Category: OFF Alerts

It is truly astonishing that people in the business of making guns would support someone who wants to take them away. But Alex Robinson of Robinson Armament Co is determined to do just that.

Robinson posted an endorsement for Mitt Romney on his regularly updated website.
He has also stated :”There’s no one in the country who knows more about this subject or who can talk about it more intelligently than I can.”

When he was informed by gun owners that his support for Romney was, well, just plain nuts, he bent over backwards to give the Romney campaign an opportunity to spin their candidate’s message, much like the NRA. Now he is trying to convince gun owners to “change the minds” of the anti-gun candidates. Good luck. For more on NRA’s recent sell outs, click here.

Something go keep in mind when you buy your next rifle. On the other hand, it’s far from the first time we’ve seen this. In New York in 1989, the City Council attempted to pass an “assault weapon” ban. They did not succeed until 1992. But when the first attempt was made, a list of banned guns was created. Oddly, Ruger’s Mini 14 was not on the list. In what was sure to be seen as a complete coincidence, Ruger was supplying Mini-14’s to the New York City Police Department.

HR 2640, The NRA’s Latest “Victory.”

“We commend the United States Congress for its action today to strengthen the Brady background check system.”

Those were the words of Paul Helmke the President of the Brady gun ban group. The action to which he was referring, as you no doubt know, was the passage of HR 2640, in lighting moves with no debate and no recorded votes.

Both the US Senate and the US House passed this bill on December 19th under “unanimous consent” agreements. That means it was not even discussed. In order for this to happen, the leadership of both parties had to agree to allow it.

We are not surprised politicians would push more gun control with no accountability. But what is greatly troubling is that the National Rifle Association was the primary force behind this latest attack on gun rights.

The NRA’s spin machine is operating at full capacity praising the passage of a bill written by the most anti-gun members of Congress.

The bill expands and extends the failed Brady background check system, a gun registration scheme which has cost thousands of qualified people the ability to purchase a firearm.

It is amazing the NRA would revive a bill that was going nowhere just to give more power to the people who are denying legitimate purchases now.

You will recall the NRA supported the original Brady Bill because they approved of background checks for gun buys. That a “pro-gun” organization could support prior restraint of a right is bad enough, but now, years after this system has been in place, the NRA joins forces with an organization that has raised millions to strip Americans of their Second Amendment right in order to expand this dangerous law.

The NRA has insisted that this bill, rammed though when they hoped no one was watching, is going to benefit gun owners. On their website, the NRA uses the following quote to prove what a great deal this is for gun owners:
“Provides that if a person applies for relief from disabilities and the agency fails to act on the application within a year—for any reason, including lack of funds—the applicant can seek immediate review of his application in federal court.”

A year? A person who applies for relief has to wait a year before they can demand that some action be taken? That’s a mighty long time to wait for the right to have a firearm …especially if you need one. Oh, and then they get to go to court, to “seek” review. At their own expense of course.

Aside from the fact that the enemies of gun rights are crowing about this “victory” the biggest problem,(lost in NRA’s extensive justification for what CBS News called the first major new gun control bill in more than a decade,) is a simple reality the NRA refuses to acknowledge.

This bill turns over more power and more information to the very agencies which have used existing law to deny the rights of Americans or make it impossibly expensive to exercise those rights.

In Oregon, countless qualified buyers are denied purchases because of the intentional obstruction of government agencies who maintain these records. But it is even worse than that.

The original Brady Bill allowed for an end to the mandatory waiting periods when the availability of records allowed for an “instant” background check. We have long since passed that point, but for far too many people the background check is anything but “instant” stretching to weeks and months for many. How can the NRA and its apologists believe that the abysmal record keeping (or the outright obstruction of some agencies) is going to improve by handing these bureaucracies more power and personal information?

The NRA, in an article entitled “Clearing The Air On The Instant Check Bill “ said the following:

“In the late 1990s, gun buyers often experienced ridiculous delays while NICS sorted through cases of mistaken identity or incomplete police records. Many purchasers were wrongly denied and forced to go through a cumbersome appeals process. At the same time, state officials testified before Congress about woefully incomplete records they provide to NICS–a problem confirmed in recent reports by the U.S. Department of Justice”

Well someone needs to alert these guardians of our gun rights, that nothing’s changed. And now we are well passed the 1990’s. Gun owners are still being delayed and denied and still face cumbersome appeals processes. If you are delayed without cause, it’s your tough luck. The so called “safeguards” built into the law are meaningless and ignored. Sure, the law says if you don’t get an approval within three days, a firearms transfer may take place, but just try it.

