Category: Uncategorized

 

 

04.28.2023

A Few Things…

First, a sincere thank you to everyone who has contributed to our multiple legal battles. We are deeply grateful for your generosity.

Second, as you may know, the Oregon State Police has been tasked with creating the “rules” for the implementation of Measure 114, should it ever go into effect.

This is the same organization whose “instant background check system” is in complete disarray, delaying or denying thousands of Oregonians their firearms with no cause.

(We are receiving reports that recent changes they made in their processes have further degraded their responses, with one dealer telling us that dozens of records of “pending” sales have simply disappeared from the OSP’s online system.)

We were recently a party to a “work group” the OSP had to discuss the “rule making process” for Mz 114 and offer “suggestions.”

Included in the group were several people who supported gun rights and a few anti-rights folks who wanted to use the time to express their animosity towards gun owners even though the meeting was supposed to be about “rule making.”

What became clear immediately was that the OSP has no idea how they will implement the absurd and inane requirements of the measure. OSP also has not indicated that they are even aware that SB 348 could repeal Mz 114 and impose even more draconian and unworkable rules.

Representatives of the Sheriff’s Association and the Oregon Chiefs of Police also made clear that they have little idea how to put into practice, a collection of contradictory and baffling regulations.  For example, no one had any clue what would happen to a person who attempted to get a “permit to purchase” in a county with no gun ranges or a sheriff who simply did not have the money or manpower to run the program.

Meanwhile we have seen recommendations from the Sheriff’s Association that the “live fire” training portion of the required class could be done with fake guns or dummy rounds. How this is possible given the plain language of the measure that requires “firing a gun” is a mystery but is further indication of what a complete mess the measure is.

As you know, Measure 114 is on hold due to an injunction issued out of Harney County. A full trial is expected there in September. However, everything could change based on what actions the Legislature takes.

In the meantime, the Oregon State Police are accepting your “suggestions” on how best to implement a “permit to purchase” policy that we all know will be every bit as chaotic and unworkable as their current “instant background check” system is.

Comments can be emailed to OSP114@osp.oregon.gov or mailed to:

Oregon State Police

Attn: Permit to Purchase Rulemaking

3565 Trelstad Ave. SE

Salem, OR 97317

You can offer your “suggestions” until May 22.

More information here https://www.oregonfirearms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Rulemaking-Notice_SOS-Filed_4-17-23-1.pdf

And finally…

Usually when we alert you to bad legislation, we encourage you to make your voices heard about it.  In this case we’re just going to share with you the latest mind numbing stupidity coming from the Oregon Democrats and give you a chance to either comment on it or simply shake your heads and laugh.

House Bill 3443 is the latest effort at virtue signaling by the same people who are encouraging mentally ill drug addicts to camp in your front yard and give them the right to sue should anyone object.

This bill “Prohibits landlords from terminating lease or taking other specified actions due to status of tenant as victim of bias crime.”

Apparently the goal is to allow victims of “bias crimes” to be able to break their leases so they can move if they feel endangered.

All reports from the cartel media, and the far left that controls the legislature, are that Oregon is awash in “hate crimes.”

Here’s a quote from testimony from “Basic Rights Oregon”:

“LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians are at increased risk of experiencing bias crimes and incidents as the result of our real or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation, according to data collected by the Oregon Department of Justice. That risk increases significantly for LGBTQ2SIA+ people of color.”

Amanda Dalton, a contract lobbyist who represents the Oregon District Attorneys, said this:

“Finally, ODAA also wants to highlight its support for the inclusion of bias crimes in renter’s laws, the expansion of address confidentiality for bias crime victims and for hotline employees. All of these updates to our laws will have a meaningful impact on bias crime victims and the dedicated Department of Justice staff who work in this field. “

So what does all this have to do with gun rights?  Well, one element of the bill allows “victims of bias crimes” and “An employee of the Department of Justice who staffs the hate crimes hotline described in ORS 147.380.” to be eligible to participate in Oregon’s “Address Confidentiality Program”.

This program, which was created to protect victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, shields the participant’s address by providing government issued ID with a state monitored post office box.

But, because of Federal regulations, those people are prohibited from buying firearms. Those purchases require government issued ID with an actual, real, home address.  And now, because of the brilliance of Floyd Prozanski and his leftist comrades, those people are not allowed to obtain a firearm from a private party.

