack on personal protection on school grounds. Now a bill that would have recognized other states’ concealed handgun licenses is being butchered as well.  I urge you to request Senator Prozanski to just move the gun bills that have come from the House to his committee to the floor so Senators can vote on them as they were written. The confusion that Senator Prozanski is creating serves no one.

Yours,

_____________________________________________________________________

“Legislative hi-jinks” was the accurate description Senator Jeff Kruse gave to today’s Judiciary Committee antics when they held a “work session'” on House Bill 2797.

It’s important to understand that all this bill did was clarify how a person may lawfully transport a firearm on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile. The bill was so uncontroversial that no one, not one single House Rep, voted against it. But the Senate Judiciary Chairman, Floyd Prozanski, claimed in committee that the “volatile ” nature of gun bills required a “compromise.”  Prozanski’s compromise? Add 11 pages of amendments to a 4 page bill and turn simple “clean-up” legislation into a bill to ban licensed, concealed carry on all school grounds including college campuses. By the way, Prozanski had previously stated in committee that these amendments “did not exist.”

In Salem, no matter how cynical you are, you just can’t keep up.

Prozanski’s amendments, ( the latest version which only became available this morning, minutes before the hearing began) will almost certainly tank this bill.

We know that Prozanski and the two other Democrats on the committee are rabidly anti-gun, but this bill was an odd vehicle to try to gut gun rights at the school room door. In spite of Prozanski’s comments about the “volatility” of gun bills, this piece of legislation was nothing more than a correction for a previous legislative screw up.

The amendments almost certainly mean this bill is dead. So, for at least one more year, Oregon law will contain no guidance for anyone who wants to know how they can stay within the law while riding motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles. Nice work Floyd.

Predictably, Ceasefire Oregon came to complain that the amendments did not go far enough. Their spokeswoman, who can most charitably be described as delusional, told the committee that there have been three school shootings by CHL holders, events that seem to have been reported to her and her alone. It is sad indeed to be this terrified by things that do not exist.

The bill now goes to the full Senate floor where we will ask you to do all you can to oppose it.

We fully expected the “paranoid caucus” to oppose any effort to protect the rights of gun owners in this session, but it ‘s a particular shame that they chose such an important and popular bill to try to ramrod their agenda.

Senators Jeff Kruse and Doug Whitsett made notice they they would be filing a minority report. This would be a substitute to this bill written by rational people. They should be thanked for standing up for liberty and common sense.

Please contact your Oregon State Senator and urge them to vote AGAINST HB 2797 when this monstrosity comes to the floor. You can use this link to write to your Senator. Uncheck the box that says “State House” as this bill is no longer in the House and we need only contact Senators. A suggested cut and paste message follows:

_________________________________________________________________

Dear Senator,

Partisan games have turned a simple and uncontroversial bill, HB 2797, into a vehicle to attack the rights of concealed handgun license holders. I am embarrassed by a process that would subvert a simple “clean-up” bill and use it to advance the agenda of those who would attack the most law-abiding Oregonians.  I hope in the future we can do better, but for now I urge you to vote “no” on HB 2797 as amended by Senator Prozanski.

__________________________________________________________________

Voting to attack the rights of  those who ride motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles:

Senator Suzanne Bonamici
Party: D District: 17
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1717
District Phone: 503-627-0246
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-403, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 990, Beaverton, OR, 97075
Email: sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/bonamici

Senator Jackie Dingfelder
Party: D District: 23
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1723
District Phone: 503-493-2804
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 13432, Portland, OR, 97213
Email: sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/dingfelder

Senator Floyd Prozanski
Party: D District: 4
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1704
District Phone: 541-342-2447
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-417, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 11511, Eugene, OR, 97440
Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/prozanski

Voting rationally to protect those who ride motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles:

Senator Jeff Kruse
Party: R District: 1
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1701
District Phone: 541-580-3276
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-315, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: 636 Wild Iris Lane, Roseburg, OR, 97470
Email: sen.jeffkruse@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/kruse

Senator Doug Whitsett
Party: R District: 28
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728
District Phone: 541-883-4006
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-303, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: 23131 N. Poe Valley Road, Klamath Falls, OR, 97603
Email: sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/whitsett

AS PREDICTED.

As we suspected, amendments have been introduced to neuter HB 2797, our bill to clarify how a person may lawfully transport a firearm on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile.