Now NRA wants to solve the problems they created with Brady by giving us more of the same. They are telling us that the government bureaucrats will now be using accurate records, we should all be thankful and this is a great step forward.

In the world of gun rights, “good intentions” don’t cut it . As poorly kept and abused as the records of criminal behavior are, at least crimes are generally easy to quantify. “Mental illness” is far less black and white. You will recall the Bush efforts to screen the entire US population for “mental illness.”

The NRA has joined forces with politicians and organizations who have declared their intention to end gun ownership in this country. They have rammed through legislation that requires that more records be handed over to people who have proven they cannot be trusted with them. They have asked that gun owners believe that the same people who defunded the process to allow people to get their gun rights back under the current law won’t defund the lengthy process to get your rights back under this new law.

If you believe that more records in the hands of more government operators is a good idea, you may want to think about the first act of the Clintons when they took over the White House. The FBI record scandal proved beyond any doubt how unscrupulous and criminal political operatives can bypass the law to ruin people’s lives.

In an alert title “Outrage of the Week” the NRA has invited readers to share their “weekly outrage.”
They say “If you see something that you feel would be a good candidate for the “Outrage of the Week!” section, please send it to: freedomsvoice@nrahq.org.”

We think the sneaky passage of NRA/Schumer/McCarthy bill more than qualifies.
800-392-8683 – Grassroots Hotline

“We commend the United States Congress for its action today to strengthen the Brady background check system.”

Those were the words of Paul Helmke the President of the Brady gun ban group. The action to which he was referring, as you no doubt know, was the passage of HR 2640, in lighting moves with no debate and no recorded votes.

Both the US Senate and the US House passed this bill on December 19th under “unanimous consent” agreements. That means it was not even discussed. In order for this to happen, the leadership of both parties had to agree to allow it.

We are not surprised politicians would push more gun control with no accountability. But what is greatly troubling is that the National Rifle Association was the primary force behind this latest attack on gun rights.

The NRA’s spin machine is operating at full capacity praising the passage of a bill written by the most anti-gun members of Congress.

The bill expands and extends the failed Brady background check system, a gun registration scheme which has cost thousands of qualified people the ability to purchase a firearm.

It is amazing the NRA would revive a bill that was going nowhere just to give more power to the people who are denying legitimate purchases now.

You will recall the NRA supported the original Brady Bill because they approved of background checks for gun buys. That a “pro-gun” organization could support prior restraint of a right is bad enough, but now, years after this system has been in place, the NRA joins forces with an organization that has raised millions to strip Americans of their Second Amendment right in order to expand this dangerous law.

The NRA has insisted that this bill, rammed though when they hoped no one was watching, is going to benefit gun owners. On their website, the NRA uses the following quote to prove what a great deal this is for gun owners:
“Provides that if a person applies for relief from disabilities and the agency fails to act on the application within a year—for any reason, including lack of funds—the applicant can seek immediate review of his application in federal court.”

A year? A person who applies for relief has to wait a year before they can demand that some action be taken? That’s a mighty long time to wait for the right to have a firearm …especially if you need one. Oh, and then they get to go to court, to “seek” review. At their own expense of course.

Aside from the fact that the enemies of gun rights are crowing about this “victory” the biggest problem,(lost in NRA’s extensive justification for what CBS News called the first major new gun control bill in more than a decade,) is a simple reality the NRA refuses to acknowledge.

This bill turns over more power and more information to the very agencies which have used existing law to deny the rights of Americans or make it impossibly expensive to exercise those rights.

In Oregon, countless qualified buyers are denied purchases because of the intentional obstruction of government agencies who maintain these records. But it is even worse than that.

The original Brady Bill allowed for an end to the mandatory waiting periods when the availability of records allowed for an “instant” background check. We have long since passed that point, but for far too many people the background check is anything but “instant” stretching to weeks and months for many. How can the NRA and its apologists believe that the abysmal record keeping (or the outright obstruction of some agencies) is going to improve by handing these bureaucracies more power and personal information?

