Category: OFF Alerts

Happy New Year.

As you know, the issue of concealed handgun licenses being made public has gotten a lot of attention lately.

The issue first surfaced as a result of the anti-gun, “Medford Mail Tribune” seeking all the CHL holders names in Jackson County in order to find out the names of any teachers who might have CHL’s. The Jackson County Sheriff refused to reveal the names and chose instead to protect the privacy of license holders.

As you might expect, the Tribune sued to get this information and won in court. The Jackson County Sheriff, in an effort to protect CHL holders from having their names, addresses and other personal information turned over to a newspaper with a vocally anti-gun agenda, appealed. That case is awaiting a hearing in Oregon’s Appeals Court.

Since then, an organization called “Oregon Gun Owners” has demanded the names and addresses of all CHL holders state wide and has used that information to send out fundraising letters in an attempt to build a database of gun owners.

As a result of that, many sheriffs are refusing to divulge this information. Even Clackamas County Sheriff, Craig Roberts, who turned over all the personal information on CHL holders to “Oregon Gun Owners” has changed his policy and is now asking CHL holders to inform him if they want their private information to be kept private. (A little late to be sure, but it’s a start.)

OFF is working with legislators on a bill to protect the privacy of CHL holders. We have received a draft and expect it to be introduced very early in the session which starts on Monday, January 12th. It may even be “pre-session filed.”

Now, Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilberston has agreed to a meeting with concerned gun owners, and others. What follows is the information about the meeting that we have received from OFF member Damon Mancuso who was responsible for making this meeting happen.

“An Evening With Sheriff Gil Gilbertson
Should concealed handgun permit holders information remain private? Should the media be allowed to publish the names and address of permit holders?
Sheriff Gilbertson recently stated his opinion on this issue, and his strong belief in the Constitution, specifically the 2nd amendment.
This will be the central topic of discussion, as well as other 2nd amendment related issues, such as “restricted shooting districts”. This will be an open forum, with questions from the audience welcome. As time allows we will also discuss the ongoing funding issue, and the future of Josephine County Law Enforcement.
Plan on attending this informative meeting and learn more about this important issue, the Sheriff’s position, and how this affects you. “

Tuesday, January 13th
7:00pm-8:30pm
Redwood Grange
1830 Redwood Ave, Grants Pass

For info call 541-291-3158 or e-mail mancuso@grantspass.com

CHANGES MADE FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS

UPDATED JUNE 2011.

Since early 2011, we have received a spike in complaints about delays and denials once again.So the following information is out of date. Although OSP had improved their performance doing background checks, we are back where we started in terms of slow service and unjustified delays.  A bill we drafted in the 2011 legislative session which would have turned over background checks to the NICS system died in the Ways and Means Committee after state workers from the ID unit of OSP testified that if NICS handled the background checks they might lose their jobs and Oregon’s economy would collapse. The Oregon legislature caved.

For several years, OFF has received a large volume of correspondence from Oregonians who had been delayed for firearms purchases for reasons the buyers often could not understand.

It has always been OFF’s position that background checks and requests for permission to exercise a right turn that right into a privilege, but until we can do away with these unconstitutional burdens we believe it is important to prevent as many obstacles to gun possession as possible.

At our request, the Oregon State Police ID unit agreed to review their polices and procedures concerning background checks.

OFF had several meetings with the OSP ID Unit and we are pleased to be able to report substantial progress and cooperation from the Oregon State Police.

OSP has rewritten their guide for gun dealers in Oregon and removed errors such as a statement that a transfer could not be made without an approval. In fact, in the absence of denial, transfers can take place after three business days have elapsed even if there is a “delay” or “pend.”

The new manual reflects this and should be helpful for dealers who were unsure whether they could, in fact, deliver a firearm before an “approval” was issued. If you are experiencing delays because a dealer won’t release a firearm without an approval, you can take them a copy of this letter from the State Police clearly saying the transfer MAY take place. They are not required to release it, but if they refuse you should find a smarter dealer.

The State Police will be sending a letter out to all Oregon gun dealers with information including new phone numbers that buyers can use to request information about delays and denials. The State Police have informed us that they plan to have an improved response to those inquiries.

OSP will also be providing dealers with handouts to give to customers with contact info in the event of a delay or denial.

For buyers who have questions about delays and denials, the new number to request information is 503-373-1808 EX 327. The State Police have promised to respond to questions about delays and denials promptly.

