Armed American Radio

Atlanta GA --(Ammoland.com)- Armed American Radio and host Mark Walters will be kicking off the 2012 broadcast year by welcoming leaders of some of the most respected states rights, grassroots organizations in America this Sunday, January, 1st 2012 on the first national broadcast of the year.

Syndicated host Mark Walters said, “Armed American Radio is an avid supporter of the individual states, pro-gun, grassroots organizations and I’m excited to be bringing the leaders of some of them to the program this week to kick off this most important election year.

In addition to the state groups, the NRA will tee up the first segment of the program to remind the national audience of the freedoms at stake this year. Some of my guests this week include, Kevin Starrett from Oregon Firearms Federation, Nik Clark of Wisconsin Carry.org, Gene Hoffman of Cal-Guns, Jeff Burkett of Iowa Carry, Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League among others. It promises to be a great program”.

Adding affiliate stations at an unprecedented pace since its syndication two years ago, AAR now airs in dozens of markets across America from Florida to Alaska every Sunday evening from 8-11pm ET, 5-8 pm PT and is the fastest growing nationally syndicated, pro-gun radio broadcast in America dedicated entirely to the right to carry a firearm.

As Salem Radio syndicated talk host Mike Gallagher says, “Mark Walters and the Armed American Radio Network are redefining weekend talk radio”.

For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Armed American Radio is syndicated on the Salem Radio Network. For media kit information, please visit www.srnonline.com/talk/talk-walters.shtml

About:
Armed American Radio is the most free-thinking, politically incorrect radio station in the U.S.A. We discuss liberty, self-defense, weapons, family, friends, and life. Visit: www.Armedamericanradio.org

Newberg Oregon School District Tells Legislator They Plan To Continue Breaking The Law

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- The Newberg, Oregon School District is setting an interesting example for the children it is “educating”.

That lesson is: if you don’t like the law, ignore it.

In spite of the fact that the Appeals Court has ruled in no uncertain terms that schools cannot create or impose their own rules dealing with firearms, Newberg School District Superintendent Paula Radich has made it clear that she intends to do just that.

When informed that the District’s policy on firearms possession was illegal, Radich wrote to a district resident:

“After considerable research and thought regarding your request to change Board Policy KG and Administrative Regulations KG-AR, in the interest of protecting the safety and well-being of children in our care, I will not be recommending a policy change to our Board of Directors. Thank you for your input”

When contacted by House Rep Kim Thatcher and reminded that the Oregon University System squandered almost $50,000.00 in taxpayer funds in a failed attempt to defend their unlawful gun policies (in spite of having been repeatedly warned that they were illegal) Radich responded:

“Thank you for writing me. I have read both court cases and have discussed this matter with our Board of Directors. At this time, I am not recommending a change in Board policy.”

In other words, “The law means nothing to us.”

This is an interesting situation given that not a legislative session goes by without the public school establishment demanding huge increases in their funding. The District Superintendent is handed a very well publicized court decision saying she is breaking the law, she is reminded of how costly these policies can be and she chooses to simply ignore the facts and the law. And these people are teaching Oregonian children.

Clearly, the law must be changed so that bureaucrats who flagrantly ignore or break the law can no longer flush away precious taxpayer money. They must be held accountable themselves.

Given the current makeup of the Oregon Senate, any change of that kind will be an uphill climb, but if you would like to share your thoughts with the Superintendent, her contact info follows:

Newberg School District Superintendent
Paula Radich
(503) 554-5042
radichp@newberg.k12.or.us

Sample cut and paste message:

Dear Superintendent Radich,

I am amazed and outraged that after being repeatedly told your firearms policy is forbidden by law, you would respond with nothing more than an arrogant refusal to consider obeying what the courts have decided. Your reckless disregard for the potential cost to the school district is incredibly irresponsible in these difficult financial times. The example you are setting for the students in your district is reprehensible.

Yours,

Here is contact info for the school board members:

Melinda Van Bossuyt
Board Chair, Director Zone 3
503-538-5717
melinda@springcreekllamas.com

Polly Peterson
Director Zone 2
503-538-6923
popeters@gmail.com

Todd Thomas
Director Zone 4
503-780-4880
TThomasNWNGS@nwnatural.com

Jim Chogyoji
Vice Chair, Director Zone 5
503-538-9530
jchogyoji@verizon.net

Mitsi Vondrachek
Director Zone 6
503-538-4241
mitsi@verizon.net

Debbie Hawblitzel
Director Zone 7
503-537-0888
debbiehawblitzel@comcast.net

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Court of Appeals Rules Semi-Autos and Many Magazines Illegal

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that semi-automatic firearms and “large capacity” magazines may be banned.

In their ruling, the Court makes this bizarre assertion in reference to common semi-automatic rifles:

“Nevertheless, based upon the record as it stands, we cannot be certain whether these weapons are commonly used or are useful specifically for self-defense or hunting and therefore whether the prohibitions of certain semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than ten rounds meaningfully affect the right to keep and bear arms.”

The ruling is not a very big surprise in light what the Courts concluded in “Heller” but are a serious blow to gun rights non the less.

Given the clear language of the Second Amendment, and the finding in the Miller case, (US VS MILLER http://tinyurl.com/3cmsoa4 ) which concluded that only military weapons are protected, this is a strange and dangerous decision. But perhaps no stranger than others.

You can read the Court’s ruling here: http://tinyurl.com/18r

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- Today, after several years of legal maneuvering, the Oregon Appeals Court decided that the rules the Oregon University System has had in place to ban lawful carry of firearms on their property are invalid.

The opinion reaffirmed what we have always held to be true. The law is the law.

This is a very important day for gun rights in Oregon. Our Educational Foundation brought this suit after Jeffery Maxwell, a Marine Corps veteran, was unlawfully arrested on the campus of Western Oregon University while in possession of a handgun for which he had an Oregon concealed handgun license.

WOU’s outrageous abuses of Maxwell are well documented, and now we have at least some vindication.

Looking at the response of the school system, it is clear that they will do all in their power to circumvent the decision of the court, and we are confident that this battle is by no means over. But today’s ruling is clearly a victory for gun owners, a victory for the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation, and most of all, a victory for every one of you who stood by us, and, by your extraordinary generosity, allowed us to see this through. To each of you, we offer our thanks and gratitude.

Of course, there will be the predictable response by some of the more extreme anti-rights politicians, so we need to prepare for the up coming battles, but for now, congratulate yourselves on a hard-earned victory.

We also want to thank those in the legislature who stood up for the rights of Oregonians as this issue played out.

Below is the most important part of today’s decision.

Although the State Board of Higher Education is an arm of the state, it is not the Legislative Assembly. And while, as noted, the State Board of Higher Education has general authority to control and manage its property, ORS 351.060, and to enact administrative rules, ORS 351.070(4)(b), no argument can be reasonably made that OAR 580-022-0045(3)–which regulates the very subject expressly preempted by ORS 166.170(1)–was “expressly authorized” by the Legislative Assembly. See ORS 166.170(1). Therefore, we conclude that OAR 580-022-0045(3) is an exercise of an “authority to regulate” firearms that is not expressly authorized by the Legislative Assembly, and that it is preempted by ORS 166.170(1).1 Accordingly, the rule exceeds the agency’s authority, ORS 183.400(4)(b), and is invalid.

OAR 580-022-0045(3) held invalid.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- 2792 clarifies lawful carry of firearms on motorcycles, snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles. The “short “ version follows.

As always, concealed handgun license holders can carry handguns any way they choose while on motorcycles. This was always so.

However,until this bill became law, there was no practical way for a person to legally transport a handgun on a motorcycle if they did not have a CHL. Now those without licenses can carry handguns on motorcycles if they are in a locked container or if they are equipped with a trigger lock.

This is a positive development.

In the past, it was unlawful to have a loaded firearm on a snowmobile or ATV. This applied to everyone, even those with concealed handgun licenses. One of the main problems with this law was that the term “loaded” was not defined. Could you have a magazine inserted in an auto loader if there was no round in the chamber? The law did not say. Now, with the enactment of 2792, this too has been clarified.

For the purposes of carry on snowmobiles and ATV’s “unloaded” means the following:

• If the firearm is a revolver, that there is no live cartridge in the chamber that is aligned with the hammer of the revolver;
• If the firearm is a muzzle-loading firearm, that the firearm is not capped or primed;
• or If the firearm is other than a revolver or a muzzle-loading firearm, that there is no live cartridge in the chamber.

Please note, the above restriction no longer applies to CHL holders, who may carry fully loaded firearms on snowmobiles or ATV’s . You may also carry concealed on snowmobiles and ATV’s without a CHL if you follow the same guidelines as are applied to motorcycles, meaning the gun must be in a locked container or be equipped with a trigger lock. Without a CHL you may carry the gun openly in the newly defined “unloaded” condition anyplace there are not local restrictions. The rules for motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATV’s are now much like the rules for cars and trucks

While these are good changes and ones we have been working on for some time, 2792 also had bad components. As you may know, in 2009 OFF crafted legislation to clean up Oregon’s laws on gun rights restoration for persons with past felony convictions. SB 603 corrected an error in Oregon law that allowed a person with a felony conviction to petition the court have his rights restored to buy a gun, but because of an anomaly in the law, that person could still not own it!. SB 603 fixed that and worked well for the short time it was in effect. Now, HB 2792 greatly restricts who may apply for rights restoration. Remember, this was not a law that gave anyone their rights back, it only allowed them to ask for their rights back. Some applied and were approved and some were not. The new system worked. Now, no one convicted of a “person felony” can apply for rights restoration. While many “person felonies” are serious crimes, some hardly seem like reason to disallow a person from ever seeking to have their rights restored. You can see a list of “person felonies” here.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- HB 2792 was supposed to be a bill that recognized other state’s concealed handgun licenses.