The NRA, in an article entitled “Clearing The Air On The Instant Check Bill “ said the following:

“In the late 1990s, gun buyers often experienced ridiculous delays while NICS sorted through cases of mistaken identity or incomplete police records. Many purchasers were wrongly denied and forced to go through a cumbersome appeals process. At the same time, state officials testified before Congress about woefully incomplete records they provide to NICS–a problem confirmed in recent reports by the U.S. Department of Justice”

Well someone needs to alert these guardians of our gun rights, that nothing’s changed. And now we are well passed the 1990’s. Gun owners are still being delayed and denied and still face cumbersome appeals processes. If you are delayed without cause, it’s your tough luck. The so called “safeguards” built into the law are meaningless and ignored. Sure, the law says if you don’t get an approval within three days, a firearms transfer may take place, but just try it.

Now NRA wants to solve the problems they created with Brady by giving us more of the same. They are telling us that the government bureaucrats will now be using accurate records, we should all be thankful and this is a great step forward.

In the world of gun rights, “good intentions” don’t cut it . As poorly kept and abused as the records of criminal behavior are, at least crimes are generally easy to quantify. “Mental illness” is far less black and white. You will recall the Bush efforts to screen the entire US population for “mental illness.”

The NRA has joined forces with politicians and organizations who have declared their intention to end gun ownership in this country. They have rammed through legislation that requires that more records be handed over to people who have proven they cannot be trusted with them. They have asked that gun owners believe that the same people who defunded the process to allow people to get their gun rights back under the current law won’t defund the lengthy process to get your rights back under this new law.

If you believe that more records in the hands of more government operators is a good idea, you may want to think about the first act of the Clintons when they took over the White House. The FBI record scandal proved beyond any doubt how unscrupulous and criminal political operatives can bypass the law to ruin people’s lives.

In an alert title “Outrage of the Week” the NRA has invited readers to share their “weekly outrage.”
They say “If you see something that you feel would be a good candidate for the “Outrage of the Week!” section, please send it to: freedomsvoice@nrahq.org.”

We think the sneaky passage of NRA/Schumer/McCarthy bill more than qualifies.
800-392-8683 – Grassroots Hotline

NRA/ Brady Campaign Gun Control Bill Passes Senate and House

UPDATE. SELL OUT COMPLETED.

As was predicted by our friends at the National Association For Gun RIghts, the Senate chose this busy time, when they hoped no one was paying attention, to ram through the NRA and Brady Campaign supported gun grab, HR 2640.

As we have told you, this bill will vastly expand the failed Brady background checks, which are already denying countless legitimate gun purchases.

In a press release issued today, the anti-gun “Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence” said “We commend the United States Senate for its action today to strengthen the Brady background check system by passing the “NICS Improvement Act of 2007′ (H.R. 2640).”

The Nation Rifle Association is now firmly in bed with the most militant gun grabbers in the country. While we have seen no press releases yet from NRA…

The NRA has issued this press release. The NRA and the Brady Campaign are now issueing press releases praising the same bill. If this does not give you chills, you are not paying attention.

…it is clear that they now have allied themselves with the people who have called for a complete elimination of privately owned semi-automatic firearms and countless other attacks on the Second Amendment.

As we write this, we do not have vote counts on the bill. We will post them as soon as they become available.

The bill now goes back to the House for concurrence with the Senate version. As you know, the bill originally sailed through the House on an unrecorded voice vote. The only “no” vote we know of was from Congressman (and Presidential candidate) Ron Paul.

Our last chance to kill this outrageous NRA gun grab is back in the House.

Contact info for your House member can be found here. Your House member will be the third person listed after your US Senators.

Please contact them with the simple message, “The NRA and Sarah Brady DON’T speak for me. Vote NO on HR 2640.”

There may not be much time. The bill has already been sent back to the House and if the Senate’s actions are any indication, this might get acted on before Christmas.

Please contact your Congressman right now,and if you have not already done so, please consider making a ution to our political action committee.

Too late. The House concurred in the Senate Amendments tonight. The NRA/Sarah Brady gun grab now goes to the George Bush for his signature.

(Save this alert. When this bill prevents thousands of legitimate gun purchases, the NRA will be swearing they had nothing to do with it.)