So, all the state’s new “victims,” who believe themselves to be at risk, will be denied the right to protect themselves should they choose to participate in the program, which, hilariously, was designed to protect them.

This is an issue that State Senator Kim Thatcher has tried to address for years. And for years Prozanski and his fellow haters have blocked every attempt to fix the problem.  The same collection of frauds who used to champion “women’s rights” (which they now attack) stop every single attempt to allow victimized women to protect themselves.

So now the Birkenstock is on the other foot.  Now the left’s favored ones are about to, unknowingly, be robbed of their rights.  The legislature has been informed of this and have made it clear they do not care.

We find it all quite comical. And we plan to sit back and laugh at them.  But if you want to share your thoughts on the issue you can upload testimony here:

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Testimony/SJUD/HB/3443/0000-00-00-00-00?area=Measures

04.14.2023

“This is a day we won’t soon forget.”

Those bold words closed a press release signed by Republican leaders Tim Knopp and Vikki Breese Iverson.

That was yesterday. Today… they forgot.

While there was no Senate Floor session, the Oregon House, with the assistance of House Republicans, raced through over 30 bills. 

The House Republicans did not require that the bills be read in their entirety, a tool they have to grind the dangerous business of the Democrats to a crawl.

It’s Friday. At least one Republican complained that they “want to go home.”

We think that’s a great idea. As long as they don’t come back.

For whatever reason, the Oregon House Republicans are assisting the Democrats in moving their agenda along.

Any delay in the gun bill votes won’t mean anything if the Democrats are able to pass the rest of their agenda and then force a vote on the gun bills later.

The Democrats are not stupid.  They can look at a calendar and they know when they will need to get their bills to the floor in time to eviscerate gun rights in Oregon.

“Democrats insist they are not concerned about running out of time to pass their priorities before a mandatory June 25 adjournment.”

“In the House, Rayfield on Wednesday agreed to delay a vote on House Bill 2005, a bill to outlaw so-called ghost guns, increase the age to possess many guns to 21, and potentially increase the number of public places where concealed handguns are prohibited. In exchange for postponing a vote on the bill to early May, Republicans agreed to ease up on delay maneuvers that some in the party had touted earlier in the day.”

“These are delay tactics,” said Lieber, a Portland Democrat, “and it’s not going to interfere with the Democratic agenda.”

Now is not the time to relax. Most people have told us they are getting NO response from leadership to their requests that they do their job. It doesn’t matter. They don’t have to return your calls or emails. They just have to get them.

Remember, they have many ways to filter and ignore emails.  But even if your calls go to a voice mail, someone has to listen to at least part of them before they can file them away.  So don’t stop calling and reminding Tim Knopp and Vikki Breese Iverson that long after they have forgotten, you will remember.

Senator Tim Knopp

503-986-1727

Representative Vikki Breese Iverson

503-986-1459

04.10.2023

The time has come.

HB 2005 could be voted in on the House Floor as early as tomorrow. It received its “Second Reading” today. That was the last stop before a vote.

There is no more time for games and no more time for excuses.

Under this bill all AR-15 style firearms, and countless others no doubt, will be banned from sale or transfer in Oregon. Possession of any AR-15 style rifle will be outlawed.

This is because the geniuses in the Oregon Legislature have redefined what a “receiver” (meaning a “firearm”) is.

Now, previously-unregulated parts of firearms will require serial numbers that “have been imprinted …by a federally licensed firearm manufacturer, importer or dealer, or a gunsmith with a federal firearms license, in accordance with federal law.”

But Federal law does not require serial numbers on the parts of firearms this law now regulates.

The bill ends Second Amendment Rights for 18-20 year olds despite the fact that the Democrats KNOW this has been found to be unconstitutional.  Furthermore it will ban licensed concealed carry in vast parts of the state since any government owned building and nearby property can be declared off limits.

If you have ever attended a rally at the Capitol you know that all the buildings that surround the park across the street from the Capitol building are state buildings. They will certainly soon all be off limits.  Licensed, armed gun owners will essentially be banned from any rallies just as they have been banned from the Capitol Building itself.

We are going to make this crystal clear. If the Republicans are on the floor when this bill is voted on, it will pass and anything the Republicans say about it won’t mean a damn thing. They can whine all they want about how they will  “strongly oppose” it and give whatever fiery speeches they like. But they will have essentially voted “YES” simply by being there.