OSP also plans to post all this information and current documents on their website.

OREGON APPEALS COURT DEALS MAJOR BLOW TO GUN RIGHTS IN OREGON

An Oregon Appeals Court decision has found that your car is now considered a “public place.” That means that possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle may be considered a crime if the locality in which you are traveling has a ban on open loaded carry.

This ruling is bizarre in light of how Oregon law defines “public place.” ORS 161.015 defines public place this way:

(10) “Public place” means a place to which the general public has access and includes, but is not limited to, hallways, lobbies and other parts of apartment houses and hotels not constituting rooms or apartments designed for actual residence, and highways, streets, schools, places of amusement, parks, playgrounds and premises used in connection with public passenger transportation.

The case, Bryan Ward VS State of Oregon, dealt with an arrest, by a Portland Police officer, of a person who had an unconcealed handgun in his car.

It has always been our position that open carry in a vehicle was clearly protected by Oregon law. ORS 166.250 clearly states that except for CHL holders, it is concealed carry in a vehicle that is prohibited. It further states that the prohibition against concealed, loaded carry in a vehicle does not apply to”a recreational vessel or recreational vehicle while used, for whatever period of time, as residential quarters.”

The Appeals Court decision turns on its head Oregon’s preemption statute which allows only the state legislature to regulate possession of firearms, except for loaded carry in public places. If your car is now considered a “public place” will a law enforcement officer need a warrant to search it?

The Court concludes “When read together, ORS 166.173 and 161.015(1) clearly allow local governments to regulate the possession of loaded firearms on their streets and highways.”

But ORS 166.173 states”166.173 Authority of city or county to regulate possession of loaded firearms in public places. (1) A city or county may adopt ordinances to regulate, restrict or prohibit the possession of loaded firearms in public places as defined in ORS 161.015.” and 161.015, as noted above, clearly defines a “public place” as a place to which the general public has access. ” It is not ambiguous in any way.

The Court also reaches conclusions that seem to have no bearing on this case at all. In their decision, they state the following :

“Moreover, ORS 166.173(2)(c)–which exempts persons licensed to carry concealed weapons from local loaded firearms regulations–demonstrates that the legislature anticipated situations in which persons may possess concealed, loaded firearms in a public place. The legislature chose to exempt such persons from local regulations based on their possession of a certain type of permit, despite the fact that a concealed firearm, although otherwise in a “public place,” is not kept in a place to which the “general public has access.”

But this case is not about concealed handguns. CHL holders are exempt from many restrictions that non-license holders are subject to, and the legislature made very specific rules about vehicles and firearms possession which clearly allow open carry without a license while in a car. If a car is a “public place” then why even have laws specifically dealing with possession in a vehicle when the limits on carrying in “public places” would apply  to cars anyway?

Oregon’s preemption law was created specifically to prevent a person from inadvertently breaking the law as he moved around the state. This ruling is a major setback for gun rights in Oregon and puts many people at risk simply by crossing into a town or city that has onerous and unposted rules. OFF is considering what further legal action can be taken, and in the meantime warns gun owners to be very careful when traveling in Oregon.

LICENSE HOLDER’S PRIVACY IN PERIL

Oregon Firearms Federation supporters have received, or soon will receive, a Political Action Committee mailing from us urging them to take advantage of Oregon’s PAC tax credit law to support gun rights at no cost to them. Many will also be receiving a letter asking for donations to the political action committee of a group called “Oregon Gun Owners.”

“Oregon Gun Owners” is not affiliated in any way with OFF. “Oregon Gun Owners” is the organization that helped write HB2535 in 1999. This bill was intended to end private sales at gun shows and require that your firearms be kept locked up. When OFF killed that bill in the 1999 session, “Oregon Gun Owners” attempted to place a measure on the 2000 ballot to achieve similar ends, but failed to collect enough signatures. A similar measure authored by Ginny Burdick made the ballot and was passed into law as Ballot Measure 5.

We have received a copy of the mailing done by “Oregon Gun Owners.”  It was sent to a woman with a CHL whose name appears on no mailing lists for gun owners except the Clackamas County Sheriff’s CHL list. It was mailed to a PO box that she uses for no other purpose except her CHL.

The Clackamas County Sheriff has notified license holders that he will reveal their names if asked.