This bill and the proposed amendments are due to be heard at 8AM tomorrow. We apologize for the late alert, but we just received the amendments.

The amendments do several things, but as we expected, the principle (and most troubling) change is the effort to ban concealed carry on ALL school grounds including college property.

This simple bill may well be stuffed with 11 pages of amendments, which will all but guarantee that the bill will die. We will continue to do all we can to assure the bill gets a vote in its original form.

You can see the amendments here. We will keep you informed and keep fighting for a clean bill and a fair vote.  We thank our friends in the motorcycle community for their efforts to move this bill forward.

 

GUN BILLS SCHEDULED FOR WORK SESSION

At the last possible moment, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled three gun bills that OFF has been working on all session, in some cases for more than one session.

There is no question that your tireless efforts are the reason why.

While there can certainly be changes, HB 2797 has been scheduled for May 26 at 8 AM. This bill does nothing more than clarify a lawful way to transport a handgun on a motorcycle and any firearm on a snowmobile or ATV. It is non-controversial and has had no opposition, but it is also the bill we believe most likely to be used as a vehicle to ban licensed carry in schools. So, while it is a victory that it has been scheduled, the battle is far from over. We still need to make sure the bill is not turned into something its sponsor never intended.

House Bills 2787 and 2792 are scheduled for June 1 at 8:30 AM. These two bills protect the privacy of CHL holders and recognize the concealed handgun licenses from other states respectively.

Make no mistake, it was your pressure that forced the Committee Chair to put these bills on the schedule. But we have a long way to go. As we have said, we believe there may be some very damaging amendments that could be attached to these bills, so we still need to keep the pressure on to make sure they are passed with no amendments.

Committee Chairmen typically do NOT schedule bills they don’t plan to pass, but this committee is controlled by anti-gun Democrats so they might very well have some tricks up their sleeves. Don’t stop now. Please contact the committee and urge them to pass these three bills as they are with no amendments. And thanks for all you have done, against all odds, so far.

The Games Continue.

Yesterday’s hearing on HB 2791 was as illuminating as it was frustrating.

HB 2791 removes the Oregon State Police as the point of contact for gun purchase background checks. Under 2791, the State Police would be replaced by the National Instant Check System.

35 states contact the Feds directly for these checks and buyers pay no fee for the “service.” In Oregon, when a purchase is initiated, the dealer contacts the OSP who call NICS and then OSP charges a $10.00 fee.

In the last 6 months or so, gun dealers in Oregon have had serious difficulty conducting these checks due to long delays when attempting to contact OSP. Even after finally getting an operator on the phone, the wait times can be onerous. The incidence of “pended” or delayed approvals has spiked as well. Many people have reported that they could make a purchase one day and be delayed the next. People with long histories of problem-free gun buys, have suddenly faced delays, sometimes for months.

HB 2791 would solve this problem by removing the middleman and simply going directly to the NICS system where no similar problems have been reported. In fact, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gun dealers, has informed us that NICS has an excellent track record of rapid approvals and the only states having problems are ones which, like Oregon, use local “points of contact.”

At the hearing, Representative Greg Smith (who did an excellent job) questioned the State Police ID Unit Director who testified that gun purchase background checks subsidized many other types of checks that OSP conducts for free.

The Director, David Yandell, also testified that the ID Unit was experiencing difficulties completing background checks, but hoped things would improve. He noted that the unit plans to soon have an electronic check system that would allow dealers to conduct the checks themselves online. He also testified that even if this “new and improved” system became functional, reducing the need for staff time, that it was their intention to still seek the higher fee per check that they have requested. The current fee is $10.00. The State Police want to almost triple that to $26.00.

As expected, “Cease fire Oregon” came to oppose the bill with borderline hysterical testimony and invented statistics. More interestingly, a representative for the public employees unions came to oppose the bill on the grounds that several union jobs would be lost if the Feds took over the checks. Her position was that this bill would devastate Oregon’s economy because a handful of state workers would not longer be able to pay taxes after losing their jobs.

This is a fascinating premise. By her reasoning, Oregon could solve all its economic problems by hiring everyone in the state. Those people would then pay taxes and Oregon would be flush.

The magnitude of economic illiteracy out there is staggering.

Oddly, the public employees representative did not question whether the new “electronic” check would cost any jobs. None of the  committee members asked about that either.

Senator Rod Monroe seemed primarily interested in not losing any state jobs, but most committee members appeared to get the point that Oregonians should not be paying twice for the same “service,” a process they never asked for which is being provided so poorly.