Contributions qualify for a tax credit and will help us defeat politicians who are attacking your rights. You can make a secure and easy on line donation here.

Be sure to use the drop down menu to note that your ution is for our PAC. You can learn more about the tax credit here. But don’t delay, your ution must be made before the end of the year to qualify for the 2007 tax credit. And PLEASE contact your Congressman today and tell them to vote NO on concurrence with the Senate on HR 2640.

NRA BOARD MEMBER ENDORSES ANTI-GUN CANDIDATE

We hear almost daily horror stories about qualified persons being delayed or denied firearms purchases because the existing background check system regularly provides either bad, or no information on a buyer. As a result, the Oregon State Police routinely place excessively long delays on many buyers and have even informed dealers that they are at risk if they obey the law and allow the transaction after the 3 days. Both Oregon and Federal law allow a firearms transfer to take place if there is no denial within three days, but because of the false information the State Police have given many dealers, few are willing to risk the transfer, although it is lawful and they CANNOT be held liable if the transfer was done lawfully.

Yet the NRA is insisting that this failed system be massively expanded with HR 2640. That’s bad enough, but now a prominent NRA board member has endorsed an openly anti-gun candidate for president. NRA Board member and second vice president David Keene has endorsed Mitt Romney in spite of Romney’s repeated attacks on gun owners and his promise to do so again if elected.

As Governor of Massachusetts Romney supported and signed a ban on semi-auto firearms. In a recent interview he said he would support a similar ban nationally. He also claims he would ban weapons of “unusual lethality” which could be any hunting rifle you have. He supports the gun registration that comes with background checks and believes that the current system is “instant,” something too many Oregonians know to be nonsense.

David Keene, according to NewsMax, will automatically become president of the NRA in three and a half years.

OFF does not endorse or oppose candidates, however we believe it is critical that gun owners know that an important and prominent leader of the National RIfle Association has endorsed a candidate who is responsible for some of the worst gun laws in the nation and promises to support more in the future.

Sadly here we have another NRA board member,Joaquin Jackson, who argues against civilian ownership of modern firearms:

Here with the help of an NRA interviewer he tries to backpedal on what he said to Texas Monthly:

MEDFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT PUSHES GUN BAN

The Medford School District passed a resolution Tuesday calling on the legislature to pass legislation banning licensed, concealed carry on school property.

Displaying an ignorance of the law that has come to be the hallmark of the government school establishment, School Board Member Eric Dziura said “It’s possible we already have the legal authority to pass a policy on banning all guns on school property, but there is a doubt about that.”

Actually, there is NO doubt about it. School districts have NO such authority.In fact,it is the very confusing patchwork of contradictory gun laws that would be created by such a bill that got the Oregon legislature to pass preemption in the first place.

Neil Goldschmidt protégée, Senator Ginny Burdick (along with Senator Alan Bates) has announced her intention to introduce a bill to ban guns at schools in either the upcoming “emergency” session in February, or in the 2009 regular session.

Similar bills were introduced in 1999, 2001,2003 and 2005. Each time, they were defeated by the vocal opposition of not only gun owners, but people with common sense across the state.

If the bill is introduced in the 2008 “Special Session” it should be interesting to see how it is handled by Senate President Peter Courtney, who has made it very clear that he intends to avoid contentious, partisan issues.

In 2005, the Democratic Caucus tried to get Burdick to shelve plans to introduce a school gun ban, but after a nasty and belligerent caucus, minutes before the hearing, she introduced it anyway only to have it voted down by anti-gun Floyd Prozanski who realized what a loser the bill was.

But, because of Burdick’s obsession with anti-gun bills, she may very well attempt it.

Whenever the bill is introduced, we need to be prepared to fight it. If the Democrat majority grows after the next election, they may feel emboldened to push an anti-gun agenda that has failed in the past. Or, if they hear from us loud and clear, they may concentrate on other priorities. Either way, the outcome will depend on our willingness to stay informed, active and engaged.

Right now, one way you can help us stay in the fight is to visit the new OFF STORE and make a purchase of any of our apparel items. Not only does your purchase give you an opportunity to tell the world where you stand on freedom issues, but the proceeds from the sales go to our efforts to protect gun rights in Oregon.