After passing the House by a wide margin it was sent to the Senate where Senate Judiciary Chairman Floyd Prozanski “gut and stuffed” it so it was no longer recognizable.

Now, while the bill does contain language we sought to clarify the lawful carry of firearms on motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATV’s it also contains complex and vague language creating new restrictions on persons attempting to get their firearm’s rights restored.

Today the bill went to a “Conference Committee” to iron out differences between the House and Senate.

The committee members from the Senate side were Floyd Prozanski, Jackie Dingfelder and Doug Whitsett. The House members were Wayne Krieger and Jeff Barker. The entire committee voted unanimously to accept the “gut and stuffed” Senate version of the bill with one meaningless amendment. The amendment changes from three to one year, the amount of time that must transpire before those who may still apply for rights restoration must wait after leaving prison.

No one from the “pro-gun” side offered substantive pro-gun amendments.

We have no idea why the committee felt the need to make this change. While we have no objection to it, it serves no purpose, something we have repeatedly pointed out to committee members. Federal law still forbids anyone with a felony record from having his rights restored in Oregon for 15 years. So the amendment was a meaningless gesture that benefits no one.

So now, with the help of the House members of the conference committee, and the Republican Senate member, a message has been sent to Senator Prozanski that he can mangle or simply kill pro-gun bills with impunity.

Much will be said by legislators about the need to not “arm felons.” Many who supported the original bill that had no language about rights restoration,are fearful that this will become a campaign issue. But there are two important points to keep in mind. In 2009, the bill that allowed felons to seek rights restoration was drafted by Floyd Prozanski and it passed both Houses with no opposition. So “arming felons” was actually done in 2009, and no one lost a re-election campaign as a result. It’s a bogus issue.

Secondly, in spite of the “sky is falling” rhetoric by Prozanski, the law is working. Murderers and rapists are neither seeking nor receiving gun rights restoration. There simply is not a problem.

Before the law was changed in 2009 it was clear that many in the legislature were confused about what existing law said. It soon became clear that many were confused about what the correcting legislation did. In 2010, when Floyd Prozanski introduced legislation to reverse what he wrote in 2009 it was clear he did not understand what his new bill said. Now we have a cluttered, unneeded and confusing bill that accomplishes little and is likely to be misunderstood by most,

And every single word about recognizing other states’s concealed carry licenses is gone.
Today, Prozanski also led the floor debate to kill SB 347. 347 would have protected the privacy of CHL holders and victims of domestic violence. Prozanski and fellow Democrats voted to throw domestic violence victims under the bus just to make sure CHL holders got no protection.On this vote, a “nay” is a pro-gun vote.

As a result of that vote, 347 must be assigned to a conference committee of the type that just sold out to the anti-gunners in the Senate.

So while SB 347 awaits a conference committee, HB 2792 will go back to both Houses for a vote on whether to agree with the conference committee’s decision to go along with all the “gut and stuff” language added into it in the Senate.

We strongly urge you to contact both your House Rep and your State Senator and urge them to vote “No” on HB 2792 when it comes back to them. The bill no longer protects visitors to our state, is confusing and unneeded. You can reach both your House Rep and your State Senator here.

Please tell them that while you strongly supported the original bill, you cannot support a bill that has been used by anti-gunners to promote their own agenda.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- Oregon House passed SB 347…again.

This bill protects the privacy of certain domestic violence victims. After passing the Senate, the House Judiciary Committee added protections for persons who had, or applied for, a concealed handgun license.

As you know, the House had previously passed, by a large margin, a bill to protect CHL privacy. That bill was killed in the Senate by Floyd Prozanski who would not even allow discussion of the bill in committee.

When 347 came to the House, the House Judiciary Committee wisely added the CHL protections with the obvious reasoning that it made little sense to protect domestic violence victims unless they had taken steps to protect themselves, at which point their private, sensitive information would once again be made public.

As you might expect, the more militant haters of self-reliance were so horrified by the idea that CHL holders might be afforded some protections, that they actually voted against protections for domestic violence victims because they so objected to any protections for CHL holders.

This bill will now have to go back to the Senate for concurrence on the changes. We are going to go way out on a limb here and predict that the anti-gun zealots in the Senate will not concur and this bill will be dead.

On another note, HB 2792, another pro-gun bill that was “gut and stuffed” by Prozanski is due for a vote on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

To see who hates gun owners so much that they are willing to vote against the victims of domestic violence, view the vote count on SB 347 here.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- We are now entering into that time in the legislative session where tempers fray, rational thinking is in short supply and really bad things happen.

Now that our session has a statutory ending date, the last minute back-stabbing, bill-stuffing and childish retribution is highly compressed.

While following what has happened to gun bills in 2011 would be better illustrated with a flow chart, we’ll do our best to explain where we stand now.

Although we had quite a few bills introduced in 2011, four actually made it through part of the legislative process. They were:

• HB 2787, a bill to protect the privacy of CHL holders.
• HB 2791, a bill to turn background checks over to the Feds and save gun buyers some money.
• HB 2792, a bill to recognize other state’s concealed handgun licenses and,
• HB 2797, a bill to define how a person may lawfully transport a firearm on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile.

Early in the session we were informed by an unimpeachable source that Floyd Prozanski planned to insert a poison pill in any gun bill that came to his committee, unless he planned to kill the bill outright. This information turned out to be painfully accurate. So here’s where we are at.

HB 2787 passed overwhelmingly in the House and was killed by Prozanski in Senate Judiciary. Although scheduled for a work session, Prozanski simply ignored the bill and it died on Wednesday.

HB 2791 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. Representative Andy Olsen, usually a supporter of gun rights voted no, but Representative Chris Garrett, who is not in any way a reliable friend of gun rights, voted yes as a courtesy for a Republican rep who was out of the room at the time. 2791 was sent to the Ways and Means Committee where it currently lies, bruised and bleeding by the side of the road while legislators step over it and pretend it does not exist. It is not officially dead, but without some action soon it will die of neglect. The State Police will continue to mismanage background checks and gun buyers will continue to pay twice for a “service” they never requested. Even some of the early supporters of this bill started to get cold feet when the public employee’s unions came out in force to proclaim that if a few union employees at the State Police ID unit lost their jobs, Oregon’s economy would collapse.

HB 2792 passed the House by a wide margin and was also sent to Floyd Prozanski’s sausage factory. There, any reference to recognizing other states’ permits was removed. Inserted was the motorcycle language from HB 2797 and new restrictions on felon’s abilities to get gun rights restoration. This issue has been an obsession with Prozanski ever since 2009 when SB 603 passed. 603 allowed felons to go to court and make a case for why they should have their firearms rights restored. From the moment that bill passed (with no opposition in either house) Prozanski has been trying to reverse it. This is all the more odd since the bill was crafted by and approved by and voted for by…Floyd Prozanski. 2792 will next go to the full Senate for a vote. If it passes there (which is likely given that the two Republicans on the committee gave their blessings to this latest “gut and stuff”) it has to go back to the House for “concurrence.” The House can refuse to concur in which case a “conference committee” will be created to craft a compromise. We have repeatedly requested the key players to consider an amendment that will move “recognition” forward and defuse the gun haters argument against it.

The gun haters primary, stated objection to recognizing other states’ handgun licenses is that other states do not have the lofty standards we do when issuing a CHL. We have crafted an amendment and have been distributing it to key legislators for months that instead simply allows residents of any state to apply for our license. We still believe this is a positive strategy but there is a serious case of “not-invented-here” in our legislature and it’s unlikely any politician will suggest this simple commonsense amendment.

HB 2797 is the most pathetic example of legislative nonsense. In 2009, we drafted and passed legislation to define the term “readily accessible” for the purposes of transporting handguns for those without concealed handgun licenses. Our language included definitions for transport on a motorcycle. The motorcycle language was mistakenly removed from the final version, so right now we have no legal and practical way to transport a handgun on a motorcycle without a CHL. HB 2797 fixed that problem, but also clarified how to lawfully carry on a snowmobile or ATV. This was NOT in any way a controversial bill. It passed the House without a single no vote. Then it was sent to Prozanski to be turned into a Frankenstein’s monster. We have to give him credit, he did a heck of a job. That bill now bans guns on any school or college property, a goal that has been Ginny Burdick’s delusional fantasy for years. It’s interesting to note that in the past, Prozanski voted against the same legislation because he knew it could not pass the House and he did not want to force Senators to go on the record supporting such lunacy when it had no chance of passing. Now, with the exact same dynamics. Prozanski did a 180 and passed this garbage out of his committee, forcing Senate Democrats to go on record with almost no chance of the bill ever becoming law. We’ve been told that Burdick has been haunting Prozanski about this issue and that might explain his otherwise inexplicable about-face, but maybe it was this brilliant letter from “Ceasefire Oregon.”

They repeatedly testified that there were three murders committed by CHL holders in schools. While there is no evidence in any of the cases they mentioned that the killers were actually CHL holders, what is interesting is this; none of the cases were in Oregon, they had to search nationally to find three incidents, all happened in states where it is already illegal to have a gun on school property and not a single one of these incidents would have been prevented by the enactment of their demented “no self-defense-in-schools” policy. But it looks like this was enough for Prozanski and his fellow Democrats on the committee, Bonamici and Dingfelder. Who needs facts when you can always fall back on hysteria? (The bill also includes language to keep CHL info private. Prozanski told us he could not move a bill that did this because his caucus did not approve, but he did put it into this bill which is sure to fail. Confused yet? )

The Republicans on the committee, Doug Whitsett and Jeff Kruse responded with a “minority report” which is basically an alternative bill that the Senate can vote on. Neither discussed any element of the proposed legislation with OFF, and while their proposals were ambitious, even Senator Kruse, on a local talk show, admitted it had no chance of approval. Given that their proposal was 34 pages, that it gave almost every anti-gunner something to hate, and was hastily and poorly drafted, this may be no net loss. The minority report had plenty of pro-gun language in it, but also included things that really made no sense, like making it a crime for someone under 18 to have a concealed firearm on school grounds. Last time we checked, that was already illegal.