Now the bad news. The hearing was only one step. The bill cannot move without a “work session” and we have been reliably informed that the Democrats will be resisting such action. Apparently, saving millions of dollars of taxpayer money and endless headaches is less important than losing a single public employee job. So there is strong reason to suspect that the leadership in the Senate Democrat Caucus will be doing what they can (which is a lot) to stop progress on this bill. It’s by no means dead, but it is clearly in the cross hairs of the Democrat Leadership.  By simply taking no further action on the bill, it will die, you will continue to face hassles and expense at the hands of the OSP, and “no one” will be to blame because no one had to vote.

Over in Senate Judiciary, Senator Floyd Prozanski, with the full support of Senate President Peter Courtney, is continuing to hold up any progress on House Bills 2787, 2792 and 2797. If he has not chosen a date to have work sessions on these bills by Monday, May 23rd, they will all be dead unless some legislator steps up and moves that they be removed from his committee. So time is running out.

Based on previous testimony and Prozanski’s own comments, we are confident that the Senator will make some attempt to turn one of these good bills into a Frankenstein monster of an anti-gun bill. Almost certainly it will be HB 2797 which only seeks to clarify firearms carry on motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATV’s. Expect this bill to be stuffed with language to ban guns on any school property along with lots of potential other amendments. Prozanski also wanted to change the rules about the restoration of felons’ gun rights. Having failed to make his own bill go anywhere, he could well add that language to any gut-and-stuff amendments to HB 2797.

We believe that it is unlikely (but by no means impossible) that Prozanski can pass a “no guns in schools” bill, however what he can do, and clearly is trying to do, is torpedo every bill that can in any way be perceived as “pro-gun.”  In the case of HB 2797 this is particularly troubling. All that bill does is fix a legislative screw-up from 2009. It merely provides guidance so people can avoid running afoul of the law. So Prozanski and Courtney’s actions here are particularly reprehensible.

No doubt both will be cheered by the Supreme Court’s recent decision to further eviscerate the US Constitution.

As we told you on May 12th, our bill to remove the Oregon State Police as the point of contact for firearms background checks will be heard in the Public Safety Subcommittee of the joint Ways and Means Committee tomorrow.

This bill would save Oregon gun owners and gun dealers millions of dollars and countless headaches due to unwarranted delays.

As we have told you in the past, for months, the Oregon State Police have been costing dealers sales while creating unjustified delays for buyers.

Unlike the Feds, who inform dealers that they may proceed with a sale even without an approval once three days have elapsed, the State Police continue to leave dealers with the mistaken impression that they MUST have an approval code before transferring a firearm. This is NOT the case.

Please send a note today to the Ways and Means Committee, through their staff, and ask for a speedy approval of HB 2791.

Contact info and a sample message follow:

gina.rumbaugh@state.or.us

_________________________________________________________

To the Ways and Means Committee,
RE: House Bill 2791

Dear Committee Member,

HB 2791 would eliminate the costly and redundant use of the Oregon State Police to conduct background checks for firearms purchases.

The National Instant Check System, used by most states for background checks, is more efficient and is already being paid for by our tax dollars. It makes no sense to ask Oregonians to pay twice for the same check.

The State Police are causing unnecessary delays for both buyers and sellers. Dealers have faced inexcusable wait times simply to get the OSP to answer their phones.

The OSP already use the Federal system to conduct their checks. Let’s cut out the middleman and save millions for Oregon residents.

Yours,

__________________

____________________________________________________________

HB 2791, the bill we requested to remove background checks from the Oregon State Police and turn them over to the Feds, (who don’t keep records of the purchased guns and don’t charge an additional fee) has been scheduled for a hearing in the Ways and Means Public Safety Subcommittee.

The bill is scheduled to be heard on May 17th at 3pm. The hearing room in the State Capitol is H 170.  If you are a gun dealer, or a gun owner who has been unjustly delayed or denied, we strongly urge you to attend this hearing and share your experiences.

We continue to receive almost daily reports of delays by OSP for gun sale background check approvals. This bill would solve that and eliminate the fee the State Police are charging every time you buy a firearm.

This is an extremely important bill, and one which most likely would not be sent to Floyd Prozanski’s Judiciary Committee, where he can kill it or hold it hostage as a bargaining chip. (It could still happen, but is not too likely.)

