06.18.14
Last night, the Ashland City Council voted against an ordinance that would have banned open, loaded carry of firearms in the city.
There had never been a problem in Ashland until a few busybodies tried to make one. Their efforts failed. Your efforts are responsible for this victory. Congratulations.
More here.
03.24.14
Well, we’re not really having it, but our friends are and you’re invited.
As you know, the City of Ashland is considering Portland style restrictions on gun owners. In spite of the fact that “open carry” has never been an issue there, the City Council is preparing to bow to the pressure of a small group of malcontents who would feel safer and be less offended if all firearms were hidden from view and good people were prohibited from protecting themselves.
Despite the fact that the proposed ordinances would not in any way affect CHL holders and despite the fact that those without CHL’s could still openly carry firearms if they were unloaded, some folks are just always looking for a way to attack your rights. They’re not doing it to stop crime. They’re not doing it because there is any kind of problem in Ashland. They’re just doing it because they think they can.
But not everyone in Ashland is so mindlessly fearful and many are stepping up to respond to this pointless attack.They’ve asked us to reach out to you and invite you to an “Open Carry” day in Ashland on March 29th.
It’s not a rally, it’s just an opportunity for people who believe in liberty to get together, meet, and enjoy the company of other patriots. There will be food (free!) and an opportunity to sign their pro-gun petition. You can drop off a donation of food for the Ashland Food Bank.
You can download all the details here Ashland Open Day 29th.
Whether you can make it or not our friends in Ashland ask that you drop one more note to the City Council expressing your views on their proposed ordinance.
Please take a moment to like the Ashland activists’ brand new Facebook page and visit their webpage.
This event is intended to be a opportunity to make friends and promote freedom. Remember, “open carry” is not just a way of making a statement. For some, it’s their only option to stay safe. Would you want your 20 year old daughter denied the right to protect herself because of the baseless fears of a few ignorant people?
Come on out, join the fun,and say “no” to disarming the good guys.
Sample message follows to the City Council follows.
Banning “loaded carry” in Ashland will have no effect on crime. But it will deny many people the right to defend themselves.
I urge you to keep Ashland safe. Vote “no” on restricting the rights of gun owners.
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03.19.14
Last night, the Ashland City Council held another meeting to consider adopting Portland style gun restrictions.
The meeting, described as “standing room only,” drew gun rights activists opposing the ordinance and anti-gunners determined to convince the city to enact new restrictions.
The irony of the whole issue is that Ashland has never been a place where open carry was either common or a problem of any kind. The people behind the proposed new abuses of civil rights were not responding to crime, threats or even real events. They simply saw Ashland as fertile ground for new attacks on liberty.
It’s this reality that may become the great vindication of the open carry movement. There are many (even gun owners) who have complained that open carry is an unnecessary provocation that will bring on unwanted attention and new regulations. However, open carry has never been an issue in Ashland and the rights of gun owners are still under attack. One has to wonder what the benefit of avoiding “provocation” is, if places like Ashland will bow to the pressure of a few malcontents to create pointless and unneeded new restrictions.
In fact, as several city council members correctly pointed out, the successful passage of an ordinance of this kind, in a place where even the police concede it serves no purpose, could well make Ashland a magnet for those who chose to send a message by openly carrying legal firearms.
Remember, those with concealed handgun licenses will still be able to open carry virtually anywhere. Those without licenses may still carry as long as the firearm is not loaded. If the mere sight of an openly carried gun is giving some Ashland residents the chills, enacting this ordinance will accomplish nothing except encouraging open carry by protestors. The local police will then be in the very unenviable position of having to figure out what their “reasonable suspicion” will be every time they want to stop someone with a firearm. It’s hard to imagine that the police will consider this a good use of their time.
OPB reported the crowd was “mostly respectful” without giving any examples of any incidents, but gun owners who were present told us that one council member, Carol Vosin (the main proponent of the ordinance) received an escort to her car after the meeting, by men openly carrying firearms. (The local police of course.)
It was this same hypocrite who testified in the past that stopping gun owners would be no different than drunk driving checkpoints before it was pointed out to her that those are not legal in Oregon.
You can see other reports on the meeting here, here and here.
The council has requested another draft of the proposed ordinance, this time with no added restrictions of guns carried in vehicles. So we are making headway, but we still need to do all we can to kill this senseless assault on freedom.
Please consider another message to the Council.
Sample message follows.