House Republican Leader Vikki Breese Iverson has just declared her “friendship” with the people who are pushing this insane elimination of your rights.

“I think we have formed a friendship if you will,” House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson said of her political dynamic with House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis.

If Iverson allows her members to be on the House Floor for a vote on this bill it will be obvious that her “friendship” with the gun grabbers is far more important to her than the rights of the people who elected Republicans.

This is Iverson’s last chance to step up.  Please call her today and tell her your rights are more important than her “friendship” with the people who are destroying this state.

Vikki Breese Iverson

503-986-1459

https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/breese-iverson

04.07.2023

As expected, the clearly unconstitutional HB 2005, with the -11 amendment passed out of the Ways and Means Committee today on a party line vote. (Even the lawyer who wrote the bill told the committee that it’s likely much of the bill is unconstitutional.)

The bill will NOT be considered by a senate committee, something that was pointed out by Republicans on Ways and Means. So the Senate will not get to consider the policies in the bill, though they still will be voting on it.

This bill bans young adults from possessing modern firearms and prohibits licensed concealed carry in as-of-yet undefined areas across the state.

The bill will also effectively turn all AR-15 rifles into contraband. There are no exceptions for previously owned rifles or law enforcement.

This is because of the new definition of “receiver” that was crafted by the drafter of the bill. And here it is:

“Receiver” means the part of a rifle, shotgun or projectile weapon other than a handgun, or a variant of a rifle, shotgun or projectile weapon other than a handgun, that provides housing or a structure for the primary component designed to block or seal the breech prior to initiation of the firing sequence, even if pins or other attachments are required to connect the component to the housing or structure.

While this is an attempt to copy the more recent federal definition, it does not recognize any exceptions. And obviously, this is NOT a description of an AR-15 lower, which has always been the regulated part.

Under this definition, previously unregulated uppers will be required to have serial numbers.  It’s not clear how the many thousands of these rifles currently in the possession of Oregonians can comply.

Given that many distributors have stopped shipping magazines to Oregon because of their fears of Mz 114, it’s hard to imagine that any will continue to ship AR’s or AR uppers to Oregon once this becomes law.

This issue was briefly mentioned in the committee by House Rep Rick Lewis and was promptly ignored.

We do NOT recommend you watch this hearing when the video recording is uploaded.  You will lose what little faith you have in humanity.  But we can point out some low lights.

Anti-gun activist Sara Gelser noted how happy she was when “they” (meaning her daughter) was unarmed while being robbed at gun point. (Not a misprint.)

She also noted that people under 21 who were involved in mass shootings are not mentally ill, just not properly developed. And therefore they lack the maturity to own modern firearms.  Senator Findley pointed out the apparent incongruity for Gelser’s strong support for children’s rights to have sex changes without their parent’s consent. For that decision, apparently, 15 year olds are well equipped.

Senator Lew Fredrick emotionally decried that deaths of so many of the kids in his inner city district and the funerals he had to attend, somehow neglecting to mention that the kids who were being killed in his district were being killed by kids in his district. A peculiar oversight. 

More disturbing, but not surprising, was his comments about not wanting to hear about the “constitution,” that pesky document he took an oath to uphold.

The implications of this bill are staggering. It’s unknown how it will be enforced or how gun owners and dealers will deal with the new regulations which clearly, the people who wrote the bill do not understand.

What is clear is this. If the Republicans are on the floor when this bill is voted on in either house, they will have effectively voted “yes” simply by being there and all the comments and remonstrances against the bill will be pointless fluff.

Thousands and thousands of Oregonians are going to lose basic rights under this insanity.  The Republicans can stop it.

Remind them of that fact.

Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp

House Republican Leader Vikki Breese Iverson

04.04.2023

Hydrogen and Stupidity Are The Most Common Things In The Universe. But Not In That Order.

Today anti-gun bills moved in both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Joint Subcommittee on Ways and Means.

In Senate Judiciary  SB 348, as amended, passed on party lines. However, Prozanski also pulled another switcheroo and added another gut and stuff to another “placeholder” bill, SB 393.

It is unknown what the purpose of SB393 is. While it has a different implementation date than SB348, it does not appear to include any new provisions.

One thing that was clear at the hearing was that none of the members of the committee had any idea what this added bill does.