All of us at OFF wish you and yours a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving, and want you to know that we regularly give thanks for the amazing support you have provided over the years.

Stay safe.

MEDFORD NEWSPAPER SUES TO GET NAMES OF GUN OWNERS

As you may have heard, the Medford Mail Tribune has sued to get the names of concealed handgun license holders.

This action was taken as a result of the lawsuit brought by a Medford teacher against the Medford school district. As you know, teacher Shirley Katz was suing to be allowed to carry her defensive firearm to work at Medford High School.

The Mail Tribune, which has repeatedly editorialized that licensed, trained adults should NOT be allowed to carry firearms on school property, believes that one of the ways to promote its anti-gun agenda is to intimidate gun owners by demanding that the Sheriff turn over the names of license holders.

What possible purpose this would serve, beyond invading the privacy of the most law abiding residents of Oregon, remains a mystery. But the Tribune’s Editor, Bob Hunter is determined to proceed.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike WInters has so far refused, correctly pointing out the dangers this would present. “We were reluctant to hand over the names because we don’t want to make it easier for anybody who would use the information for harm in terms of credit card fraud or identity theft.” Winters said.

Editor Bob Hunter believes that he has the right to those names for whatever purpose he chooses to use them. “This is information bought and paid for by the public, and the public has a right to it.” But of course, that’s not true. The public did not buy and pay for this information. The information was paid for by the fees license holders are forced to pay to exercise a “right.” But Bob goes on “It’s important for news media to take a stand on something like this because if public information is withheld in this way it will diminish the amount of public information the public is allowed to see,”

The truth is, whether it is legal for the press to obtain these names or not, (and attorneys have recently informed us it may NOT be legal) the only purpose being served is to chill the rights of gun owners. It would be no different if we published the home addresses and phone numbers of Tribune staff and hid behind the First Amendment. (Which we will do if they continue this senseless exercise.)

While the Sheriff should be applauded for his efforts to protect license holders,Bob Hunter and the Mail Tribune and its advertisers should know that it’s wrong to promote their anti self-defense crusade by threatening the privacy of gun owners.

You can contact Hunter by e-mail here bhunter@mailtribune.com or by regular mail and phone here:

Mail Tribune
P.O. Box 1108
111 N. Fir St.
Medford, OR 97501
541-776-4411

Court Finds Against Self Defense For Government Workers.

In a long awaited decision, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Philip Arnold, decided that teachers and other employees of the state have no right to protect themselves and others.

In his decision, Judge Arnold stated that school districts may make rules prohibiting teachers from having firearms on school property.

While we believe that this decision sends a clear message that our schools are a target rich environment, at a time when we can least afford it, we are not particularly surprised by the judge’s opinion.

We are still evaluating the Judge’s ruling, but Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation is committed to continuing this battle as long as our resources permit.

The teacher,Shirley Katz, and OFEF, are very grateful for the amazing outpouring of support we have received, not only from our members, but from others from coast to coast who recognize the importance of this case. We need your help now more than ever. This fight is not over, but the battle for the fundamental right of all people to stay safe will be long and expensive.

Your tax deductible ution to OFEF will help ensure that we have the means to take this fight to the next level.

Recently,Oregon’s most militant gun hater, Senator Ginny Burdick, announced her intentions to introduce new restrictions on gun owners, as she has year after year. The battle lines are clearly drawn. Your support for our legal efforts can make all the difference in the future for gun rights.

We thank you for all you have done, assure you that we will continue to fight for your freedoms, and ask that you do whatever you can to assist us in this battle for liberty.

Legal Case Updates.

As you are very well aware, the media has taken an intense interest in Shirley Katz’s decision to demand that her rights not be violated.

The Medford English teacher has been reported on internationally, most recently on the BBC’s “World Have Your Say.” (One listener e-mailed in from Africa stating that “If it’s legal for her to have a gun in school, it’s legal for her to gun down her students.”)

Shirley also appeared recently on Tom Gresham’s “Gun Talk.”

In spite of the incredible pressure, Shirley has been a great spokesperson for gun owners everywhere. She has been very thankful for the overwhelming support she has received from you, without whom this case could never have moved forward.