On the other hand, the House Judiciary Committee modified a Senate Bill (SB 347) that was intended to protect private info of domestic violence victims and now includes protection for CHL holders. House Reps Mary Nolan and Carolyn Tomei, staunch liberal feminists voted against the bill in committee because it protects CHL holders. They would have voted yes to protect victims until the bill also protected victims who took steps to protect themselves. There are some people we will never quite understand.

So that’s where we stand today. 2797 and 2792 will be on the Senate floor soon. 2791 remains on life support in the Ways and Means Committee and Floyd has managed to artfully muck up everything that came from the House with wide majorities. And now we get to do this every year.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- Having already eviscerated HB 2797 by turning a simple motorcycle carry bill into a ban on self-defense in schools, Floyd Prozanski is now making another colossal mess of HB 2792, a bill that would recognize other states’ concealed handgun licenses.

With these amendments, any language that recognizes other state’s CHL’s is removed and replaced by a bizarre mash up of other bills.

In these amendments the recognition language is gone and in its place is much of the language that Prozanski stuffed into 2797 dealing with restricting felon’s rights restoration, but he has also included the language that clarifies lawful carry on motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles! The motorcycle, ATV and snowmobile corrections were already in HB 2797!

All Prozanski had to do was leave the bill alone. Confused yet? Frankly, we cannot give you any clue to what Prozanski is thinking.

Oregon Senator Prozanski

HB 2792 is scheduled for a work session tomorrow. Also scheduled is HB 2787, a bill that would protect the privacy of CHL holders. Strangely, Prozanski stuffed the privacy language from that bill into the motorcycle bill where he also included a ban on guns in schools. Never has the old saying about law and sausage been more appropriate.

What amendments may be offered to the House CHL privacy bill are anyone’s guess, but given the astonishing mess Prozanski has made out of the other two bills, he may well amend THAT bill to ban guns in schools as well.

The Senate Judiciary Committee under Prozanski’s chairmanship has devolved into a dysfunctional graveyard for popular legislation, The two Republican members have done what they can to maintain some sanity, but frankly they are outnumbered.

Tomorrow’s work session promises to be another exercise in confusion and futility.

Please contact Senate President Peter Courtney and request that he provide some adult supervision for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Contact info and sample message follow:

Senator Peter Courtney
503-986-1600
FAX:
503-986-1004
sen.petercourtney@state.or.us

____________________________________________________________________

Dear Senator Courtney,

Bills that passed the House with overwhelming bi-partisan support are being turned into unrecognizable and confusing nonsense in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We’ve already seen House Bill 2797 go from a simple clarification on firearms transport to an all-out attack on personal protection on school grounds.

Now a bill that would have recognized other states’ concealed handgun licenses is being butchered as well. I urge you to request Senator Prozanski to just move the gun bills that have come from the House to his committee to the floor so Senators can vote on them as they were written. The confusion that Senator Prozanski is creating serves no one.

Yours,

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- “Legislative hi-jinks” was the accurate description Senator Jeff Kruse gave to today’s Judiciary Committee antics when they held a “work session’” on House Bill 2797.

It’s important to understand that all this bill did was clarify how a person may lawfully transport a firearm on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile. The bill was so uncontroversial that no one, not one single House Rep, voted against it.

But the Senate Judiciary Chairman, Floyd Prozanski, claimed in committee that the “volatile “ nature of gun bills required a “compromise.” Prozanski’s compromise? Add 11 pages of amendments to a 4 page bill and turn simple “clean-up” legislation into a bill to ban licensed, concealed carry on all school grounds including college campuses.

By the way, Prozanski had previously stated in committee that these amendments “did not exist.”

In Salem, no matter how cynical you are, you just can’t keep up.

Prozanski’s amendments, ( the latest version which only became available this morning, minutes before the hearing began) will almost certainly tank this bill.

We know that Prozanski and the two other Democrats on the committee are rabidly anti-gun, but this bill was an odd vehicle to try to gut gun rights at the school room door. In spite of Prozanski’s comments about the “volatility” of gun bills, this piece of legislation was nothing more than a correction for a previous legislative screw up.

The amendments almost certainly mean this bill is dead. So, for at least one more year, Oregon law will contain no guidance for anyone who wants to know how they can stay within the law while riding motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles. Nice work Floyd.

Predictably, Ceasefire Oregon came to complain that the amendments did not go far enough. Their spokeswoman, who can most charitably be described as delusional, told the committee that there have been three school shootings by CHL holders, events that seem to have been reported to her and her alone. It is sad indeed to be this terrified by things that do not exist.

The bill now goes to the full Senate floor where we will ask you to do all you can to oppose it.

We fully expected the “paranoid caucus” to oppose any effort to protect the rights of gun owners in this session, but it ‘s a particular shame that they chose such an important and popular bill to try to ramrod their agenda.

Senators Jeff Kruse and Doug Whitsett made notice they they would be filing a minority report. This would be a substitute to this bill written by rational people. They should be thanked for standing up for liberty and common sense.

Please contact your Oregon State Senator and urge them to vote AGAINST HB 2797 when this monstrosity comes to the floor. You can use this link to write to your Senator. Uncheck the box that says “State House” as this bill is no longer in the House and we need only contact Senators. A suggested cut and paste message follows:

____________

Dear Senator,

Partisan games have turned a simple and uncontroversial bill, HB 2797, into a vehicle to attack the rights of concealed handgun license holders. I am embarrassed by a process that would subvert a simple “clean-up” bill and use it to advance the agenda of those who would attack the most law-abiding Oregonians. I hope in the future we can do better, but for now I urge you to vote “no” on HB 2797 as amended by Senator Prozanski.

____________

Voting to attack the rights of those who ride motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles:

Senator Suzanne Bonamici
Party: D District: 17
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1717
District Phone: 503-627-0246
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-403, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 990, Beaverton, OR, 97075
Email: sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/bonamici

Senator Jackie Dingfelder
Party: D District: 23
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1723
District Phone: 503-493-2804
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 13432, Portland, OR, 97213
Email: sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/dingfelder

Senator Floyd Prozanski
Party: D District: 4
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1704
District Phone: 541-342-2447
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-417, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: PO Box 11511, Eugene, OR, 97440
Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/prozanski

Voting rationally to protect those who ride motorcycles, ATV’s and snowmobiles:

Senator Jeff Kruse
Party: R District: 1
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1701
District Phone: 541-580-3276
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-315, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: 636 Wild Iris Lane, Roseburg, OR, 97470
Email: sen.jeffkruse@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/kruse

Senator Doug Whitsett
Party: R District: 28
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728
District Phone: 541-883-4006
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-303, Salem, OR, 97301
District Office Address: 23131 N. Poe Valley Road, Klamath Falls, OR, 97603
Email: sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/whitsett

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- At the last possible moment, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled three gun bills that OFF has been working on all session, in some cases for more than one session.

There is no question that your tireless efforts are the reason why.

While there can certainly be changes, HB 2797 has been scheduled for May 26 at 8 AM. This bill does nothing more than clarify a lawful way to transport a handgun on a motorcycle and any firearm on a snowmobile or ATV. It is non-controversial and has had no opposition, but it is also the bill we believe most likely to be used as a vehicle to ban licensed carry in schools. So, while it is a victory that it has been scheduled, the battle is far from over. We still need to make sure the bill is not turned into something its sponsor never intended.

House Bills 2787 and 2792 are scheduled for June 1 at 8:30 AM. These two bills protect the privacy of CHL holders and recognize the concealed handgun licenses from other states respectively.

Make no mistake, it was your pressure that forced the Committee Chair to put these bills on the schedule. But we have a long way to go. As we have said, we believe there may be some very damaging amendments that could be attached to these bills, so we still need to keep the pressure on to make sure they are passed with no amendments.

Committee Chairmen typically do NOT schedule bills they don’t plan to pass, but this committee is controlled by anti-gun Democrats so they might very well have some tricks up their sleeves. Don’t stop now. Please contact the committee and urge them to pass these three bills as they are with no amendments. And thanks for all you have done, against all odds, so far.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- HB 2791 removes the Oregon State Police as the point of contact for gun purchase background checks. Under 2791, the State Police would be replaced by the National Instant Check System.

35 states contact the Feds directly for these checks and buyers pay no fee for the “service.” In Oregon, when a purchase is initiated, the dealer contacts the OSP who call NICS and then OSP charges a $10.00 fee.

In the last 6 months or so, gun dealers in Oregon have had serious difficulty conducting these checks due to long delays when attempting to contact OSP. Even after finally getting an operator on the phone, the wait times can be onerous. The incidence of “pended” or delayed approvals has spiked as well. Many people have reported that they could make a purchase one day and be delayed the next. People with long histories of problem-free gun buys, have suddenly faced delays, sometimes for months.

HB 2791 would solve this problem by removing the middleman and simply going directly to the NICS system where no similar problems have been reported. In fact, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gun dealers, has informed us that NICS has an excellent track record of rapid approvals and the only states having problems are ones which, like Oregon, use local “points of contact.”

At the hearing, Representative Greg Smith (who did an excellent job) questioned the State Police ID Unit Director who testified that gun purchase background checks subsidized many other types of checks that OSP conducts for free.

The Director, David Yandell, also testified that the ID Unit was experiencing difficulties completing background checks, but hoped things would improve. He noted that the unit plans to soon have an electronic check system that would allow dealers to conduct the checks themselves online. He also testified that even if this “new and improved” system became functional, reducing the need for staff time, that it was their intention to still seek the higher fee per check that they have requested. The current fee is $10.00. The State Police want to almost triple that to $26.00.

