05.02.2023
HB 2005 passed as expected today in the Oregon House.
Also as expected, the sponsor and carrier of the bill began her floor speech with a string of lies. It is the way of the elected Democrats.
House Rep Lisa Reynolds, who claims to be a pediatrician, said that 120 people are killed “by guns” every day. They were killed by guns, not people.
She went on to laud the ability of schools to ban licensed handgun possession. Because it’s so important to allow local control. Keep in mind, Reynolds and her fellow leftists are the same people who have been stripping school boards of their rights to choose their superintendents and curriculum.
Her outrageous lies continued with the absurd assertion that she had “engaged with gun owners and retailers”. One thing you can say about Democrats, they are totally free of shame.
Of course, she trotted out the same old false statistics about firearms being the main cause of death of “children.” This nonsensical and misleading narrative was parroted by Rep Travis Nelson who is incapable of beginning a floor speech without reminding people that he is “a black man from a black mother and a black community.” He also usually reminds people that he is gay, for no reason anyone can fathom.
Nelson justified this attack on law abiding gun owners by commenting on the high rate of “gun violence” against black people while never mentioning that the overwhelming number of black victims of gun violence are victims of black criminals. An unintended oversight we assume.
Anti-gun extremist Paul Evans followed by claiming he “owned many guns.” Evans once penned a lengthy article for “Blue Oregon” outlining his long term plans to restrict guns to private citizen.
In what can only be called “twisted” Evans claimed (in an effort to justify 2005’s attack on young adults) that people under twenty one “sometimes” make bad decisions. He pointed out that Oregon restricts persons under 21 from alcohol and pot use but it was only yesterday that Evans voted to allow 15 year olds to have their genitals and breasts removed and 10 year olds the right to have abortions without their parent’s knowledge or permission.
Evans went on to repeat his disgraceful fraud that somehow restricting CHL holders was a guarantee that the state would not demand more restrictions in the future.
While the Republicans made the anticipated speeches in opposition to this latest unconstitutional attack on rights and common sense they, once again, showed up on the floor. And by being there they helped the Democrats ram through this dangerous, cynical, and deceitful law.
Rep. Ed Diehl said “vote against this bill or see us in court.”
Republican House Rep Mark Owens said the law was unconstitutional and would be challenged. He said that he and his colleagues would “support” those lawsuits. Given the almost total lack of support from his colleagues in the current lawsuits, his claim is, to say the least, dubious. Lawsuits cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Elected officials doing their job and fighting for the people who elected them is priceless.
The bill now goes directly to the Senate, bypassing a Senate policy committee and the public’s rights to have input at a public hearing.
The Oregon House Republicans have engaged in legislative theatrics. They knew before they stepped foot on the House Floor that all their speeches and maneuvers were for show. Their presence on the floor guaranteed HB 2005’s passage.
The bill now is in the hands of the Senate. That’s the last chance to stop the Democrats assault on your safety, your rights, and the Oregon and US Constitutions. The Senate Republicans can stop this. The ball is in their court.
We have one last chance.House Republican Leader Vikki Breese Iverson, who used her husband, political consultant Bryan Iverson, to attack us during the last election and then asked our PAC for a donation, has been a complete failure, refusing to lead, much like her predecessor and mentor Christine Drazan.
Tim Knopp is the Senate Republican Leader. Knopp famously refused to join other Republicans in a past walk out, preferring to stay behind to help the Democrats. If he and his caucus do not stand up, they will have passed HB 2005 no matter how they vote.
Remind him why he was hired.
The good news? Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned today. In her resignation she said “While I am confident that the ethics investigation will show that I followed the state’s legal and ethical guidelines in trying to make ends meet for my family, it is clear that my actions have become a distraction from the important and critical work of the Secretary of State’s office.”
Then, as is her custom, she added this completely irrelevant and narcissistic footnote to her press release:
“About Secretary Shemia Fagan
Pronunciation: shuh-MEE-uh (rhymes with “Maria”) FAY-gen (rhymes with“Megan”)
Shemia Fagan is Oregon’s 28th Secretary of State. She grew up in small Oregon towns, Dufur and The Dalles, and was raised by her single dad and two older brothers. …She stays busy keeping up with her young children, teaching her dog not to jump on people and being a fanatic for women’s basketball.”
Fagan cancelled her contract with the shady dope dealers she was getting greased by and she no longer has a license to practice law. It’s not clear what her current skill set prepares her to do to “make ends meet” for her family. But we are confident she will use the right pronouns.