As of today, the Judge has still not issued a ruling, but we feel strongly that no matter what the outcome, Shirley has been able, because of your very generous support, to force the entire nation to face the fact that our schools are unprotected, soft targets and that people willing to step up to protect them should be taken seriously.

It’s ironic that the Oregon Teachers Union has taken no interest in supporting Shirley, a responsible, courageous individual whose aim is to protect her students, while at the same time, the regular incidence of sexual abuse by teachers is swept under the rug.

We are all eagerly awaiting the judge’s decision, but while we wait, we want to remind you of another case to which OFF members have generously uted.

You will recall the case of David Bacon, a young man who volunteered for the Oregon Firearms Federation and was entrapped by the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms. David was convicted of crimes that evidence proved he could not have committed.

David is currently incarcerated and seeking an appeal. Many of you very generously uted to David’s defense, and for those of you who have followed the case, we wanted to bring you up to speed on David’s situation.

Our attorney has received the government’s latest briefs and responded to them. All the documents are available on the website of our Attorney, Jim Leuenberger. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to David’s defense, you can do so here. Please be sure to pick the Foundation from the “Donation Type” drop down menu, and make a note that your ution is for David. 100% of all donations go directly to his defense fund.

Thank you for your continued support for gun owners’ rights. None of our efforts would be possible without your generosity.

The Medford school district filed a motion to dismiss our lawsuit protecting teachers’ rights to carry a concealed handgunon school property. Yesterday,Jackson County Circuit Judge G. Philip Arnold dismissed the district’s motion and allowed the case to move forward.

While not a final victory, it was still an important and positive development. (To see local coverage and respond, click here.)

Our attorney argued that the law was clear and the school district cannot create restrictions on gun possession by license holders. The school district argued that if trained, licensed adults were allowed to carry on school property “school districts … could be reduced to armed camps,”

Oddly, he never explained why they are not “armed camps” now, when even the school district admits it is perfectly legal for non employees to carry on school property. Nor did he explain why the entire state is not an “armed camp” since thousands legally carry firearms from Portland to Elgin.
No one from the district commented on the insanity in Cleveland where two teachers and two students were just shot because all the good people were disarmed.

Based on the comments from callers to talk radio, misinformation about Oregon law, and fantasies about widespread mayhem, should we prevail, are fairly widespread, however every poll we have seen have the supporters of the Medford teacher way out in front.

The Judge has not issued a ruling on the case itself yet, he as only stated that the case is legitimate and should not be dismissed out of hand, as the district has requested. We still have a long way to go. Interestingly, we have been told by a community college administrator that other school districts and organizations within the public school establishment are uting toward the Medford school district’s legal bills. That makes this even more of a David vs Goliath battle.

We could not have taken on this important fight without your very generous support. To all of you have uted, we are deeply grateful. But we must assume that we have a long way to go.

This decision could still go either way, and in the event of a victory for freedom, we are sure the Medford School District will appeal. After all, it would appear that funding will not be an issue for them .

Thanks for your support, and we will keep you posted.

NRA GUN CONTROL BILL STALLED BUT NOT DEAD.

The NRA backed, Brady Bill expansion act, HR 2640 has been stalled as a result of your efforts, but it’s not dead yet

Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is working to keep the bill from being fast-tracked, but Charles Schumer and the NRA are continuing to try to pass it over the objections of gun owners across the country.

While the NRA continues to insist this is not gun control, their allies, New York’s Charles Schumer and Carolyn McCarthy have hailed it as just that.

Gun Owners of America, which is opposing the bill, has reported that the American Legion has joined The Military Order of the Purple Heart in opposing the legislation.

The NRA has dubbed the bill “The Brady Improvement Act” but have never really explained why gun owners would want to “improve” an unconstitutional bill that gun owners opposed from the beginning. Nor have they explained why the Federal Government, which routinley delays and denies qualified gun buyers in Oregon should be trusted with even more of people’s personal records.

You can read an in-depth analysis of what is wrong with this bill here.You may also want to contact the NRA and tell them to STOP supporting Schumer and McCarthy’s latest gun grab.

You can use GOA’s legislative action center to send an e-mail to Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith. If you are an NRA member you may want to contact them and tell them you do not support their alliances with the likes of Schumer.

TEACHER LAWSUIT UPDATE

Our lawsuit against the Medford school district has attracted an amazing amount of attention and an amazingly generous response by supporters of the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation. We have received help from people all across the country and we are humbled and grateful for your kindness and willingness to ute.