Prozanski’s attempts to explain it demonstrated he had no idea what his own amended bill does or why.

In his garbled explanation he could not even keep the different bills straight.

In defending it, Prozanski took the bizarre position that it would save lives by adding a 72 hour waiting period before a person could take possession of a gun they bought. He appeared to be completely unaware that this language was already in his other anti-gun bill, SB 348. 

But the truly inexplicable part, and something no one questioned, was why having to wait 72 hours would reduce dangerous impulses any more than the 8 to 12 months a person already had to wait under SB 348. That’s if they are lucky and the Oregon State Police ever start doing their job.

What is clear, is that along with all the other elements of these bills, anyone with any firearm’s magazine will be subject to arrest after it becomes law. And despite the incorrect information given today by the committee counsel, under SB 348, if you are charged with possession of a magazine, you have no right to the presumption of innocence. The “affirmative defense” mentioned in the bill means it will be up to you to prove you’re not guilty. And by the way, that’s impossible. No photograph or receipt means a damn thing for devices that all look alike and have no serial numbers.

In the Joint Subcommittee on Ways and Means. HB 2005 A moved forward  with new amendments .

This bill strips young adults of their right to own modern firearms, bans personally manufactured firearms, and places vast and unspecified areas of Oregon off limits to CHL holders. The discussion around banned places also demonstrated the terrifying ignorance legislators have about the bills they pass.  Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, one of the most extreme opponents of constitutional rights, intentionally mischaracterized the bill to suggest the firearm’s prohibitions only included “buildings” when in fact they include undefined “grounds adjacent to”. Something Rep. Rick Lewis had to correct. In a moment of obvious deceit, Steiner Hayward insisted that she would find it very “problematic” if localities actually enforced the law and charged people for being close to a public building. But she did agree it could happen.

Anti-gun zealot Paul Evans made the preposterous claim that this bill “protected” localities that did NOT want to institute gun bans and this somehow prevented the state from coming back and changing the rules. Given that changing the agreed upon rules is all the Democrats have been doing for years, this comment was beyond ludicrous. 

These bills combined will essentially end Second Amendment rights in Oregon.

At this time there has been no indication that the Republicans plan to do anything to stop them. In fact, they often help the Democrats pass bills.

They are content to sit back and be crushed by the Democrats and leave it to the taxpayers to fund an endless stream of lawsuits. So far none of them have offered to bankroll any of those lawsuits.

If the Republicans are on the floor for votes on any of these bills, their votes are “yes” votes no matter which button they press.

Your rights will evaporate and they will ask you for money to keep them in office.

These are the Republican “leaders.”

Senator Tim Knopp

503-986-1727

Representative Vikki Breese Iverson

503-986-1459

04.03.2023

SB 348 has been pushed back one more day.

No explanation was given today for the delay in the scheduled work session. But every day it does not advance is another day to keep up the pressure on Knopp and Iverson to stand up and stop this insanity.

SB 527, which enshrines discrimination into Oregon statutes, did pass out of committee with Republicans Kim Thatcher and Dennis Linthicum voting no.

The bill would allow gun dealers to refuse service to anyone under 21.

The Democrats are demanding this because they are the party of “equity and inclusiveness ”, unless their native bigotry can be applied with the force of law to gun owners.

They are also working overtime to expand the rights of “doctors” to sexually mutilate children without their parent’s consent. So, a 15 year old can have her breasts removed but a 20 year old cannot buy a rifle. In other Democrat proposals  a 16 year old will be able to vote, but a 19 year old will be denied the ability to buy reloading equipment.

After the vote, Senator James Manning shared a rambling and incoherent diatribe insulting and attacking gun owners. At least we think that’s what he did. We could make no sense of it.

Senators Thatcher and Linthicum also served notice of a possible minority report.  A minority report is an alternative bill offered in place of the existing legislation. While any alternative bill will have no chance in a legislature controlled by deceitful bigots, it was a welcomed statement.

Please continue to demand that the leaders of the Republican caucuses stand up to these demented attacks on your rights.

Senator Tim Knopp

503-986-1727

Representative Vikki Breese Iverson

503-986-1459

04.01.2023 

This Is NOT An April Fools Joke.

Senate Bill 348, Prozanski’s omnibus anti-gun bill, is now scheduled for a “work session” on Monday at 1pm.