Please contact the members of the Public Safety Subcommittee and urge a speedy “do pass” recommendation for HB 2791. Urge them to move it to the full committee and please consider attending and uting to the hearing on the 17th.

The committee’s contact info follows. Please remember, your input really does matter.

Public Safety Subcommittee
Membership:
Sen. Jackie Winters, Co-Chair sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us
Rep. Mary Nolan, Co-Chair  rep.marynolan@state.or.us
Rep. Greg Smith, Co-Chair  rep.gregsmith@state.or.us
Rep. Jeff Barker, Co-Vice Chair  rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us
Rep. Wally Hicks, Co-Vice Chair rep.wallyhicks@state.or.us
Sen. Rod Monroe  sen.rodmonroe@state.or.us
Sen. Joanne Verger   sen.joanneverger@state.or.us

You can also upload any testimony and exhibits digitally to the committee staff who will distribute them to the committee members. Please be sure to note the bill number and that  your testimony and exhibits are intended for the Public Safety Subcommittee. The staff address is:

gina.rumbaugh@state.or.us

Sample message:
_______________________________________________________________

I strongly urge you to support HB 2791. This simple, commonsense measure would save Oregonians millions of dollars a year and end the serious problems created by the Oregon State Police ID unit.  The OSP ID unit needlessly delays legitimate firearms purchases and often provides false or erroneous information to gun buyers and dealers. Please move 2791 out of your subcommittee with a “do pass” recommendation and do all you can to get approval from the full Ways and Means Committee.

Yours.

___________________

_________________________________________________________________

As you know, we currently have several important bills still in play in the Oregon legislature.

Three bills are being held hostage in the Senate Judiciary Committee by  Floyd Prozanski who is using them as bargaining chips to advance his anti-gun agenda.

We know that one of the things he wants to do is ban guns in schools. That much was made very clear by the sham “hearings” that were held for House Bills 2792, 2787 and 2797.

As you can see here and here, those “hearings” were a farce and nothing more than a opportunity for Prozanski’s anti-gun supporters to advance misinformation to promote a ban on guns in schools. As we have already noted, the anti-gun groups had clearly been given copies of amendments, or proposed “concepts” that no one else has been allowed to see.

But Prozanski also added to the agenda the “concepts” of felon rights restoration and “mental health issues.” To date, he has provided no one any idea what his “concepts” are, yet strangely still invited public testimony on them.

Although, (in the interest of government transparency no doubt) Prozanski won’t reveal what he hopes to do besides ban guns in schools, we assume it is his intention to stuff one or more of the these bills with anti-gun language.

Now is by no means the time to let up. Both Prozanski and Senate President Peter Courtney need to hear loud and clear that we want these bills moved out of committee and onto the Senate floor with no poison pill amendments.  Let’s get an up or down vote so Oregonians know where their legislators stand.  The posturing and games must stop.

If you’ve called and emailed, please do it again. Do not be discouraged if they do not respond. What matters is that they hear from us and are reminded that there are consequences for their actions. A return email is far less important.

Elsewhere, House Bill 2791, our bill to take background checks away from the State Police, has been referred to the Joint Ways and Means Committee and from there to the Public Safety Subcommittee after passing out of the House Judiciary Committee.

As you know, the State Police have simply not been able to run the background check program correctly lately and now they want to almost triple their fees. Gun owners should not be forced to subsidize other tasks of the State Police ID unit every time they want to make a purchase.

We now need to make sure that this bill does not disappear into the black hole of lost bills.

The Subcommittee has three co-chairs:

Senator Jackie Winters
Representative Greg Smith, and
Representative Mary Nolan

They need to hear from you and be told that gun owners deserve HB 2791. There is no reason we should be paying a fee to the State Police to run a background check through the feds which the feds will do directly at no charge. (Beyond what we are being dinged in tax dollars.)

Mary Nolan is the key player here.  She is a knee jerk, anti-gunner who will vote against bills she does not understand simply because she thinks they are “pro-gun.”  Nolan voted against 2791 in the Judiciary Committee because she said she “wanted the bill to go to Ways and Means” instead of directly to the floor.  Well, she got her wish. Now we need to let her know that this bill will save Oregonians millions of dollars and incalculable hassle.

Also, please contact Senators Prozanski and Courtney and tell then to stop playing games with the gun bills in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Contact info follows.

Senate President Peter Courtney.
Senator Floyd Prozanski

Thanks for your continued activism.