A recent news story indicated that Portland law firm O’Donnell,Clark & Crew was requesting the names of license holders on behalf of an “unnamed group.”

Apparently they were successful in getting the names of Clackamas County residents. We do not know what other counties may have made this information available. (An associate of O’Donnell and Clark was part of a team of lawyers that represented OFF in a lawsuit several years ago.We do not support their current efforts.)

As you know, some sheriffs are attempting to safeguard the names of license holders in their counties and began their efforts after O’Donnell and Clark made the request for the names.  We will leave it you to connect the dots.

Once again, gun rights supporters should know that  “Oregon Gun Owners” has no connection to OFF in any way. OFF fully supports the efforts of sheriffs to protect the private information of CHL holders in the current climate and warns Clackamas County residents that their information is public knowledge and available to anyone who asks, for any purpose.

HS PRECISION SHOVES ITS FOOT FURTHER DOWN ITS MOUTH

Demonstrating the marketing skills of a pipe wrench, the geniuses at HS Precision, who marketed their rifles with a testimonial from an FBI sniper who shot and killed an unarmed woman, (whom he claimed he was not even aiming at) have released the following “statement.”

To Our Valued Customers:
H-S Precision has received comments relating to individual testimonials in our 2008 catalog. All of the testimonials focused on the quality, accuracy and customer service provided by H-S Precision.
The management of H-S Precision did not intend to offend anyone or create any type of controversy. We are revising our 2009 catalog and removing all product testimonials.
Sincerely,
The Management of H-S Precision

In spite of  almost universal outrage and astonishment by gun owners, (meaning their CUSTOMERS) HS has decided that this anemic, laughable, and embarrassing response will be enough to put their despicable behavior behind them.

To see the original statement on their website, click on the “2008 Catalog Statement” under the “News” link on the upper right side of the page.

HS Precision thought it was a grand idea to promote their rifles using the services of a man famous for one thing, killing someone he claimed he never intended to shoot.

Now they expect the people who were horrified by this position, to accept an explanation that doesn’t even reach the level of “lame.”

If they build their rifles this way, we strongly suggest you shop elsewhere.

H-S PRECISION, INC.
1301 TURBINE DRIVE,
RAPID CITY, SD 57703
(605) 341-3006 TEL
(605) 342-8964 FAX
info@hsprecision.com

GUN RESTRICTIONS IN NATIONAL PARKS EASED – GUN BAN IN NATIONAL PARKS NO LONGER COMPLETE.

Today the Department of the Interior announced a rule change that
would allow concealed firearms in National Parks.

The new rule comes with plenty of restrictions however.

Only persons with concealed handgun licenses would be permitted to carry, and then only if they met all the requirements of the state in which the National Park was located.

In Oregon, Crater Lake is our only National Park, so Oregonians with CHL’s will now be allow to protect themselves, however, since Oregon recognizes no other states’ licenses, visitors to our state will still be at the mercy of criminals there.

It’s a small victory, but we have a long way to go.
Press Relase:
http://www.doi.gov/news/08_News_Releases/120508.html

Rule:
http://www.doi.gov/issues/Final%20Rule.pdf
_________________________________________________

MORE ON HS PRECISION

HS PRECISION DIGS IN ITS HEELS

In spite of an avalanche of e-mails,  HS Precision, (the rifle and stock maker that promoted its products with a glowing endorsement from hired killer Lon Horiuchi) has decided to ignore gun owners who expressed outrage at this bit of marketing insanity. (The company was even mocked by Tom Gresham of GunTalk last Sunday.)

But in spite of HS’s decision to ignore gun owners (in order to placate their big government customers) your efforts have not been unsuccessful. AR15.com reports a response they received from Remington Arms, a regular customer of HS.

While we have not been able to see the original e-mail at this time,or prove its authenticity,a review of Remington’s website did indicate that they no longer have any mention of HS Precision there, as was noted in the reported e-mail.
(Except for, apparently here and here. Guess they missed a few.)

(Questions about the authenticity of the e-mail seem to have been answered.)

But now is not the time to let HS off the hook. What does Remington mean when it says HS should “reverse course?” They won’t use a hired killer to endorse their products in the future? Big deal.

Anyone distributing their products needs to hear from gun owners.

Any business relationship with HS is an endorsement of their outrageous policies and callous disregard for innocent human life.

A list of their hunting distributors can be seen here.