Work sessions are where bills are amended and passed to the floor for a vote of the entire Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has a new amendment for the bill. This amendment is 69 pages but the most important element is on the last page.

Under this amendment, it will be unlawful to challenge the clearly unconstitutional language of the bill anywhere but Marion County.

“SECTION 23. Any action challenging the legality, including the constitutionality, of this 2023 Act must be commenced in the Circuit Court for Marion County.”

It’s no secret why. Even without this amendment it was clear that the bill was drafted to undermine the lawsuits against Measure 114.

According to the far left Oregonian, when asked about the previous amendment,  “Prozanski, didn’t answer directly when asked if the amendment is designed to get around the lawsuits over Measure 114.”

Now that question has been answered loud and clear. Not satisfied with using his extremist majority to ram through legislation he knows is unconstitutional, he and the other anti-rights zealots in his party are doing all they can to stifle the people’s rights to seek judicial review.

We cannot overstate the magnitude of this madness.  The left is so deeply corrupt that they now are working overtime to crush what little is left of the balance of power in this state.

What we are seeing here is a reflection of what we are seeing nationally, a complete elimination of our rights, enforced at gunpoint by a lawless mob.

Should this bill pass, countless Oregonians will become criminals overnight. Possession of virtually any magazine will qualify you for a year in jail. That’s right, any magazine. The bill does not outlaw magazines over 10 rounds. It outlaws magazines that could be over ten rounds.

“Large-capacity magazine’ means a fixed or detachable magazine ….., that has an overall capacity of, or that can be readily restored, changed or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition..”

The work session is currently scheduled for Monday.  The committee info is here https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Committees/SJUD/Overview

The Democrats are doing all they can to make sure this passes and fighting it in court will be far more difficult than it should be in a free society. And untold thousands of Oregonians will be facing a year in jail. This is insanity.

If Republican Senators are on the floor when this is voted on, they will effectively be voting “yes” just by showing up.

The Senate Republican leader can stop this. Call him.

Tim Knopp

(503) 986-1727

https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/knopp

03.30.2023

HB 2005-1  passed out of a House Committee today and is headed to the floor for a vote. (SB 348, scheduled to move today has been held over until Monday.)

HB 2005-1 bans possession of personally manufactured firearms and “undetectable firearms” which together comprise the legendary “ghost guns”.

Ghost guns are like other ghosts.  You can’t see them, you can’t touch them, they cannot be X-Rayed, and adults know they are not real. But they still terrify children and ignorant legislators.

The language in this bill is so poorly crafted it’s impossible to respond to, but suffice to say it’s created a legal minefield, not least because US Courts have already declared these kinds of laws to be unconstitutional. Firearms you made and possess legally are NOT exempted.

The bill also places vast new swaths of Oregon off limits to concealed handgun license holders and places them at risk just for being close to some public buildings.

In addition, it outlaws the sale of modern firearms to young adults and the possession of those firearms if the owner cannot “prove” they owned it before the effective date of the bill. The bill, as you might expect, has an “emergency clause” which means it takes effect the minute our obsessively anti-gun governor signs it.

Under the language of the bill the state does not have to prove you are guilty. You must prove your innocence. 

Yesterday the House Democrats voted down 7 bills that would have increased safety for school children.

These included bills that would have funded school resource officers, hired retired cops to protect kids, and beefed up security for schools.

Senator Prozanski, the architect of SB 348, is on the record opposing metal detectors, even while demanding that licensed adults be prohibited from being armed in our increasingly dangerous schools.

There is simply no conclusion a rational person can reach except that the Democrats want more kids to die. Dead kids promote the Democrat’s agenda of making the law abiding defenseless.  Meanwhile they are also doing all they can to reward violent thugs.

HB 2005-1 will soon be scheduled for a vote on the House Floor.

If the Republicans are present when this bill is voted on, it will pass. Period.

Then it will be sent to the other chamber where it will pass again.

If the people we elected to protect our rights are present the day this bill is voted on, it  becomes law. If they are not, the bill cannot be voted on. Voting “no” is not enough.

It’s not pretty but it’s not complicated.  The Republicans have a choice. Do they do what they think is best for their political futures (as they have in recent sessions) or do they do what they must do to preserve your rights and your freedom?

Ask them.

House Republican Leader Vikki Breese Iverson

Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp

03.28.2023

Oregon’s House and Senate are in a pitched battle to see which chamber can create the most onerous and unconstitutional attacks on Oregon’s gun owners.

