04.14.17

As we have told you, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be hearing three anti-gun bills on Monday morning. While we were able to warn you about the dangers of SB 797 and SB 868 in previous alerts, we did not know until today what to expect from SB 764. Now we do.

SB 764 has morphed from a one paragraph bogus “place holder” bill to a 30 page monstrosity with one goal, to make concealed handgun licenses impossible to get.

Under the amended SB 764, concealed handgun classes would not only require live fire (something becoming more difficult every day as our ranges disappear due to lawsuits) but it would also forbid online training (something even the Oregon Sheriffs Association offers) and require that the class include “training in the safe loading, unloading, storage and carrying of handguns and training in the current laws governing the lawful use of a firearm, including self-defense, the use of force, including deadly force, and the transportation and concealment of handguns.”

So, in addition to needing a range, you will need an instructor who is a legal expert. The problem is, of course, NRA instructors are firearms instructors. They get no training in the laws of different states by the NRA and, in fact, are discouraged from teaching the law in their classes. So who will provide “legal” training for these classes, who will certify them and who will determine the curriculum?

Rest assured, even if you can find an instructor who can meet all these requirements, the cost of a CHL class will skyrocket and the number of places and instructors that can provide this (as of yet undefined) service will dwindle to almost zero.

Make no mistake, this bill has one goal; to eliminate concealed carry and pay off anti-gun New York billionaires who are bankrolling anti-gun legislators.

SB 868, which was created to allow a court to take away your firearms based on allegations from household members or police, now has amendments to expand it to allow a court to take away “Any instrument, article or substance specifically designed for and presently capable of causing death or serious physical injury.” 

When you think about it, that could be anything. The new amended version also allows you to have your possessions seized because you were convicted of a DUI and allows the police to search your home to find and seize anything they want to call a “deadly weapon.”

Please consider coming to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Monday at 8AM in Hearing Room 50 and express your outrage at this attempt to disarm Oregonians.

And please contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to voice your opposition to this transparent attack on your rights to self defense.

If you prefer you can also send your testimony to the committee to be entered into the record. The address for testimony is:  sjud.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

You can send the following message to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee by completing the fields below:

Dear Senator,

SB 764 is clearly nothing more than an effort to eliminate lawful concealed carry in Oregon. The requirements proposed in the “dash-2” amendments are onerous, unnecessary and almost impossible to comply with. I strongly urge you to consider your constituents and not the deep pockets of New York billionaires who are promoting this harmful legislation and vote “NO” on the amended SB 764.

SB 868 is an outrageous assault on liberty, private property and due process. As amended by the “dash 1” amendments it is far worse.
Vote “NO” on SB 868 and the “dash-1″amendments.