A list of their international distributors can be seen here.

A list of their stock distributors can be seen here.
(Note this HS web page has a bad link for Cabela’s. They link to a cable website. The correct link is http://www.cabelas.com/ )

A list of their “tactical” distributors can be seen here.

A weird page with satin gloves and pearls,(which thanks to Lon Horiuchi, Vicky Weaver will never get the chance to wear) can be found here.

If you patronize any of these businesses, they need to know that you are disgusted that they would be promoting products that are hawked by a sniper who shot an unarmed woman through the head, while she held her infant daughter.

It has been reliably reported to us that HS Precision considers the people who have contacted them to be “kooks” and “fringe element.”  Apparently Remington does not share the same disdain for their customers.

We strongly believe that a company that is far more interested in the approval of government agencies than American gun owners is a danger to all of us.

Companies like HS put profits before principles. They are acting as agents for government agencies that seek to attack gun owners, even if it means gunning them down. As long as HS remains in business, the message is clear; gun owners are expendable, gun hating federal agencies will continue to be accommodated.

Since HS has no interest in addressing the outrage of gun owners (who rightfully consider a hired killer to be a poor spokesman for a firearms manufacturer) we think it’s time to turn our attention to their business partners. We hope you do too.

Oregon Gun Owners Closer To Another Victory

For a lot longer than we would have liked, Oregon Firearms Federation has been battling to force government agencies to obey Oregon law.

Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services has long had policies that violated Oregon’s preemption statute dealing with firearms possession.In a post from 2007, we clearly thought we had solved that problem. But nothing is as slippery or slow as a bureaucrat.

Now after several years of efforts by us, and some tireless pro-gun legislators (like Senator elect Brian Boquist) and their staffs, it looks like we may have made some real headway.

We have now received this proposed change of rules by DAS. As you can see, they have eliminated the illegal prohibitions on firearms they once had in buildings they controlled.

There will be a public hearing on the rule changes on December 22nd at 10 am in Salem, We encourage gun owners and especially CHL holders to attend.

The location for the hearing is 1225 Ferry St SE Salem OR, 97301 in the Mt. Ashland Conference Room.

If you cannot attend, please send comments in favor of this rule change to Scott Harra at
Scott.Harra@das.state.or.us

This could be a great, and long fought, victory for gun owners at a time when gun rights are clearly in peril.

We encourage you to attend the hearing or contact Scott Harra and voice your support for the rules change. A sample message follows:

———————————————————————

To Department of Administrative Services,

I strongly support the proposed rule change to bring DAS’s policies in line with Oregon law.

DAS, like every state agency, should respect the clear language in Oregon law dealing with persons who have obtained Oregon concealed handgun licenses.

Very truly yours,

_______________________

As you may have heard, HS Precision Rifles, a South Dakota gun maker, has been marketing their wares using the endorsement of a hired killer.

As bizarre and demented as it sounds, the HS company has a “testimonial” about their products on the back of their catalog from none other than Lon Horiuchi.

Although they have a civilian market, they clearly are willing to throw civilian gun owners under the bus to get a little government business.

Most gun owners will remember Horiuchi, but for those who don’t, a little background.

Lon Horiuchi is the former FBI sniper who shot and killed Vicky Weaver at the notorious“Ruby Ridge” standoff. Vicky was holding her infant daughter at the moment that Horiuchi fired a rifle bullet through her head, killing her.

He was later prosecuted for the killing, but predictably,charges were dismissed.

Ruby Ridge was one of the darkest hours in our nation’s history. Before Vicky was gunned down by Horiuchi, her 12 year old son Sam was shot and killed by Federal Marshals.  A family friend was also shot, as was Sammy’s dad, Randy Weaver. (Larger Catalog Image)

All of these killings were over an accusation that Randy Weaver had shortened the barrel of a shotgun.

Horiuchi also worked as a sniper when the US Government, under orders from President Clinton’s Attorney General, Janet Reno, massacred the Branch Davidians in Waco Texas.

Janet Reno’s second in command, Eric Holder has just been named as Obama’s pick  for our new Attorney General.

Let’s face it, gun owners are under siege. We have never faced a President who is as openly hostile to gun rights as Obama. So, when “our” people are using government assassins to sell guns to the government, we really need to take stock. HS Precision  is advancing an agenda that says it’s ok for government agents to murder people because they are gun owners.