It’s a dead heat.

As you know, SB 348  is moving through the Senate.  This is the fever dream of Floyd Prozanski.

He promised a bill to implement Measure 114, but we assumed, that because it appeared to be written by baboons, he would attempt to correct its many mistakes. After all, the measure barely squeaked by and many people who voted for it regretted it when they found out what was actually in it.

But, Floyd did what few thought was possible, and made it much, much, worse.  And we believe he’s not done yet.

Over on the House side, Jason Kropf hobbled together three vicious attacks on the law abiding (House Bills 2005, 2006 and 2007) into one Frankenstein’s monster of unconstitutional crap HB 2005-1.

You’ve seen it all before, but Kropf did throw in one new element. Under the new language, while you will still be a criminal for driving too close to a  “public building” if you are an armed CHL holder, now this genius has added this language:

(8) Nothing in this section prohibits the storage of a firearm in a locked vehicle in a parking lot or parking facility that constitutes or is part of a public building so long as the firearm is unloaded and locked in the trunk of the vehicle or in a locked container and any ammunition is not stored in the same trunk or container as the firearm.

So, should you ever find yourself in downtown Portland and need to park near a prohibited public building, pull over, take out your self defense firearm, unload it, place the ammo… somewhere, and lock that gun in your trunk. If you have one.

Pay no attention to the thugs and junkies who will witness this display.  And make sure you do it before you enter the parking lot, because while your gun can be locked up in the parking lot, it’s still a crime to have it loaded when you get there.  Makes sense to us.

And of course, you will still be a criminal if you pick up or drop off a friend or family member at the airport.

Today, the House Judiciary Committee heard HB 3513. While we told you about this bill in a previous alert, we have had to update that alert because it’s way worse than we first described.

Not only will this bill disqualify countless classes that would have once been approved for CHL training, it will create a nightmare scenario of written agreements to allow someone else to hold onto your firearms by you tacitly admitting you are suicidal. 

Which of course immediately opens you up to be a victim of an “extreme risk protection order”. Something House Rep Lisa Reynolds seemed thrilled about.

We have no doubts that many of the people who support and testified in favor of this bill have the best intentions and truly want to prevent suicides.  But even they testified that the time between when a person decides to kill themselves and when they do it is as little as ten minutes, which hardly seems like enough time to draft an agreement, find a co-signer, and transfer your firearms.

And while some of the people who testified in favor discussed the possibility of using this process to store guns for more benign reasons, we know that anyone who does runs a big risk of being branded dangerous.

We’ll keep you informed as these bills move forward.

03.27.2023

Today’s “informational” hearing on SB 348 provided very limited “information” but here are the highlights :

Yes, if you have purchased a standard capacity magazine since Dec 8th of 2022, you will be subject to prosecution.

The drafter of the bill has no idea how you would prove you legally owned one before that date.

The provision in the bill to completely end firearms acquisitions by young adults was, in the words of Floyd Prozanski,… “a mistake.”

And… the supporters of Mz 114 think this bill is not extreme enough!

No, that is not a misprint. 

One unintentionally hilarious moment came when the head Marxist behind this measure, “The Reverend  Doctor” Mark Knudson, commented that the son of one of his supporters would be alive today if the ban on magazines over ten rounds had been in place.  Because you see, that young man was shot 12 times. You think we make this stuff up, but it’s all recorded.

The bill moves to a work session on March 30th where they will no doubt find ways to make it worse.

At this time there is no indication that the Republican legislators are prepared to do anything except ask you for more money.

But while all that is going on, there is another issue that needs to be addressed.

Tomorrow at 8am, the House Judiciary Committee is hearing HB 3513. 

This is another one of Brian Boquist’s bills. The bill creates a convoluted method for people in mental health crisis to be able to temporarily store their guns with others or gun dealers.  It “Directs Oregon Health Authority to establish grant program to fund storage of firearms pursuant to firearm hold agreement. Appropriates moneys to authority to fund grants.”

We have no argument with people storing their guns off site if they feel the need. However, this is another tax payer funded boondoggle that could be far more easily solved by simply revoking the idiotic law that makes doing that illegal. The state creates a problem and then wants you to spend millions to “fix” it.  But that’s not the worst of it.