As expected, “Cease fire Oregon” came to oppose the bill with borderline hysterical testimony and invented statistics. More interestingly, a representative for the public employees unions came to oppose the bill on the grounds that several union jobs would be lost if the Feds took over the checks. Her position was that this bill would devastate Oregon’s economy because a handful of state workers would not longer be able to pay taxes after losing their jobs.

This is a fascinating premise. By her reasoning, Oregon could solve all its economic problems by hiring everyone in the state. Those people would then pay taxes and Oregon would be flush.

The magnitude of economic illiteracy out there is staggering.

Oddly, the public employees representative did not question whether the new “electronic” check would cost any jobs. None of the committee members asked about that either.

Senator Rod Monroe seemed primarily interested in not losing any state jobs, but most committee members appeared to get the point that Oregonians should not be paying twice for the same “service,” a process they never asked for which is being provided so poorly.

Now the bad news. The hearing was only one step. The bill cannot move without a “work session” and we have been reliably informed that the Democrats will be resisting such action. Apparently, saving millions of dollars of taxpayer money and endless headaches is less important than losing a single public employee job. So there is strong reason to suspect that the leadership in the Senate Democrat Caucus will be doing what they can (which is a lot) to stop progress on this bill. It’s by no means dead, but it is clearly in the cross hairs of the Democrat Leadership. By simply taking no further action on the bill, it will die, you will continue to face hassles and expense at the hands of the OSP, and “no one” will be to blame because no one had to vote.

Over in Senate Judiciary, Senator Floyd Prozanski, with the full support of Senate President Peter Courtney, is continuing to hold up any progress on House Bills 2787, 2792 and 2797. If he has not chosen a date to have work sessions on these bills by Monday, May 23rd, they will all be dead unless some legislator steps up and moves that they be removed from his committee. So time is running out.

Based on previous testimony and Prozanski’s own comments, we are confident that the Senator will make some attempt to turn one of these good bills into a Frankenstein monster of an anti-gun bill. Almost certainly it will be HB 2797 which only seeks to clarify firearms carry on motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATV’s. Expect this bill to be stuffed with language to ban guns on any school property along with lots of potential other amendments. Prozanski also wanted to change the rules about the restoration of felons’ gun rights. Having failed to make his own bill go anywhere, he could well add that language to any gut-and-stuff amendments to HB 2797.

We believe that it is unlikely (but by no means impossible) that Prozanski can pass a “no guns in schools” bill, however what he can do, and clearly is trying to do, is torpedo every bill that can in any way be perceived as “pro-gun.” In the case of HB 2797 this is particularly troubling. All that bill does is fix a legislative screw-up from 2009. It merely provides guidance so people can avoid running afoul of the law. So Prozanski and Courtney’s actions here are particularly reprehensible.

No doubt both will be cheered by the Supreme Court’s recent decision to further eviscerate the US Constitution.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- As we told you on May 12th, our bill to remove the Oregon State Police as the point of contact for firearms background checks will be heard in the Public Safety Subcommittee of the joint Ways and Means Committee tomorrow.

This bill would save Oregon gun owners and gun dealers millions of dollars and countless headaches due to unwarranted delays.

As we have told you in the past, for months, the Oregon State Police have been costing dealers sales while creating unjustified delays for buyers.

Unlike the Feds, who inform dealers that they may proceed with a sale even without an approval once three days have elapsed, the State Police continue to leave dealers with the mistaken impression that they MUST have an approval code before transferring a firearm. This is NOT the case.

Please send a note today to the Ways and Means Committee, through their staff, and ask for a speedy approval of HB 2791.

ACTION: Contact info and a sample message follow:

gina.rumbaugh@state.or.us

To the Ways and Means Committee,
RE: House Bill 2791Dear Committee Member,

HB 2791 would eliminate the costly and redundant use of the Oregon State Police to conduct background checks for firearms purchases.

The National Instant Check System, used by most states for background checks, is more efficient and is already being paid for by our tax dollars. It makes no sense to ask Oregonians to pay twice for the same check.

The State Police are causing unnecessary delays for both buyers and sellers. Dealers have faced inexcusable wait times simply to get the OSP to answer their phones.

The OSP already use the Federal system to conduct their checks. Let’s cut out the middleman and save millions for Oregon residents.

Yours,

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Portland, Or -(Ammoland.com)- Below is an open letter from Kevin Starrett, Director, Oregon Firearms Federation to Oregon State Senator Peter Courtney regarding a judiciary committee meeting relating to gun rights issues. It seems now “OFF” needs to fight for their first amendment rights as well as the second amendment rights.

Dear President Courtney,

Having now sat through my second “informational meeting” in the Senate Judiciary Committee, I felt obligated to contact you about the “procedure.”

As you no doubt know, the Judiciary Committee scheduled three bills to be heard last Thursday. However, the hearing was also to be used as the setting for an “informational meeting” on three “concepts”:

Guns in schools, restoration of a felon’s gun rights, and “mental health issues.”

The hearing on the bills and the “informational meeting” ran concurrently, so those who wanted to testify on the bills themselves were sandwiched into the “informational meeting.”

Of course, the first speakers were all representatives of groups that wanted to lobby on behalf of banning concealed handgun license holders from school grounds. Interestingly, all of these people had testimony that referred to a specific amendment to a specific bill.

No one who came to support gun rights saw any amendment nor did either of the two Republican members of the Committee.

Chairman Prozanski insisted there were no amendments, yet even after making that statement, references were made to “the dash-1” amendments.

The first speakers were given an unlimited amount of time to speak. By the time anyone who supported gun rights was given an opportunity to testify, their time limit was down to 2 minutes.

No representative of any organized pro-gun group was given a chance to present testimony in spite of having signed up before many of the anti-gun, school representatives.

When time ran out, we were informed that the “meeting” would continue today, Tuesday. When we arrived, sign up sheets for all three bills and the “informational meeting” were available on the table in the hearing room. Several people signed up.

From the beginning of this “hearing” we were informed that testimony would be limited to 2 minutes. So now, we were limited to two minutes to testify on three bills, all of which we requested and worked on, and all of which received overwhelming support in the House. But we also had to testify on three “concepts”, none of which we were allowed to see in spite of a direct request to Senator Prozanski to share them with us.

Having listened to extensive and inaccurate testimony from the government school representatives last week we now had two minutes to refute their comments, discuss two other “concepts” (still unseen) and three important gun bills. In all we were afforded 20 seconds for each issue.

Clearly, the bills in question never received an adequate hearing. They were barely discussed at all.

“Mental health” received almost no comment, felons’ rights restoration received no comment at all, and the hearings were instead used as an opportunity to bash license holders by people who clearly seemed to be familiar with amendments Senator Prozanski claims do not exist.

Today, as you well know, a number of people who had signed up to testify were simply ignored, although one person who signed up today was inexplicably given her two minutes.

After the hearing, Senator Prozanski contacted several inviting them to come in to testify tomorrow, claiming he had “overlooked” the new “sign up” sheet even though one person who did get to testify was only on the new sign up sheet, not having been there last week.

As you also know, this invitation came only after those people came together to your office to complain about the shoddy treatment they had received after taking time off from work to participate in the process.

If it is the desire of your caucus to kill these bills, that is their prerogative. They can take no action on them, amend them or simply vote them down. But this process, wherein bills of importance to enough people to have received overwhelming support from the House are used as a theatrical event to promote the erosion of the rights of the most law-abiding people in the state is an outrageous misuse of the system.

At a time when the idea of “government transparency” is gaining public attention, it’s absurd to invite people to testify and then refuse to allow them to know what they are testifying about.

Frankly, we’ve seen this before on the same issue. Several years ago Senator Burdick held hearings on a school gun ban in a courthouse, where, of course, CHL holders are forbidden with their self-defense tools. The hearing date was given to the opponents of gun rights before the Republican members of the Senate were told when it was, and seating was “reserved” for anti-gun speakers.

If members of your body want to disarm CHL holders in spite of their own admittance that there have been exactly zero problems, they can introduce a bill and make an effort to pass it. But to misuse the process, prevent proper testimony about important bills from getting on the record and refuse to allow the public to know what members’ intentions are is a sorry excuse for governing.

Kevin Starrett
Director
Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee “hearing” was another display of the paranoia of the anti-liberty crowd.

Although the meeting was supposed to be a hearing on three good gun bills, it was, in fact, nothing more than theater arranged by, and for, the anti-gun rights, government school establishment.

In an unusual “informational meeting”, the opponents of gun rights were given a virtual monopoly on public testimony, but more, they were given information provided to no one else and the opportunity to testify at length before anyone from the pro-freedom side had a chance to respond. While limited and abbreviated testimony was taken from a few pro gun citizens, no one from OFF or NRA had a chance to testify in spite of the fact that they were “signed in” before almost everyone else.

The meeting followed a format we have never seen before. The “informational meeting” took center stage but no pro-gun people had any insights into exactly what the meeting was about. Strangely, that was not true of the people who testified on behalf of the government schools.

They repeatedly voiced their support for “amendments to HB 2797.” 2797 is the bill that clarifies lawful carry of handguns on motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles. The “amendments” clearly outlawed CHL holders from being on school property. Oddly, only the government school representatives seemed to have actually seen these “amendments.”

Even one member of the committee asked what these supposed “amendments” were, since he had not seen them either.

After repeated references to these amendments. the chair of the committee, Floyd Prozanski, informed the audience that “there were no amendments to any of the bills” being heard today. But even after he said that several times, more representatives of the government schools referred to the “amendments to HB 2797.”

It was quite odd that numerous people who worked for the state school establishment testified in favor of amendments to a specific bill that would outlaw CHL carry on school property, but no one else saw these amendments and the Chair insisted they did not exist. Someone is not being very forthcoming.