HS has so far refused to respond to questions about their outrageous use of a killer to endorse their products. Now they need to hear from you. HS can be reached here:

H-S PRECISION, INC.
1301 TURBINE DRIVE,
RAPID CITY, SD 57703
(605) 341-3006 TEL
(605) 342-8964 FAX
Email: info@hsprecision.com 

HS is a major supplier of stocks to Remington Arms. They also need to hear from you.

Remington Arms Company, Inc.
870 Remington Drive
P.O. Box 700
Madison, NC 27025-0700 TEL: 1-800-243-9700
Fax: 1-336-548-7801
http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/contact.htm

“It’s not something you are entitled to keep confidential,” Orchard said. “No one forced you to acquire a handgun.”

With those twisted words, the attorney for the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association explained why every media outlet in the state and country, as well as every anti-gun extremist organization, should have the names and addresses of every Oregonian who has a concealed handgun license.

The Oregonian, in their infinite stupidity said “We’ve always appreciated the fact that you could check whether your road-raging next-door neighbor also had the sheriff’s permission to pack heat in an ankle holster.”

As if that neighbor would be any less dangerous if he did not have the sheriff’s permission “pack heat in an ankle holster.”

As you know, the Medford Mail Tribune, in an effort to “out” CHL holders, demanded that the Sheriff of Jackson County turn over the personal information of every license holder there.

Their hope was to continue the attack on teachers in the area who had licenses and owned guns for the defense of themselves and others. The Mail Tribune has consistently attacked the Medford teacher who went to court (with our support) to force the Medford School District to stop harassing and threatening her because she was exercising her right to have a concealed handgun license.

The Jackson County Sheriff stood up to the newspaper and its editor Bob Hunter, and refused to turn over the names. Hunter, of course, sued.

The local courts agreed that Hunter and the Tribune had the right to have the names, addresses and phone numbers of every CHL holder in Jackson County. Hunter would then be free to publish all of this information.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters fought back and appealed the decision. The Appeals Court has not yet rendered a verdict, but to protect CHL holders, several other sheriffs have taken steps to keep this info private.

In Washington, Marion, Benton*, Josephine, Linn and Columbia Counties, the sheriffs are working to give license holders the option to keep their personal information private, no matter what the Appeals Court decides. Other sheriffs are reported to be considering it, but many are still making this info available to any individual or group, no matter what their position on gun rights is. (Currently,the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office web page is saying they will NOT disclose this information.)

Clackamas County’s Sheriff Craig Roberts, on the other hand, has stated that he plans to continue to release this information and has made no effort whatsoever to protect the privacy of CHL holders.

*The law firm discussed in this story has revealed that they are in fact seeking CHL holders’ names in all 36 counties.

In the new political climate we face, it  is more important than ever that gun owners in general, and CHL holders in particular, protect their personal information and privacy.

We applaud the sheriffs who have stepped up to confront the media and any other anti-gun organizations that seek to use this information to harass and intimidate gun owners as the Medford Mail Tribune has attempted to do.

It is our hope that legislation to address this issue can pass in the upcoming legislative session, but we expect that to be an uphill fight. In the meantime, we need to strongly urge every sheriff to follow the lead of the Jackson and Washington County Sheriffs and take whatever steps they can to protect the personal information of CHL holders from people like the lawyers for the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.

Your can use this link to find and contact most Oregon sheriffs. If you discover broken or outdated links, please let us know and we will update them as quickly as possible.  A sample message to your sheriff follows. Please cut and paste it into an e-mail or modify to suit your personal style. And thank you for your activism.

____________________________________

Dear Sheriff,

As you know, media outlets and other organizations are asking sheriffs to reveal personal information about concealed handgun license holders.
These requests expose CHL holders to harassment, abuse and criminal activity.
Persons who apply for, and receive, CHL’s are not looking to make a public statement and in many cases have reason to want to keep their status as license holders private.  I urge you to do everything you can to protect this information from people who have no legitimate reason for having it.

Very truly yours.

______________________________

NRA IGNORES PRO-GUN CANDIDATE IN HOUSE DISTRICT 32

Oregon House District 32 has a candidate running with what may be the most solid pro-gun credentials of anyone running for office in Oregon. But you would not know it by looking at  the NRA website.

House District 32 is a race between Democrat Deborah Boone and Republican Tim Bero.