This bill will also require that any training course for a concealed handgun license must include the “use of firearm hold agreements for firearm suicide prevention.” That means not only the regular CHL classes taught by NRA instructors, but also any of the hunter safety classes or law enforcement classes that qualify. That means that any class taught in any other state that used to qualify no longer will.

We were told there would be an amendment to address this problem. So far there is not one.  One Republican House Rep has already removed her name from the bill because of this issue.

Please consider testifying tomorrow on this bill or uploading testimony pointing out this problem.  The bill will still be a massive misuse of taxpayer funds when there is a solution that would cost nothing. But at least it won’t be one more pointless hurdle for people seeking the means to protect themselves.

You can submit testimony here:  https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Testimony/HJUD/HB/3513/0000-00-00-00-00?area=Measures

A complete overview of the bill can be found here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/HB3513

Please note we added the following after further review of the bill:

Our original objection to the bill was that it would eliminate countless classes that qualify for concealed handgun licenses because any class that currently qualifies from any other state will no longer be accepted since other state’s law enforcement, NRA, or hunter safety classes are not going to teach about an arcane  Oregon law.

But the more we looked at the more we see how dangerous it  is.

This bill provides that licensed firearm dealers can enter into a “hold” agreement, but makes no provisions whatsoever for them to do it.

An FFL cannot simply have a person walk into their business, sign an agreement and leave a gun there. FFL’s are bound by strict federal rules that Oregon law can’t bypass.

Section 2 of the bill allows the Oregon Health Authority to create the rules for a grant program for storage of firearms.

The bill provides no guidelines or restrictions . There are no protections of any kind for the privacy of the people who signed the agreement.

There is nothing to prevent this information from being abused. Federal agencies are already taking guns away from veterans who they claim are not competent to handle their own affairs.

If a person declares in writing that they are a danger to themselves, they open themselves up to unlimited abuse . There is nothing that would prevent someone from using one of these agreements as a basis for requesting an extreme risk protection order.

And of course once again, the state is focusing on the how people commit suicide and not why.

We all want to address suicide. But this bill doesn’t do it.

03.26.2023

As we have told you, the Democrats have, at the last minute, dropped a 64 page anti gun bill.

We have more info on it in our two previous alerts, here and here.

The “informational”, “invitation only” hearing is tomorrow at 1 pm. A “public” hearing will be at 5 pm.

You may sign up to testify in person or remotely, or upload written testimony using this link:

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/SB348

The language of the bill postpones the implementation of the unconstitutional “permit to purchase” scheme until 2024. The intent of this element is to undermine the current injunction that was placed on Mz 114 by a Judge in Harney County.

If there is no immediate permit to purchase, it’s likely that the injunction would be moot.

How this will affect the injunction on the magazine ban is less clear. Please note the bill calls for the prosecution of anyone who bought or sold a standard magazine since Dec, 8, 2022.

Magazines are still being bought and sold because of the injunction.  Floyd Prozanski and the Democrats want to jail anyone who has done so since December.  They call that “equity.”

Furthermore, the bill bans the sale, or acquisition,  of firearms to young adults.  While it contains a provision to allow 18-20 year olds to acquire a small number of firearms that would be poor choices for self defense, it removes even that provision after July 1, 2024, 2026 at which point they can acquire nothing .

This is a well coordinated and hateful attack by the majority party on the half of Oregon who voted against Mz 114  which, of course, included many Democrats. It is a vindictive effort to bypass a court decision Prozanski and the Department of Justice don’t agree with. Along with the other bills the majority party are pushing it is a full court press against your rights and the Constitution.

It appears most Republican legislators have taken the position that it’s not their problem. That there is no need to worry, all these bills will be declared unconstitutional. That may be true. But that will take years and millions of dollars, and there is no way to estimate how many people will be harmed or die as a result of losing their ability to defend themselves through Republican inaction.

The anti-gunners have unlimited funds and the Oregon Department of Justice is doing all it can to bleed gun owners financially. As you may have heard, they are now demanding over $100,000.00 dollars from us for lawyers fees for our defense of the Columbia County Second Amendment Sanctuary law.

The people we elected to protect us have done nothing but ask us to sign petitions and send them money. The fact is, they still have tools to fight this madness. They just lack the will.

The Democrats are using the cowardice of the Republicans to ram through legislation that would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago.

And time is running out.