Although we were told that the “informational meeting” would cover guns in schools, rights restoration for people with felony convictions, and “mental health issues” it was clear that the focus was on licensed carry at schools. It was also clear that the anti-gun school establishment was privy to inside information denied to everyone else.

The government school reps trotted out all the same paranoid cliches they have been relying on for years. School superintendent Susan Castillo testified that guns in schools were a dangerous proposition and illustrated her position by citing Columbine, Thurston High School and Virginia Tech. When asked if any of those shooters were concealed handgun license holders she admitted they were not, but the schools did not want to “wait “until a CHL holder opened fire on a class full of children. (Hey, it could happen, right?) Of course, just as every CHL holder is a potential mass murderer, every public school teacher is a potential child molester. So clearly we need to address that issue.

Ginny Burdick demonstrated, once again, her perennially addled state by testifying that CHL holders could not be trusted in schools because they did not have the extensive training that police have. She went on to illustrate her point by citing data from the New York City Police Department which concluded that NYC cops rarely hit their targets.

This is an interesting argument. On the one hand, the anti-gun crowd does not want to recognize the CHLs from other states because they may not meet Oregon’s lofty training requirements. On the other hand, we cannot trust CHL holders in schools because they have such paltry training requirements.

Of course, over and over, the anti-gun mouthpieces complained about the carnage caused by guns in schools. And over and over they were asked if any of the people who were responsible for violence in schools were CHL holders.

The number of problems involving CHLs according to the anti-liberty zealots? Er…uhh…oh…none.

After listening to multiple representatives of the Oregon government schools testify that the most law abiding Oregonians need to be disarmed because of the acts of the most criminal Oregonians, we were struck with a horrifying thought. These people are teaching our children. There have been few more compelling arguments for homeschooling than today’s testimony.

If you are a public school teacher, you should know how you are being represented in Salem. If you are a parent with children in the public school system you should know how your children are being propagandized.

In spite of Prozanski’s repeated denials, there would seem to be amendments to one of the gun bills to, once again, dredge up the failed efforts to ban CHL holders from being on school property. Why we are allowed to be in malls, parks and even the Capitol, but we can’t be trusted to pick up our children from school is never answered by the school union reps, the School Superintendent, or the orchestrated and delusional members of the government school monopoly.

Either the teachers’ union or the Chairman of the committee is lying about the phantom “amendments” to 2797. The hearing ended with no testimony from any member of the gun lobby. Prozanski announced that he would pick this hearing up again next Tuesday. If the deck will be stacked again then, we cannot say. It is clear however, that there is an effort to butcher the pro-gun bills that passed the House with wide margins.

We strongly encourage you to continue to make your voice heard on the three bills that were supposed to be heard today. Please contact the following Senators and tell them to pass House Bills 2787, 2792, and 2797 as passed by the House with NO amendments. These are the people that need to hear from you. Do not be hesitant to contact them multiple times.

Floyd Prozanski
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1704
District Phone:
541-342-2447
sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Jackie Dingfelder
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1723
District Phone:
503-493-2804
sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us

Suzanne Bonamici
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1717
District Phone:
503-627-0246
sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- Today, both the Senate and House Judiciary Committees were scheduled to vote on bills that would save gun owners enormous hassles and Oregonians millions of dollars.

The Senate Committee was, once again, due to vote on SB 934, a bill which would remove the responsibility for running firearms background checks from the Oregon State Police and turn those checks over to the feds, who do not charge and have a far better track record of getting the checks done efficiently.

For the record, OFF does not support or endorse any background checks for a number of reasons.

First, we believe it is a prior restraint on your rights. Second we do not believe it prevents bad actors from getting guns. However, as long as we are saddled with a federal mandate to subject ourselves to background checks, we believe we should have the least time consuming and least expensive system we can. Right now, that would be the federal NICS system.

Although SB 934 has been scheduled for action for several days, it was once again postponed. We have been told that amendments to the bill have been drafted, but as of now, we have not been permitted to see them. It is very likely that the amendments will completely change the contents of the bill. Until we see the amendments we simply do not know. However, when we see them, you will see them.

In the House, a work session was held on a similar bill, HB 2791.
As with SB 934, this bill would end the fees and delays on background checks by removing the State Police as the point of contact. While more and more states who rely on local authorities have been experiencing problems with background checks, states that use the national NICS system have been having no problems.

The House Judiciary Committee took testimony from the Oregon State Police at today’s work session even though OSP chose not to comment at the public hearing where testimony is normally taken. At that hearing, the only testimony taken against the bill was from the public employee’s union.

The OSP said that the delays dealers have been experiencing while trying to contact them on the phone, and the surge in delays in approvals was due to a big increase in background check requests. Oddly, they also said that in spite of the almost three million dollars in federal grants already received to forward mental health records to the feds, they have not yet done so.

While we, of course, wonder what they have been doing with the money, we are more perplexed by the statement that they have not shared any mental health records as required by federal law.

To be clear, we oppose sharing that data and fought hard to prevent Oregon from enacting a law that forced us into compliance with the NRA-and-Brady-Campaign-backed legislation demanding this sensitive information. But the fact is, we are now stuck with this law and the OSP has gotten lots of money to comply. What is particularly inexplicable is their statement that they have shared no information with the feds, when we already know of one person who has been denied firearms purchases because of mental health records that the feds recently got.

What’s even more troubling is that this person had already had his rights restored by the courts! So why his private data was shared with the feds is a mystery. Clearly, someone is not getting his story straight.

A side note to this issue is that Psychiatric Safety Review Board has received almost $300,000.00 to conduct gun rights restoration hearings and so far has conducted …none. They have also created a resolution process so onerous, expensive and invasive that few rational people would attempt it. When you get a boatload of money to run a process that no one wants to engage in, you get to keep a boatload of money.

The vote on HB 2791 had a few surprises.

(One thing that was not a surprise was when Representative Carolyn Tomei expressed opposition to the bill because she wanted to “keep Oregon jobs.” In other words, gun owners should pay twice in order to insure that the people who work in the ID unit at OSP have jobs. The millions in savings to Oregon did not impress Tomei.)

The first surprise was when Representative Andy Olson vote no. Usually a reliable supporter of gun rights, Olson’s “no” vote was unexpected. Mary Nolan, who can always be counted on to vote against gun rights, regardless of the millions in potential savings for Oregon, stated that it was Olson’s vote that convinced her to vote “no.” Representative Gene Whisnant was excused at the time of the vote. As a supporter, his vote was crucial. (Whisnant was attending other business and not avoiding this vote.)

In the end Representaitves Krieger, Barker, Wand, Hicks and Schaufler vote yes.

A “yes” vote was a vote for gun rights and common sense.

Tomei, Nolan and Olson voted no.

The deciding vote, which passed the bill, came from Representative Chris Garrett, who said that while he expected to vote “no” on the floor, he was casting a courtesy vote for the excused Whisnant and voted “yes.”

Ironically, a regular supporter of gun rights, Andy Olson, almost sank this important bill, and a Democrat who often votes against gun rights saved it.

We hope they will both reconsider their positions and vote “yes” on the floor of the House, but there can be no denying that it was Garrett’s vote that kept this bill alive.

The bill is now scheduled to go to the full House floor, although procedural moves could send it to another committee. But right now we have to assume the next step is the House floor.

Please take a moment to write your own House rep and urge a “yes” vote on HB 2791.

Your rep can be reached using this link.

A sample message follows:

___________________________________________________________

Dear Representative,

HB 2791 has been voted out of the House Judiciary Committee and should be coming to you on the House floor soon.

This common sense bill can save Oregon millions in duplicated services and eliminate costly delays for Oregon’s law-abiding gun owners. I strongly urge you vote yes on a bill that will accomplish so much at no cost.

Yours,

________________________

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- “Our first priority when it comes to domestic violence issues has to be ensuring the safety of Oregon’s domestic violence survivors, and this bill does just that,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum (D-Portland).

Much as we would like to report that Senator Rosenbaum was discussing Senate Bill 582, or House Bill 2787, which would have protected the identities of victims of abuse who obtained concealed handgun licenses to protect themselves, we cannot.

In fact Rosenbaum was talking about SB 347, a bill that would keep information from domestic violence centers out of the public records.

The sheer hypocrisy of this is breathtaking.

While laudably protecting the victims of domestic abuse if they seek help at a public shelter, the Senate Democrats are determined to keep public the home address and phone number of any abuse victim who takes steps to protect herself. This is shameless.

As you know, HB 2787 passed the House with a large majority. It now languishes in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A very similar Senate Bill, SB 582, was heard in that same committee, but after scheduling it for a “work session” (the meeting where bills are amended and voted on), Prozanski abruptly yanked the bill from the schedule and informed us it would not be moved or voted on. Privacy for license holders was dead as far as Prozanski was concerned. This is a serious problem, since reporters are still seeking the private info of CHL holders.

The opponents of CHL privacy have repeatedly stated that people should know if their “crazy neighbor down the street had a gun.” This was one of their most popular excuses for voting against CHL privacy. What’s so bizarre about this argument is that while you can own a gun without having a CHL, and you can have a CHL without owning a gun, the records of gun purchases are exempt from public disclosure! If your “crazy neighbor down the street” bought a gun, you would not be allowed to know it. Only if they had jumped through state mandated hoops to prove they are not a danger to anyone would you be informed.

So now both CHL privacy bills, as well as a bill to recognize other states’ permits, are being held hostage by Prozanski in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

But the plot thickens.

After telling us in no uncertain terms that SB 582 WOULD NOT move out of his committee, Prozanski has scheduled another “work session” for it.

Did Senator Prozanski have a sudden change of heart? Did the Senate Democrats “see the light?” We’d like to report they had. But frankly, we doubt it.