Tim is the president of TNW Firearms in Vernonia. Tim’s a gun dealer, a firearms importer, a sponsor of full auto shoots and a member of OFF. But for some reason, NRA has chosen not to even list him as a candidate on their website.

We have had info on Tim on our website for months, but as has so often been the case, the NRA has chosen to ignore one of their own to protect an incumbent.

If you are an NRA member, you should ask them why they have chosen to ignore Tim while giving rabid anti-gun fanatic Ginny Burdick a “D” rating and lying about Gordon Smith’s record.

In the dangerous times we are facing, we cannot afford to have the NRA working against pro-gun candidates.

MORE DECEPTION FROM NRA

Gun owners across Oregon are receiving large orange postcards from the NRA urging them to vote for Gordon Smith.

The cards, which accurately portray Jeff Merkley as an enemy of gun rights, falsely claim that Smith voted in favor of “legislation enacted into law ending bogus lawsuits against gun manufacturers.”

The fact is, Smith DID NOT vote in favor of S 397, “the gun manufacturers and dealers immunity bill.” As you can see by the record, Smith did not vote on passage of the bill at all.

He did however, vote in favor of the anti-gun amendments that were tacked on before the bill passed. Smith went so far as to send out mail claiming to have voted against the “anti-gun amendments” when in fact, he did the exact opposite.

The NRA fails to mention that Smith supported a reintroduction of the Clinton ban on modern firearms, and while warning voters that “if Barack Obama is elected we will face the most anti-gun president in American history” they fail to mention that Smith has campaigned almost exclusively on his close ties to Obama and other gun grabbers like Ted Kennedy and Ron Wyden.

The mailing makes no mention of other candidates for Senate who are solidly pro-gun.

They also urge voters to support John McCain, who they themselves called  “…one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment.”

The posted ratings for candidates on the NRA  website endorse anti-gun Congressman Peter DeFazio while ignoring his pro-gun opponent.

This year gun owners may be facing the gravest threat to their gun rights ever. Obama and Merkley are clearly and openly anti-gun. But the NRA does voters a serious disservice by willfully distorting the records of candidates they back. Furthermore, by supporting candidates who have serious anti-gun records, they make it easy for the anti-gun forces to attack, as in this article by the head of an anti-gun front group.

Voters and gun owners deserve the truth They are not getting it from the gun grabbers, and they are not getting it from the NRA.

What Is The NRA Thinking?

The National Rifle Association has just issued its  “candidate’s ratings.”

Some simply make no sense.

In Oregon, there is one politician whose entire career has been built on only one concept; the complete destruction of gun rights for everyone.

State Senator Ginny Burdick has demonstrated a single minded zeal to end gun ownership unrivalled by virtually any other politician in the country, with the possible exception of Chuck Schumer of New York.

Burdick has  spent her entire time in office working night and day to destroy gun rights. She has introduced bills to jail gun owners for owning modern firearms, fine them thousands for having ammunition magazines, end their right to carry lawfully on public property and eliminate Oregon’s preemption statute. She has promoted bills to force you to lock up your self defense firearms and  take away gun rights for people who have not even been charged with crimes, let alone convicted of them.

Burdick was the chief sponsor of Measure 5 in 2000 that criminalized private sales at gun shows.

With the help of John McCain and three million dollars in out of state, anti-gun money, Burdick forced government intervention on every transfer of a firearm at gun shows, even between two old friends who had known each other for 40 years.  Now, if you share a table at a gun show with a friend and decide to trade guns, both of you must undergo background checks and pay the police to simply trade a revolver for a rifle.This attack on your rights has proven to have no effect on crime.

But amazingly, the NRA has rated Burdick a “D” while rating other politicians who have no comparable history of attacking gun rights “F.”

In 2001, the NRA called John McCain “one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment.” Now they are endorsing him.

What does it take to get the NRA to recognize when a politician has a single minded obsession with destroying gun rights?  What legislator could be more committed to attacking your freedom than Burdick?

If you are an NRA member, you should consider contacting them and asking how a freedom hating militant like Burdick does not get an “F” and Gordon Smith who promised to vote to renew Bill Clinton’s gun ban gets an “A-”  Meanwhile, anti-gun Attorney General candidate John Kroger is unrated, and vocally pro-gun candidate Jim Leuenberger is ignored. They even endorsed “D” rated Peter Defazio while ignoring his pro-gun opponent, Jaynee Germond.