Senator Peter Courtney
900 Court St. NE, S-201
Salem, OR 97301
sen.petercourtney@state.or.us
503 986 1004

05.03.11

Dear President Courtney,

Having now sat through my second “informational meeting” in the Senate Judiciary Committee, I felt obligated to contact you about the “procedure.”

As you no doubt know, the Judiciary Committee scheduled three bills to be heard last Thursday. However, the hearing was also to be used as the setting for an “informational meeting” on three “concepts”:

Guns in schools, restoration of a felon’s gun rights, and “mental health issues.”

The hearing on the bills and the “informational meeting” ran concurrently, so those who wanted to testify on the bills themselves were sandwiched into the “informational meeting.”

Of course, the first speakers were all representatives of groups that wanted to lobby on behalf of banning concealed handgun license holders from school grounds. Interestingly, all of these people had testimony that referred to a specific amendment to a specific bill.

No one who came to support gun rights saw any amendment nor did either of the two Republican members of the Committee.

Chairman Prozanski insisted there were no amendments, yet even after making that statement, references were made to “the dash-1” amendments.

The first speakers were given an unlimited amount of time to speak. By the time anyone who supported gun rights was given an opportunity to testify, their time limit was down to 2 minutes.

No representative of any organized pro-gun group was given a chance to present testimony in spite of having signed up before many of the anti-gun, school representatives.

When time ran out, we were informed that the “meeting” would continue today, Tuesday.  When we arrived, sign up sheets for all three bills and the “informational meeting” were available on the table in the hearing room. Several people signed up.

From the beginning of this “hearing” we were informed that testimony would be limited to 2 minutes. So now, we were limited to two minutes to testify on three bills, all of which we requested and worked on, and all of  which received overwhelming support in the House. But we also had to testify on three “concepts”, none of which we were allowed to see in spite of a direct request to Senator Prozanski to share them with us.

Having listened to extensive and inaccurate testimony from the government school representatives last week we now had two minutes to refute their comments, discuss two other “concepts” (still unseen) and three important gun bills.  In all we were afforded 20 seconds for each issue.

Clearly, the bills in question never received an adequate hearing. They were barely discussed at all.

“Mental health” received almost no comment, felons’ rights restoration received no comment at all, and the hearings were instead used as an opportunity to bash license holders by people who clearly seemed to be familiar with amendments Senator Prozanski claims do not exist.

Today, as you well know, a number of people who had signed up to testify were simply ignored, although one person who signed up today was inexplicably given her two minutes.

After the hearing, Senator Prozanski contacted several inviting them to come in to testify tomorrow, claiming he had “overlooked” the new “sign up” sheet even though one person who did get to testify was only on the new sign up sheet, not having been there last week.

As you also know, this invitation came only after those people came together to your office to complain about the shoddy treatment they had received after taking time off from work to participate in the process.

If it is the desire of your caucus to kill these bills, that is their prerogative. They can take no action on them, amend them or simply vote them down. But this process, wherein bills of importance to enough people to have received overwhelming support from the House are used as a theatrical event to promote the erosion of the rights of the most law-abiding people in the state is an outrageous misuse of the system.

At a time when the idea of “government transparency” is gaining public attention, it’s absurd to invite people to testify and then refuse to allow them to know what they are testifying about.

Frankly, we’ve seen this before on the same issue. Several years ago Senator Burdick held hearings on a school gun ban in a courthouse, where, of course, CHL holders are forbidden with their self-defense tools. The hearing date was given to the opponents of gun rights before the Republican members of the Senate were told when it was, and seating was “reserved” for anti-gun speakers.

If members of your body want to disarm CHL holders in spite of their own admittance that there have been exactly zero problems, they can introduce a bill and make an effort to pass it. But to misuse the process, prevent proper testimony about important bills from getting on the record and refuse to allow the public to know what members’ intentions are is a sorry excuse for governing.

Kevin Starrett
Director
Oregon Firearms Federation

Ginny Burdick’s Testimony

Oregon Education Association’s Testimony

School Superintendent’s Testimony

Ceasefire Oregon HB 2792

Ceasefire Oregon HB 2787

Ceasefire Oregon Guns In Schools

Karen Twain’s Testimony.

Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee “hearing” was another display of the paranoia of the anti-liberty crowd.

Although the meeting was supposed to be a hearing on three good gun bills, it was, in fact, nothing more than theater arranged by, and for, the anti-gun rights, government school establishment.