So why would he schedule a work session on a bill he wants to kill?

Well there are a few possibilities. The deadline for bills to be scheduled for work sessions in their originating house is tomorrow. That means that by Friday, April 8, all Senate bills must have been given a date for a work session in the Senate and all House bills must have been given a date for a work session in the House. So timing is critical. But why schedule it at all?

In many cases when something like this happens, the Chair is simply keeping the bill “in play” so that later on he can come back and “gut and stuff” it. That means that he can take a bill and change every single word, so it has no resemblance to its original intentions. But he can only do this if the bill has met the required deadlines.

But all the changes in the bill still must conform to the “relating clause” of the the bill. So, if the relating clause were “relating to firearms” there would be the very strong potential that this bill would be “gut and stuffed” and turned into an anti-gun bill. But in this case, the relating clause says “Relating to the records of concealed handgun licenses.” This is not a clause that gives them a lot of room to turn it into a bad bill, unless his plan is to stuff the bill with all the terrible amendments that became part of a similar bill in 2009. Those amendments actually turned the bill into a roadmap for getting the information rather than a method to protect it.

Another scenario is that Prozanski is attempting to keep the bill in play so that he can discourage any attempts to have it removed from his committee and voted on on the floor. Most legislators would be reluctant to call for the removal of a bill that had action scheduled on it.

Keep in mind that although the bill is scheduled, there is no guarantee action will actually be taken on it. The work session could be entirely procedural to simply meet the deadlines.

Once again, we need to remind Senator Prozanski that this bill is important to all people who value privacy: Democrats, Republicans and independents, gun owners or not, from every district.

Please contact Senator Prozanski one more time and remind him that you do not believe that sensitive private information should be available to newspapers and stalkers. Contact info and a suggested message follow:

Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

_____________________________________________________________

Dear Senator Prozanski,

I am troubled that the Senate would continue to block the safeguarding of private information of CHL holders, many of whom received their licenses to be able to defend themselves.

I applaud the passage of SB 347, but simply cannot understand why you would not extend that same protection to persons who took steps to assure their safety and the safety of their loved ones. This is astonishing hypocrisy.

I know that you have scheduled a work session for SB 582 after saying the bill would not move out of your committee. I strongly urge you not to use this important bill as a bargaining chip or a tool to play political games.

If you truly intend to hold a legitimate work session on the bill, I thank you and urge you to vote yes. But I also urge you not to use the sensitive private information of Oregonians as a political football to achieve other ends.

Yours,

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- House Bill 2787, a bill that will protect the private information of concealed handgun license holders, passed the Oregon House today with a 42 to 18 vote.

The single Republican who voted to keep this sensitive information available to any and all was Vicki Berger. While not unexpected, it was still inexplicable. Why anyone would insist that this info be made available to any criminal, newspaper, or junk mail firm defies reason. But that’s politics.

Berger’s comment after the vote… “I had to do it.” It remains to be seen why she “had to do it.” But the bill has now passed another hurdle and moves on to the Senate where things promise to be more interesting.

An identical bill * was due to be voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee today. (*This link does not show the proposed amendments that would have mirrored the House amendments, but they had been introduced.)

The bill had had already received a hearing and today’s “work session ” was being held to include the same amendments the House bill had and vote the bill out of committee. But the bill was yanked off the schedule by the Committee Chair, who, while supportive or the bill himself, had been pressured by the Senate Democratic Caucus to spike the bill.

This means that when HB 2787 is assigned to that same committee, the Chairman will be strong- armed by the Senate Democrats to kill it.

So clearly, we have our work cut out . This bill is so commonsense that it is hard to imagine what excuse the Senate Democrats have to try to kill it, except for pure vindictiveness. But things are, by no means, over.

The bill has passed the House. It will now be assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee where, without a strong demand by gun owners, it will never get a hearing and it will die. So let’s get to work.

Every Oregon Sheriff we know is behind this bill. Eleven House Democrats (including co-speaker Arnie Roblan) voted in favor. Clearly the idea of protecting CHL holder’s private data is something most people understand. We now have to turn our attention to the Senate.

If your state Senator is a Democrat, you need to inform them in the most urgent terms that you want HB 2787 to get a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. If you don’t know who your Senator is, it’s easy to find out. Use this link. Your STATE Senator will be the second to last person listed.

The message is simple and to-the-point.

Dear Senator, House Bill 2787 is very important to me. I urge you to do all you can to assure it gets a hearing and passes the Senate.

You can find easy contact info for ALL Senate Dems here.

Senator Peter Courtney is the Senate President and a Democrat. In the end, it is his responsibility to move this bill. The threatened hold-up could not take place without his approval. He needs to hear from you as well.

We are as committed as ever to see this bill pass. Please make sure your voice is heard.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- We have received a number of communications from gun dealers across the state informing us of long waits and busy signals when they attempt to conduct background checks for gun purchases.

While some dealers are reporting no changes, others have let us know that the difficulty in contacting Oregon State Police has had a serious effect on their ability to conduct business.

We are also receiving an increase in complaints about unjustified delays for gun purchases and a lack of response by the OSP when buyers use their “Challenge Line” in an effort to resolve delays. This was a common problem in the past and had largely gone away.

This all comes at a time when the OSP has requested significant increases in their fees.

If you are a dealer, or someone who has had difficulty making a purchase, you may download and distribute our Background Check Fact Sheet, (also quoted below) which has info on pending bills that deal with these issues along with important and helpful contact info for legislators and OSP officials.

We have also received multiple, credible reports that Oregon dealers are being pressured by ATF to make highly irregular and suspicious gun sales. It would appear to be Oregon’s very own “Gunwalker” scandal.

The Oregon State Police are aware of these operations and have chosen to take a “hands off” approach.

If you are a dealer who has been pressured by ATF or the OSP into making transactions you consider suspicious, and are willing to share your experiences, please contact us. Rest assured your privacy will be protected.

Background Check Delay Fact Sheet

March 2011. Prepared By Oregon Firearms Federation. oregonfirearms.org .

Recently many Oregon gun dealers are reporting extremely long wait times to connect to the Oregon State Police in order to conduct background checks for firearms purchases. In some cases, it has taken hours to connect for a single transaction. The problem at gun shows is even more pronounced where dealers are relying on cell phones. In addition to the damage this is doing to dealers attempting to do business, this creates an undue burden for people attempting to make purchases.

Furthermore, there has been a significant increase in unjustified “delays” or “pends” after a long period of decline in this problem. There are currently two bills in the Oregon legislature that could solve this problem by ending the State Police involvement in background checks conducted by licensed dealers and turning this responsibility over to NICS, who also do not charge for checks.

All legislators can be reached at this number 1-800-332-2313

The House version of the bill is: HB 2791

The chairs of the House Judiciary Committee and the people who could make this bill happen are: Representative Jeff Barker

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1428

Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-491, Salem, OR, 97301

Email: rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us

Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/barker

Representative Wayne Krieger

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1401

District Phone: 541-247-7990

Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-381, Salem, OR, 97301

Email: rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us

Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/krieger

The Senate Version of the bill is: SB 934

The Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the person who could make the Senate bill happen is: Senator Floyd Prozanski

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1704

Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-417, Salem, OR, 97301

District Office Address: PO Box 11511, Eugene, OR, 97440

Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/prozanski

The State Police have requested a large fee increase with the following bill:

SB 5538 Increases fees for background checks on gun purchases from $10 to $26.00.

Increases fingerprint fees for CHL’s from $15.00 to $29.00.

If you are delayed or denied for a firearms purchase, the State Police challenge line is 503-373-1808 EX 327.

Calls to this line used to be returned promptly. In recent months calls to this line HAVE NOT been promptly returned.

If your calls are not responded to, contact David Yandell, Oregon State Police ID Unit. 503-378-3055 x55000

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- WHERE WE STAND NOW This legislative session has seen a large number of firearms-related bills, both good and bad. But it’s no trick to get bills introduced; the typical session may see 4000 of them. The real challenge is to get any of them to go anywhere.

As of now several bills are scheduled for action in their house of origin, in this case the Oregon House. Keep in mind, this is just one of many steps on the long road to a bill becoming a law.

Three gun bills are scheduled for action on March 8th in the House Judiciary Committee. Two of those bills, HB 2792 and HB 2787, have already received hearings and are scheduled for “work sessions” where bills are amended and adopted. A third bill will receive its first public hearing. That is HB 2797.

To recap, HB 2792 recognizes other states’ concealed handgun licenses.

HB 2787 protects the privacy of concealed handgun license holders.

HB 2797 addresses the problem with Oregon law that forbids anyone to carry a loaded firearm on a snowmobile or ATV (but does not even define what “loaded” means) and also corrects the flaw in Oregon Statute that allows no practical, legal way to transport a handgun on a motorcycle unless the rider has a CHL. This is one of several bills dealing with carry on ATVs but the only one that deals with the motorcycle problem. OFF requested this bill after a Senate bill in 2009 inadvertently dropped the motorcycle language. We ask that you contact the committee and request that they support all three bills.

Also scheduled for that meeting is HB 3100, a bill which modifies the jurisdiction of the “Psychiatric Security Review Board.” While this is not a “gun bill”, we are paying close attention to this body since now, thanks to the NRA, it has a lot of control over gun owners and it has shown no interest in protecting gun owners’ rights.

There is a strong likelihood that the three gun bills will pass out of committee, although HB 2797 will not likely be acted on on the 8th. But anything can happen and there is always the potential for damaging amendments or other problems. So we are asking that you contact the committee urging support for all three bills.

That being said it is important to note that committee schedules can change at any time, right up until the very last minute. If you plan to attend the hearing, make sure you double-check that there have been no scheduling changes.