For better or worse, many gun owners trust and turn to the NRA for guidance when making decisions at election time. This year, the NRA has given some bizarre and dangerous candidate’s ratings.

If you are an NRA member, we strongly urge you to look at the candidates and their histories, rather than NRA ratings when you make your decision in November.

Sept 10, 2008

After a battle stretching back to 2004, the Port of Portland has finally rescinded its illegal ordinance against CHL holders at the Portland Airport.

As you may know, since 1996, the Port had a regulation forbidding persons with concealed handgun licenses from being in the Portland Airport. There was  one small problem. The ordinance was unlawful.

Needless to say, the Port and their lawyers did everything they could to justify this violation of the law. Their bizarre interpretations of the law would have made a contortionist jealous. But they were wrong.

In 2005 and again in 2007, OFF members, through their unending activism, blocked a bill that would have expanded the police powers of the Port of Portland Police.

After the second legislative session where their plans were halted because of their refusal to obey the law, they finally got the message, and while it took far longer than it should have, the Port rescinded their bogus rule. The new rule took effect last month. CHL holders are no longer subject to specious and arbitrary arrest for doing something that is perfectly legal.

Make no mistake, the reason this happened is because of you.

In 2007, the sponsor of the bill to expand the Port’s Police powers(House Rep Jeff Barker) actually withdrew his support for the bill after hearing from you about the Port’s blatant violation of the law. Even when the chair of the House Judiciary Committee,(militant anti-rights, Greg MacPherson) tried to revive it, Barker stood firm.

This is a testament to the power of grass-roots activism, and you should be proud.

In the next legislative session, it is almost a sure thing that we will have an anti-gun majority. Barring a miracle, we will also have an anti-gun president, but that does not mean we cannot win.

Thank you for your relentless activism, it really makes a difference.

We would also like to thank and welcome all the new supporters who have joined OFF recently, no doubt encouraged by the success we can only credit to you.

Stay tuned, there are more battles ahead. We still await a final decision in our case defending government employees’ rights to protect themselves and others (the Medford teacher issue.) but it’s clear that we can win as long as you are willing to keep stepping up.

A Message From OFFPAC

OFFPAC endorses Jim Leuenberger for Attorney General.

Dear supporter of gun rights,

There is little doubt that the 2009 Legislature will be under the control of anti-gun forces. While this does not mean we will lose ground, it does mean we must prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

It is impossible to predict how any legislature will behave. We have moved ahead, thanks to your activism,even when anti-gun politicians were in charge. But, of course, we can never rest.

I want to tell you about a race for an office that is outside the legislature, but still critically important. That race is for Attorney General.

You may recall that the Republican Party did not field a candidate for the office. The race was between two Democrats, Greg MacPherson and John Kroger.

MacPherson was as vocal an enemy of freedom and gun rights as any politician in office. As Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he tried every trick he could think of to ram through anti-gun legislation. Your activism defeated him  every time.  He also (thankfully) lost his bid to be AG.

The winner of the Democratic Primary was John Kroger. You can read more about him here.

There is little reason to believe  Kroger bodes well for gun owners. His list of supporters is a “who’s who” of militant anti-gun liberals, including Senator Vicki Walker and Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard.

That’s why I want to tell you that there is a candidate for this important office who is not in the pocket of gun hating organizations like The Sierra Club and the Oregon Education Association.

That candidate is Jim Leuenberger. Many of you know Jim as an attorney who has worked hard for gun rights representing gun owners all over the state. Jim is the lawyer who has taken on the power brokers to fight for the right of Shirley Katz, “the Medford teacher” to carry her handgun while at work. Jim represented David Bacon in his battle with the ATF.

Jim has made fighting for gun rights the cornerstone of, not only his practice, but his run for Attorney General.  He is a passionate defender of freedom and the constitution and makes no apologies for his commitment to the Second Amendment. Consider this quote from Jim’s webpage: “When more Oregonians defend themselves by keeping and bearing arms, there will be less crime. With less crime, we will need fewer police officers and fewer prisons. “

I hope I can count on you not only to vote for Jim in November, but to do all you can to help his candidacy with your financial support. Kroger has huge money from labor unions behind him. Jim is relying on the donations of gun owners like you.

Please visit Jim’s website and make a donation to help a true champion of gun rights get elected.