02.15.18
HB 4145, Kate Brown’s gun confiscation bill, passed the Oregon House today on a 37 to 23 vote.
The bill got the vote of every House Democrat except Caddy McKewon, who has supported previous gun confiscation bills. She must be reading her mail.
Republican Andy Olson, who voted for the bill in committee, listened to his constituents and voted NO on the floor. If you live in Olson’s district you may want to let him know you approve of his change of position.
Three Republicans joined the Democrats and voted yes on this dangerous and pointless attack on your rights. They were Richard Vial, Julie Parrish and Knute Buehler.
As you know, Buehler is running for governor against Kate Brown, although based on his vote today, it’s difficult to understand why. We already have one leftist anti-gun candidate. Seems like no reason for two.
As you might expect, the floor debate included a lot of opportunistic tears and disgraceful exploitation of the horrific murders in Florida yesterday. The fact that this legislation had absolutely nothing to do with crimes of this kind didn’t matter. Never let a catastrophe go to waste.
Democrat Jeff Barker, one of the co-carriers of the bill once again recounted a story of a domestic violence crime scene he responded to as a police officer. It really was a terrible and tragic story. And nothing in this bill would have changed the outcome of that crime in any way.
Democrat Jeneen Sollman tearfully recounted growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father who chased her and her mother out of the house tossing ice chests at them. A story we would all agree is heartbreaking, but once again, unless her parents were living together after the issuance of a restraining order (which is not legal) a story that had absolutely zero relevance to this bill.
The bill now moves over to the Senate. We have no intention of letting up the pressure to stop this attack on the safety of women and the rights of gun owners.
The sad and ignored fact is that there is not a single word in this bill that would make a victim of domestic violence any safer. There is not a single word to protect the rights of the falsely accused. It is nothing more than another blow against freedom and common sense.
Stay tuned and active. We will continue to inform you of this bill’s progress and what you can do to stop it.