It’s safe to say that the two members of the Judiciary Committee least likely to support gun rights are Carolyn Tomei and Mary Nolan. But, if the committee does pass any or all of these bills, the measures will then have to pass the full House. If we prevail there, the whole process starts again in the Senate Judiciary Committee whose Chairman, Floyd Prozanski, is not at all friendly to gun rights. We fully expect a battle to get any of these bills heard in his committee.

While we are making progress, we still have a lot of work to do. There are other bills in the House that have NOT been scheduled for a hearing and they only will be if you let the co-chairs of House Judiciary know they are important. These bills should not be seen as controversial, but they could easily become bargaining chips if we don’t make our voices heard. A brief review of them follows:

HB 2791 Removes Department of State Police as designated state point of contact for purposes of National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

There is a companion bill for this in the Senate, SB 934.

Recently, the OSP has greatly increased the time it takes to conduct a standard background check with dealers often waiting over an hour to get through to the ID unit. You can imagine the strain this puts on business and it’s even worse at gun shows. Furthermore, a problem we thought we had solved in the past has come back with a vengeance. The incidence of complaints about unjustified delays on approvals has shot back up after having come down significantly. That’s why we want the State Police out of the background check business. That and their stated intention to TRIPLE their fees. (Slow downs, price increases…coincidence? You decide.)

HB 2793 Modifies definition of public place for purpose of certain city or county ordinances related to possession of loaded firearms.

In 2008 the Oregon Appeals Court turned our “preemption statue” on its ear by concluding that your car must be treated like a “public place.” Thus all the protections gun owners thought they had while traveling from place to place were gone and you could easily find yourself breaking some local code or rule because you drove into a locality with its own gun restrictions. Localities may only restrict guns in “public places” but who thinks their car is one? This important bill would reverse this problem and once again protect traveling gun owners.

HB 2789 Authorizes issuance of concealed handgun license to person convicted or diverted for certain marijuana offenses in another jurisdiction if conviction or diversion is equivalent to conviction or diversion that does not operate as bar to obtaining license under Oregon law.

Oregon law allows a person with ONE conviction or ONE diversion for a small amount of marijuana to apply for a concealed handgun license. But, that conviction or diversion MUST have been in Oregon and MUST have been AFTER 1973. So a person with a minor out-of-state conviction or someone whose incident was almost 40 years old is locked out. We think this is an oversight and not fair. HB 2789 would correct that problem.

There are numerous other gun-related bills in the hopper, but we think these should generate the least controversy and should not be held hostage to the process. But they will only move forward with your help.

We’ve included two sample messages below. One is to the entire House Judiciary Committee asking for speedy action, on the bills being dealt with on March 8th. The second is to the Committee Chairs, asking for hearings on the three important bills described above. Please feel free to modify them to suit your style, and thanks for your continued activism.

__________________________________________________________

House Judiciary Committee Contact Info.

Dear Representative,

Your committee will soon be dealing with House Bills 2787, 2792 and 2797. These bills safeguard the rights of law-abiding firearms owners.

They are commonsense bills that deserve your vote. I urge quick passage and your support for them on the House floor.

Thank you,

__________________________

____________________________________________________________

Co-Chair Jeff Barker rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us Co-Chair Wayne Krieger rep.waynekrieger@state.or.us

Dear Mr. Co-Chair.

Thank you for your continued advocacy for gun owners in Oregon. I request that you consider hearings on House Bills 2791, 2793 and 2789. These bills are not controversial and will further protect the rights of firearms owners in the state.

Thank you for your consideration

______________________

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- On Friday, February 18th, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear HB 2999.

The bill “Authorizes persons engaged in lawful activity to stand ground and use force in self-defense”.

Obviously this is an important piece of legislation and deserves your support. You may contact the House Judiciary Committee members with messages of support here.

Please keep in mind, if you plan to attend the hearing, that committee schedules can change at the last minute. It’s always a good idea to check the schedule before you come to the hearing. You can see committee schedules here.

On the same day another bill is scheduled. That bill is HB 3100. This bill “Modifies jurisdiction of Psychiatric Security Review Board”.

While this may not seem like a bill that gun owners should be concerned about, or even watching, we plan to keep a close eye on it. In 2009, the legislature passed, against our protests, HB 2853.

You can read our alerts about this bill in our alerts archived here.

You can see how the 2009 Oregon House voted here.

We call your attention especially to this alert.

In it we warned – We are quite sure that this bill, which will put us into compliance with the Federal Bill HR 2640, will cause more people to be denied legitimate firearms transfers. More people will face the inconvenience and burden of trying to prove that they are allowed to exercise a “right.” Some of those people will now be forced to ask for relief from the “psychiatric review board.”

Unfortunately we were 100% right.

The “psychiatric review board.” has now ensnared, as we predicted, Oregonians who are entirely qualified to purchase guns. They have create a byzantine system that all but assures no one who petitions them will have the resources to have their rights returned and put people who should never have been under their jurisdiction through hell. As such, we plan to pay careful attention to any bill that deals with the powers of this agency.

As of now, we have been unable to impress upon the people who passed this bill, the mess they have created. But we will continue to work on it. You could easily find yourself in this nightmare.

Stay tuned. We hope that our efforts will convince the supporters of this ghastly legislation to work to correct their mistakes. If not, we will count on your efforts to help them “see the light.”

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- In spite of the hand wringing from the freedom haters in the gun ban movement, it would be a mistake to assume that more gun control on a national level is a dead issue.

Numerous sources are reporting that Obama will “address the issue” of tightening gun control laws, almost certainly by ratcheting up already failed laws like the Brady Bill and the NRA endorsed “NICS Improvement Act. “

No doubt magazine bans and a re-introduction of the semi-auto ban will be in the mix.

There is reason to believe that the Republicans may be on board.

The “improvements” in the NICS Improvement Act appear to be, as we predicted, more denials and delays for qualified gun owners and no increased obstacles for nut-cases like the shooter in Tucson.

Here in Oregon, as a result of HB 2853, a bill which forced us into compliance with the ill-conceived NRA/Brady Bill supported HR 2640, we are already seeing the predicted failure of the bill and faulty records are costing people their rights and more.

Oregon has 7 members of Congress. Two Senators and 5 House Members. It’s safe to say that 6 of them (including NRA endorsed Kurt Schrader) will support any demented scheme Obama proposes. With our own legislature returning on Feb. 1st we expect to see a plenty of anti-gun legislation introduced. It is still our intention to play offense, but it’s essential that you be prepared to respond immediately to any threat. We’ll keep you informed.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- A saga that started almost two years ago is about to come to some kind of resolution.

As many of you know, in January of 2009, Marine Corp Veteran Jeffery Maxwell was arrested on the campus of Western Oregon University and charged with possession of a firearm in a public building.

Jeffery contacted OFF and with the intercession of our legal counsel, the DA dropped the charges, claiming it was “in the interest of justice.” In fact, it was in the interest of the law, since the DA had no case. As a CHL holder, Jeffery was exempt from the prohibition on possession in public buildings.

While the charges were dropped, the school  suspended Jeffery and otherwise made his life a living hell.

The Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Oregon University System to challenge their policy of forbidding ANYONE to have a firearm on their campuses. After endless delays, a date has been set for the Oregon Appeals Court to hear our lawsuit.

The case will be heard on March 29th at 9 AM at Salem Courthouse, 1163 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301-2563.

We thank everyone who has generously contributed to the case. If you would like to make a tax deductible contribution to the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation so that we can continue to defend gun owners, you can do so safely online here.

Be sure to choose “Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation” from the drop-down menu to ensure that you receive the proper receipt for your tax deduction.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- It’s the time for giving and once again gun owners across the state are receiving requests for cash from an organization that claims to support gun rights, while working overtime for gun control.

Oregonians who have concealed handgun licenses are getting this letter from “Oregon Gun Owners Political Action Committee”

In 1999 “Oregon Gun Owners” worked with former legislator, and perennial candidate, Kevin Mannix, to forge legislation that would outlaw private transfers of firearms at gun shows. They failed. They then attempted a ballot measure to do the same thing. They failed again. (Their sister-in-arms, Ginny Burdick, armed with millions in out-of-state money succeeded.)

Now “Oregon Gun Owners” is asking real Oregon gun owners to send them cash. What do they do with it? Well in 2010 alone the sent over $8000.00 to anti-gun politicians in Salem. They endorsed Floyd Prozanski and Peter Courtney, two of the most anti-gun politicians in the state, and they sent their lobbyist, Paul Phillips to testify in FAVOR of more gun control in the February “special” session.

Their letter says that the cost of printing their fundraising letter was paid for “by another gun rights organization.” Oddly they don’t say who that was. We think it’s most likely that the other “gun rights” organization was… Oregon Gun Owners.

At this special time of year, when money is tight and scams are uptrending, we at OFF think it’s important to know who you are giving to.

Have a merry and scam-free Christmas.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

2010 Election Not So Good For Oregon Gun Rights

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon --(Ammoland.com)- The historic 2010 elections are now mostly behind us.

While much of the country voted to restore some fiscal and political sanity, Oregon bravely bucked the trend.

With some notable exceptions, voters chose candidates who promised to end policies of massive government intrusions. In Oregon, Multnomah County Elections workers Portland voters returned John Kitzhaber to the Governor’s mansion.

This was an amazing race. While Chris Dudley held a small lead through most of the campaign, Kitzhaber pulled out a last minute victory, as so often happens when the Multnomah County votes are discovered recorded.

What’s most interesting about this race is that Kitzhaber campaigned on his “experience” but left office last time admitting he could not do the job.

Based on his history, it is reasonable to assume that along with creating special exceptions for his beach house and sweetheart deals for his girlfriend, Kitzhaber will veto any bill that can, in any way, be perceived as “pro-gun.” Anyone running a business will consider relocating, schools will continue to fail and unemployment will rise. The public employee unions will continue to benefit until the state runs out of productive people to tax. (Which, when you think about it, can’t take much longer.)