We have had assistance from many long time supporters, and many new friends as well. It would be impossible to overestimate how much you all have done. And all your help came without OFEF once sending out a press release or seeking any publicity on this case. Although we have responded to countless media inquiries, we never sought to exploit the media circus this case has become.

But a few press releases can go a long way. We have heard from many who were asking about a press release sent out by Second Amendment Foundation announcing their support for the teacher’s lawsuit. Invariably we have been asked why your efforts as the supporters of OFEF were ignored in the release. We have no answer to that question. OFEF has already paid several thousand dollars in legal fees and is committed to covering all the expenses, and that would be impossible without the generosity of people like you. Your early commitment should not be ignored. But that one press release got SAF tremendous publicity and apparently, that was the point. Their total ution to the case was $500.

Currently, the school district has filed a motion to dismiss our case and has demanded that the teacher’s name be made public. Numerous reporters have also threatened to publicize her name. She has informed us that if she is exposed, she will continue to fight. We are grateful for her courage.

To hear an interview and update on the case, which is due to be heard in court on Oct 11th, please go to the archives of Gun Talk to hear Sunday’s show, with OFEF’s Kevin Starrett as guest.

As you probably know, our lawsuit against the Medford school district has received international attention. We have received media inquiries from as far away as Canada and the story has been reported in publications as far away as India. Clearly we have hit a nerve.

For all who have uted to our legal fund, we to thank you. We have heard from people across the country who believe strongly in what we are doing and recognize that this issue has national ramifications.

The case boils down to one very simple question. Does a person lose the right to protect herself and the people for whom she is responsible because she accepts a job at public school? Obviously we don’t think so, and by your support, you have made it clear you don’t either.

The papers have been filed. The arguments are due to be heard Oct 11th. The future of the rights of government employees is now (at least temporarily) in the hands of the courts.

If you are an OFF supporter, you will soon receive a letter from our Foundation.

OFEF does not do the kind of constant fundraising you have come to expect from activist organizations. We only ask for your financial support when we have a issue that requires us to take action. Clearly we believe this is a critical issue and we hope we can count on your help.

Frankly, there is no one else stepping up. Despite what you may have heard, despite the misreporting and the self serving press releases, only OFEF is involved in financing this critical legal action. For more misleading or false reporting see here.

Some in the press have incorrectly reported that the NRA has been involved. This is not true. In fact, it is the NRA’s official position that trained and licensed adults should never* be allowed to carry self defense firearms in schools.“That means no guns in America’s schools, period … with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.”
(*This speech has been pulled from the NRA website. You can see an archived copy here.)

Obviously, we disagree. We believe that responsible people have a right to protect themselves anywhere. We also believe that it’s nothing short of insanity to continue a policy of disarming people in schools where lunatics and terrorists have been told that they have plenty of potential victims and no one to fight back.

Predictably, the talking heads and media sockpuppets are horrified that anyone would choose to defend themselves. and predictably, Senator Ginny Burdick has announced plans to introduce legislation to ban license holders from school property.

In an editorial in the Oregonian, she branded you “extremist” and painted nightmare scenarios of classroom shootouts, never considering the alternative, where only the killers have weapons.

It’s absurd, but nothing new. Burdick has spent years introducing bills to restrict your gun rights, and she’s introduced this bill over and over, only to be defeated by your activism. We are counting on that commitment now to guarantee that we have the resources to defend this one brave teacher, and by extension, all government employees who have been disarmed by rules that contradict state law.

You can help by making a tax deductible ution here.

Win or lose, we believe this is a fight we must have. Too many people are at the mercy of bureaucrats who would prefer to see them as dead victims than as armed survivors. Too many politicians are determined to allow women to continue to be victims of violence rather than allowing them to have the tools to protect themselves.

In her editorial, Burdick got one thing right. She said “The gun lobby is relentless in pushing its agenda.” That’s true. and as long as there are people like her committed to making women defenseless, with your help, we’ll be standing in her way.

 

OFEF TO CHALLENGE IlLEGAL SCHOOL POLICY

Oregon law is clear. Only the legislature has the power to regulate licensed concealed carry of firearms. But across the state, bureaucrats continue to make up their own rules in direct violation of state law.