In an unusual “informational meeting”, the opponents of gun rights were given a virtual monopoly on public testimony, but more, they were given information provided to no one else and the opportunity to testify at length before anyone from the pro-freedom side had a chance to respond. While limited and abbreviated testimony was taken from a few pro gun citizens, no one from OFF or NRA had a chance to testify in spite of the fact that they were “signed in” before almost everyone else.

The meeting followed a format we have never seen before. The “informational meeting” took center stage but no pro-gun people had any insights into exactly what the meeting was about. Strangely, that was not true of the people who testified on behalf of the government schools.

They repeatedly voiced their support for “amendments to HB 2797.” 2797 is the bill that clarifies lawful carry of handguns on motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles. The “amendments” clearly outlawed CHL holders from being on school property. Oddly, only the government school representatives seemed to have actually seen these “amendments.” Even one member of the committee asked what these supposed “amendments” were, since he had not seen them either.

After repeated references to these amendments. the chair of the committee, Floyd Prozanski, informed the audience that “there were no amendments to any of the bills” being heard today. But even after he said that several times, more representatives of the government schools referred to the “amendments to HB 2797.”

It was quite odd that numerous people who worked for the state school establishment testified in favor of amendments to a specific bill that would outlaw CHL carry on school property, but no one else saw these amendments and the Chair insisted they did not exist. Someone is not being very forthcoming.

Although we were told that the “informational meeting” would cover guns in schools, rights restoration for people with felony convictions, and “mental health issues” it was clear that the focus was on licensed carry at schools. It was also clear that the anti-gun school establishment was privy to inside information denied to everyone else.

The government school reps trotted out all the same paranoid cliches they have been relying on for years. School superintendent Susan Castillo testified that guns in schools were a dangerous proposition and illustrated her position by citing Columbine, Thurston High School and Virginia Tech. When asked if any of those shooters were concealed handgun license holders she admitted they were not, but the schools did not want to “wait “until a CHL holder opened fire on a class full of children.  (Hey, it could happen, right?)  Of course, just as every CHL holder is a potential mass murderer, every public school teacher is a potential child molester. So clearly we need to address that issue.

Ginny Burdick demonstrated, once again, her perennially addled state by testifying that CHL holders could not be trusted in schools because they did not have the extensive training that police have. She went on to illustrate her point by citing data from the New York City Police Department which concluded that NYC cops rarely hit their targets.

This is an interesting argument. On the one hand, the anti-gun crowd does not want to recognize the CHLs from other states because they may not meet Oregon’s lofty training requirements. On the other hand, we cannot trust CHL holders in schools because they have such paltry training requirements.

Of course, over and over, the anti-gun mouthpieces complained about the carnage caused by guns in schools. And over and over they were asked if any of the people who were responsible for violence in schools were CHL holders. The number of problems involving CHLs according to the anti-liberty zealots?  Er…uhh…oh…none.

After listening to multiple representatives of the Oregon government schools testify that the most law abiding Oregonians need to be disarmed because of the acts of the most criminal Oregonians, we were struck with a horrifying thought. These people are teaching our children. There have been few more compelling arguments for homeschooling than today’s testimony.

If you are a public school teacher, you should know how you are being represented in Salem. If you are a parent with children in the public school system you should know how your children are being propagandized.

In spite of Prozanski’s repeated denials, there would seem to be amendments to one of the gun bills to, once again, dredge up the failed efforts to ban CHL holders from being on school property. Why we are allowed to be in malls, parks and even the Capitol, but we can’t be trusted to pick up our children from school is never answered by the school union reps, the School Superintendent, or the orchestrated and delusional members of the government school monopoly.

Either the teachers’ union or the Chairman of the committee is lying about the phantom “amendments” to 2797.  The hearing ended with no testimony from any member of the gun lobby. Prozanski announced that he would pick this hearing up again next Tuesday. If the deck will be stacked again then, we cannot say. It is clear however, that there is an effort to butcher the pro-gun bills that passed the House with wide margins.

We strongly encourage you to continue to make your voice heard on the three bills that were supposed to be heard today. Please contact the following Senators and tell them to pass House Bills 2787, 2792, and 2797 as passed by the House with NO amendments. These are the people that need to hear from you. Do not be hesitant to contact them multiple times.

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

Jackie Dingfelder
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1723
District Phone:
503-493-2804
sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us

Suzanne Bonamici
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1717
District Phone:
503-627-0246
sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us