03.25.2023

Even before Measure 114 passed, the people behind it were admitting it was such a pile of crap that their lackeys in the legislature would have to fix it.

Even they could not have predicted that the “fix” would look like something drafted by crack head spider monkeys after a weekend of binge drinking.

Rational people would have been hard pressed to imagine that this deranged attack on common sense could have actually been made worse, but Floyd Prozanski was, apparently, up to the job.

The new bill, which is a gut and stuff of  short place holder bill SB 348 (which we told you would likely be used for this purpose) was just posted late yesterday. If you are interested in testifying on this bill we included info in our previous alert on how you can do that.

While it is far too complex, convoluted, poorly written, and contradictory to explain in depth (in fact, it may be impossible to explain at all) here are the lowlights we have found so far.

It will increase the cost of a “permit to purchase”. From $65.00 to $150.00.

It will increase the cost of a renewal from $50.00 to $110.00.

This change will be of interest to minority communities in low income, high crime areas. So much for “the consistent and equitable administration of the permitting process” (page 6 of the amendment.)

It will increase the wait time to get a permit after application from 30 days to 60 days.

Once again, people whose safety is at risk and live in places where the police simply do not respond will want to take special note of this provision.

The amendments still require that you complete a class that includes an:

“in-person demonstration of the applicant’s ability to lock, load, unload, fire and store a firearm before an instructor “approved” by a law enforcement agency.”

They provide no definition for what they mean by “lock.” We believe the word does not mean what they think it means.

It creates a 72 hour waiting period to take possession of a gun from a dealer AFTER you have gone through the process of getting a “permit.”  A process that does not, of course, exist.

It requires the State Police create a “report” which “shall additionally specify, for each county, racial and gender information concerning each applicant within the total number of permits granted…” though it’s not clear what “gender” actually means since that is now open to interpretation.

It forbids 18-20 year olds from even applying for permits to purchase, though it will allow those dangerous scoundrels to buy:

A) A single-shot rifle, whether centerfire or rimfire;

(B) A double-barreled shotgun;

(C) A repeating rifle, whether centerfire or rimfire, that has a bolt, lever, pump, straight-pull or revolving action;

(D) A rifle with an attached tubular magazine designed to accept,  and capable of operating only with, 0.22 caliber rimfire ammunition;

(E) A muzzleloader rifle; or

(F) A shotgun with a pump, break, level or revolving action

While the new language allows 18-20 year olds to buy pump action shotguns and “revolving action” shotguns, almost all of them are still banned under the magazine restrictions.

And even THOSE exemptions disappear for any purchase after July 1st, 2026 when 18-20 year olds will lose the right to acquire anything!

(18-20 year olds are still free to vote, get married, and serve in the military.)

And as always, it declares “an emergency” so it goes into effect upon passage.

There’s lots more, but the bill is written so badly it would be impossible to get it all into an alert shorter than “War and Peace.”

This year Oregon Democrats have decided to double down on some truly disgraceful legislation.  So far Oregon Republican House Leadership has decided to respond by doing…nothing. They are not even requiring that bills be completely read before a vote, something even the Republicans in the Senate are doing.

Astonishingly, House Republican Mark Owens said:

“I have found this to be the most bipartisan session I have participated in so far, where legislators are given the opportunity to have a voice. I am grateful for my colleagues’ intentional efforts to have a diverse range of bills in each committee, encompassing both liberal and conservative viewpoints.”

Well maybe Mark, but when a 64 page bill gets dumped two days before the “hearing,” the people sure as hell are not given the “opportunity to have a voice” …unless those people are anti-gun and got this info long ago.

The ball is squarely in the court of the Oregon Republican legislators. If they will not stand up to this kind of abuse, there is damn little reason for them to be there at all.

Some of them are sending out emails complaining about the outrageous gun bills and asking you to send them money. They don’t need money. They need a spine.

In spite of what they may tell you, they do have some tools left.  If they refuse to use them, you no longer matter to them.

The clock is ticking and there ain’t much time left.

These two are Republican “leadership.”  They need to hear from you.

Representative Vikki Breese Iverson

503-986-1459

Senator Tim Knopp

503-986-1727

Call today. Leave a message.

And if you want to see just how stupid the people pushing this crap are… here you go:

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/mediaplayer?clientID=4879615486&eventID=2023031310&startStreamAt=2466&stopStreamAt=2620