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To the Ashland City Council,
I find it amazing that you would devote so much time to considering an ordinance banning the loaded carry of firearms in Ashland. No one has been able to demonstrate that this is even an issue in the city and your own police have told you it’s not a problem. But you seem determined to MAKE it a problem. Please keep in mind, if you pass this pointless and unneeded ordinance, license holders may still openly carry firearms and those without licenses may still openly carry firearms that you and your police will have no way of knowing are loaded or not without constant and possibly illegal stops by law enforcement. Those who are offended by, or fearful of, the sight of an openly carried gun will continue to be offended and afraid and you will succeed in making Ashland the perfect gathering place for proponents of open carry. I can assure you most of them will carry openly and spend no money.
Surely your time could be better spent addressing real problems. Open carry is not one of them.
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To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.” – Richard Henry Lee
| 02.02.14
Tomorrow, Monday, Feb 3. the Ashland City Council will consider adopting Portland style gun restrictions.These pointless regulations are intended only to harass legitimate gun owners and will have no effect on law-breakers. The Council meeting starts at 5.30 pm. If you cannot be at this meeting, consider sending a message to the Ashland City Council. A sample message follows: _____________________________________________
To the Ashland City Council:
I strongly object to any proposed ordinance that creates or expands restrictions on law-abiding gun owners in Ashland. Not only do you risk running afoul of Oregon’s preemption statute and exposing yourself to costly litigation, but you send a message to the most law-abiding segment of our society that they should visit and spend money elsewhere.
I urge you not to consider any new restriction on gun owners. |
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12.27.13
As many of you know, there is an effort underway to impose, in the City of Ashland, the kind of pointless (and largely illegal) anti-gun ordinances that Portland and now Multnomah County have in place.
A group calling itself “Citizens for a Safe Ashland” has concluded that the city is such a hotbed of “gun violence” that it must impose restrictions “in the hopes of adding Ashland to the list of cities with sensible controls on firearms.” The have started a petition drive to push their agenda.
The proposed ordinance would mirror Portland’s ban on open loaded carry for those without CHL’s and copy the lock-up regulations now in place in Portland and Multnomah County. It would also regulate the possession of feeding devices like magazines and allow “peace officers” to “inspect” firearms, “clips” and magazines. Under the proposed rule, you could not have a loaded handgun in your car, carried openly, without a CHL. In fact, no one without a permit from the Sheriff could openly carry a firearm in any “public place.”
We believe that portions of the proposed ordinance are clearly illegal. Part of the ordinance parrots Portland’s rule and says :
“A person commits the offense of endangering a child if a person fails to prevent access to a loaded or unloaded firearm by a minor without the permission of the person, a parent or guardian, when the person knew or reasonably should have known that a minor could gain access to the firearm.”
However Oregon’s pre-emption statute clearly says “Except as expressly authorized by state statute, the authority to regulate in any matter whatsoever the sale, acquisition, transfer, ownership, possession, storage, transportation or use of firearms or any element relating to firearms and components thereof, including ammunition, is vested solely in the Legislative Assembly.”
While Oregon’s laws allow a city to regulate some loaded carry in public places it’s very doubtful that the storage parts of this ordinance are legal.
It’s important to note that Portland and Mutnomah County (which promoters of this petition are copying) also have a regulation that further victimizes you if someone steals a firearm you own. If you fail to report a firearm stolen you are subject to a fine of $2500.00 and failure to report a stolen gun’s serial number will subject you to a fine of $200.00 per stolen gun!
Recently OFF was contacted by a person who had 2 rifles stolen in the crime free utopia of Portland. When he could not provide the stolen guns’ serial numbers he received a letter from the City of Portland demanding payment of a $400.00 fine. In November our lawyers agreed to represent him and contacted the City informing them that the fine was unlawful and would not be paid. Our intention was to immediately take them to court when they attempted to collect. We have not heard a word since then.
We believe that if a person who has standing is willing to fight these ordinances we have a good chance of winning, and at least so far Portland has shown no interest in taking us on. However, we believe it is essential that the disease of illegal gun restrictions not be allowed to continue to spread. Please contact the Ashland City Council and let them know that it would be a foolish mistake to replicate the failed policies of Portland and Multnomah County. Remind them that the Sheriff of Multnomah County , Dan Staton, supported similar rules in his county only to promise later not to enforce them!
You can send an email to the entire City Council using this link. The Council’s other contact info is:
20 East Main St
Ashland, Oregon 97520
Phone: (541) 488-6002
Remember, even if you don’t live in Ashland, you have the discretion to spend your vacation dollars elsewhere and the City Council should be reminded of that.