Some months ago we were contacted by a teacher in Medford who was abusively threatened by her employers when it was discovered that she had a concealed handgun license.

(The teacher has a young daughter and has had a restraining order against her ex-husband. She fears for her safety and the safety of her child. )

She was taken into an office, where her boss dramatically lowered the shades. A police officer stood near by. She was told if she had a gun she would be fired and arrested. Later she was told if they even thought she may have brought a gun to school, her car would be searched. As you know, none of this is lawful.

Our attorney contacted the school district and pointed out that state law gives them no authority for any of these actions. Predictably, they chose to ignore the clear language of the law and continue their policies.

It is interesting that the public school establishment, which continually insists that public school teachers are the best and the brightest, are the most determined opponents of allowing trained teachers to be armed.

They insist that only police officers can properly handle firearms, ignoring the reality that police are like everyone else, and your competency and abilities are determined by factors other than whether you wear a badge.

The Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation has agreed to support the Medford teacher in her legal attempts to get a judicial resolution to this ongoing issue.Our attorney is seeking a declaratory judgment against the school district.

This is an extremely important case, and not only for this one teacher. Government agencies across the state have implemented policies forbidding their employees from possessing defensive firearms. In many cases, they have created rules to restrict the public as well.

We believe that state law forbids government agencies from creating rules of this kind, but we need a court decision to put the issue to rest once and for all.

A decision in this case will effect anyone who works for any state agency. It may effect people who don’t work for the state but find themselves in state owned buildings.

Oregon Firearms, and the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation have been looking for a case to, once and for all, determine how much power government agencies have to restrict their employees. We are hopeful that this case will do that. We hear from state employees often who want to know if they must give up their rights when they accept a state job. This case may well tell us.

There is no way of knowing how protracted or expensive this case will be, so we are asking for whatever help you can give us to defray the cost. OFEF is committed to seeing this through for all our sakes, but your support is critical.

Donations to OFEF are tax deductible. You can help us fight the bureaucrats and get a tax break. Please consider whatever you can afford as we continue to fight for all gun owners’ rights

You can make a secure on-line donation here.

Be sure to note that the ution is for the Foundation.

You can also send your ution to OFEF, PO Box 556, Canby OR. 97013

NRA/BRADY ANTI-GUN BILL MOVES AHEAD

After a hearing in the US Senate’s Judiciary Committee, with yet another unrecorded vote, the NRA-backed expansion of the Brady Bill is now heading for the floor of the US Senate.

As you know from previous alerts, HR 2640 already passed the US House, also on an unrecorded voice vote.

We now need to do all we can stop the bill in the US Senate.

This bill vastly expands the record keeping done by the government to deny firearms purchases.

The bill would make hundreds of thousands of people who committed no crime ineligible to buy a firearm based on vague, poorly defined standards of mental health. What few options would be available to prove you qualify to own a firearm would be expensive, difficult and unlikely to succeed.

This bill was dead until revived by the National Rifle Association in the wake of the Virginia Tech murders. The author of the bill, Carolyn McCarthy, an anti-gun militant from New York said: “The National Rife Association still wields tremendous influence in the halls of Congress and their blessing is required for any bill that enforces or creates gun laws.”   And the bill does have the full support of NRA who insist it’s not a gun control bill, in spite of the fact that the bill was the creation of anti gunners and is supported by anti-gun organizations.

It is now up to us to kill this dangerous bill on the Senate floor. For some time Oregonians have been experiencing lengthy (and illegal) delays when trying to purchase firearms. If this bill passes the problem will get far, far worse. Please contact Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden and urge them to defeat this outrageous attack on gun owners.

You can use the following text or your own in your contacts with the Senators:
__________________________________________________

Dear Senator,
I am very disappointed that the Senate Judiciary Committee passed out HR 2640 on and unrecorded vote, just as the House did.
This bill will solve nothing but will expose hundreds of thousands of private medical records to organizations that have already proven they cannot be trusted to accurately deal with personal information. Furthermore, the liability that people face when accused of being mentally incompetent to own a firearm will discourage people with personal issues from seeking medical help.  I strongly urge you to reject the Senate version of HR 2640.
Very truly yours,

__________________

_________________________________________________________