On the national level, there was one congressional race that was very close. That was the 5th Congressional District race between Scott Bruun and Kurt Schrader.

Schrader went to Washington with a record as a committed enemy of gun owners. He voted to decimate gun shows in Oregon and, as a Congressman, voted to shut down organizations like OFF. Schrader has been one of Nancy Pelosi’s most obedient servants, voting for bail-outs for billionaires and Obama’s health control. As you might expect, he was rewarded by an endorsement from the NRA who also sent thousands of dollars to Harry Reid who elevated two committed gun banners to the Supreme Court. Harry was victorious over his opponent Sharon Angle, a strong supporter of gun rights. Thanks NRA!

Ballot Measure 71 passed overwhelmingly, meaning the voters have decided that the legislature was not doing enough damage meeting every other year, now they will meet every year. The con job was that with the passage of this measure, the legislature would be better able to deal with the budget, but the new sessions won’t be limited to the budget. If you watched the fiasco in February’s “special” session you saw how bills that are not really understood or even read get rammed through with almost no citizen input.

The good news is the change in the Oregon legislature. With one or two seats still in play, it appears right now that the Oregon House is split in half. The Senate might be as well, depending on the final vote count in District 3, where Alan Bates has been the last minute beneficiary of a sudden “surge” of Democrat ballots. If the anti-gun Bates prevails, the Oregon Senate will be 16-14 Democrat. If his opponent wins, the Senate will likely be split evenly as well.

Having both Houses evenly split would be unprecedented. The last time anything like that happened, the Senate was evenly split in 2003. Picking a Senate President became quite a circus until the Republicans folded and allowed anti-gun militant Peter Courtney to assume the position, one he has held ever since.

While there are several races whose outcomes benefit gun owners, there is no question that the single most exciting victory we had was the removal of our number one target, House Rep Judy Stiegler.

Stielger, from Bend, was a freshman legislator who masterfully derailed several popular pro-gun bills while attempting to portray herself as a supporter of gun rights. We are very pleased to have been able to return Stiegler to private practice. For everyone who worked to send her home, we thank you. OFF, and many OFF members, supported her opponent Jason Conger. We suggest you drop Jason a note and congratulate him, and please remind him that as gun owners, we are expecting him to be a strong supporter of gun rights. His address and a sample message can be found here.

We are also very pleased to be able to announce (unless there is another surge of “discovered” Democrat ballots) the retirement of Martha Schrader, Senate district 20, who lost to OFF-supported Alan Olsen. During the campaign, Martha, (Kurt Schrader’s wife) attacked pro-gun Olsen for a 30 year old bankruptcy. Now that Martha will be returning to her Canby home, perhaps she will find time to pay the real estate taxes she and Kurt have, in the past, chosen to ignore.

2011 will be another uphill climb for gun owners. The election of John Kitzhaber means we will have to work harder than ever to protect our rights. While most of the country is trending towards liberty, Oregon has re-elected pro-bailout, pro-health control, anti-gun Ron Wyden to the US Senate and the failed ex-governor one more time.

With your help we will keep on doing what we have done since 1999, fighting. Buckle up, folks, it’s going to be an interesting ride.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon State Police Seek Huge Fee Increases to Exercise Your Gun Rights

Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon --(AmmoLand.com)- Today, the Oregon State Police held their first “fee review” meeting to discuss their proposals for fee increases for background checks.

As you would expect, gun owners are being asked to subsidize most of the OSP’s budget with fee increases of 100 to 300 percent.

The OSP has suggested that gun purchase background check fees go from $10.00 to $28.00, almost tripling the cost of a mandated background check for a gun purchase.

The fees for fingerprints for a concealed handgun license will be doubled from $15.00 to $30.00

Most states charge nothing for a background check for a firearms purchase. Furthermore, those states that use NICS as their “point of contact” do not record any information on the make, model, caliber or serial number of the gun. Oregon does record this information, charges a fee, and has used their database against gun owners when no crime was committed and no criminal investigation was on-going.

Some have suggested that they do not want the Feds doing the background checks in Oregon because they don’t trust them. But the fact is, the Feds are already involved in our background checks because the State Police check with NICS as part of their investigation. So why are we paying twice (once through the fee and once through our taxes) for a “service” we should not be compelled to submit to and certainly should not have to pay for?

The State Police told us that gun background checks make up about 23% of the checks they do. But at the new suggested fee, they would be collecting almost $9 million dollars from gun owners in every biennium just in background checks for gun purchases. This does NOT include the fees they would collect from people applying for CHL’s at the new doubled rate which would be about $819,420.00 in 2011.

The State Police have stated that their required budget for the 2011-2013 biennium is about $17 million. So gun owners will be asked to pay more than half of the budget for less the one quarter of the checks. This is clearly outrageous.

Gun owners are not getting a “service” from the State Police. They are compelled to pay these taxes to exercise a “right.”

We strongly recommend that you attend one of the fee review meetings, if you can, to express your opposition to fee increases of 100 to 300 percent.

• You can see the proposed fee increases here.
• You can see a schedule of “fee review” meetings here.
• You can get more details about the OSP background checks here.

If you cannot be at one of these meetings, please contact the OSP ID unit to express your opposition to these giant tax increases.

You may e-mail David Yandell. david.c.yandell@state.or.us or Patricia Whitfield patricia.whitfield@state.or.us

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon --(AmmoLand.com)- Oregon Firearms has received a letter from the Oregon State Police alerting us to regional meetings that will be held to discuss fees charged by the OSP ID unit.

As you know, in many states, background checks for firearms’ purchases are done by the Federal government. There is no fee for this check. However, in Oregon, the State Police do background checks for gun buys and charge $10.00

The State Police are now “reviewing” those fees. There is no reason to believe they are coming down.

Unlike many checks performed by the OSP ID unit, the checks done on gun buyers are not a “service” that is voluntary. Lawful gun buyers have no choice about subjecting themselves to this check along with the fee, and the data kept by the state police has been misused.

In fact, recently the Attorney General has informed the OSP ID unit that, as a result of the David Pyles incident in Medford, they may no longer disclose info they collected during gun purchases.

We recommend that you attend one of the regional meetings.

OFF opposes any increase in fees. If the OSP cannot afford to conduct these checks we believe they should be handled by the Feds, as they are elsewhere, for no charge.

For more info on the meetings please use this link:

http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/ID/fee_review.shtml

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Armed American Radio

Jackson, WI --(AmmoLand.com)- AAR continues to get good news as the affiliate list continues to grow across the country…As soon as I can, I’ll make the announcement on a few new stations that will soon be carrying Armed American Radio.

It’s ALL good! Speaking of good, WDJA in Delray/West Palm Florida had a little technical glitch last week and was unable to bring the show down from the satellite. That problem has been fixed and I am proud to say that AAR will be LIVE on Powertalk 1420 WDJA in SE Florida this coming Sunday.

Coming up this week I’ll be talking to training expert and TV star, Rob Pincus who will be joining me from Europe where he attended EuroSHOT and is doing some training across the pond.

Also… fittingly and in our continued effort to spotlight some of the nations grassroots organizations fighting for YOUR rights, I’ll be speaking with Mr. David Wood of the Second Amendment Coalition of Florida. Kevin Starrett will rejoin me this week from Oregon Firearms Federation to update us on the gun confiscation case…if you haven’t heard this I can assure you that your skin will crawl. Also, fan favorite Dr. Bruce Eimer joins me for his latest appearance on AAR.

Make sure to become a fan of Armed American Radio over at FACEBOOK and for all of the latest info on the show head directly over to www.armedamericanradio.org

Armed American Radio is currently one of the fastest growing nationally syndicated radio programs in America…Be a part of it EVERY Sunday evening from 8-11pm EDT, 5-8pm PDT

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Lessons from Armed America, co written by myself and Kathy Jackson with foreword by Massad Ayoob. It’s available at ALL major online book retailers as well as www.whitefeatherpress.com

About:
Armed American Radio is the most free-thinking, politically incorrect radio station in the U.S.A. We discuss liberty, self-defense, weapons, family, friends, and life. Visit: www.Armedamericanradio.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Yesterday, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of “Macdonald Vs Chicago.”

The outcome of this case will be pivotal in determining the future of gun rights in the states.We now have a transcript of the arguments on our website.

You can download them in PDF format at this link:

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon --(AmmoLand.com)- Oregon’s Attorney General, John Kroger, has announced a series of public meetings to discuss “Government Transparency.”

We agree this is an important issue. In Oregon, legislation is often the subject of “amendments” that are not available to anyone, even legislators, until someone walks into a hearing and puts them on the table. This in spite of the definition of “public record” given by Kroger himself:

“With a few exceptions, all government records of any kind are considered public records. Specifically, a “public record” is any writing that contains information relating to the conduct of public business that is prepared, owned, used or retained by a public body.”

So while we are very supportive of making Oregon government as “transparent” as possible, we are concerned about whom the AG chose as a “partner” for these meetings. The Oregon Newspaper Publisher’s Association.

These are the folks who were the major force behind disclosure of the private information of those with concealed handgun licenses.

Although most sheriffs now refuse to reveal this information, the ONPA has made repeated efforts to force disclosure of this private and sensitive data. There is at least one lawsuit in process to force a sheriff to turn over this information to a newspaper.

Our position has always been that the records of persons with CHL’s should not be considered “government documents” or treated like information about government functions. They are, in fact, records created because of the demands of the state on those who simply choose to exercise their rights.

The AG is planning several meetings to take public testimony on the issue of public records and “transparency.” If you want to make your voice heard you can get more information here:

http://www.doj.state.or.us/public_records/government_transparency.shtml

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon - -(AmmoLand.com)- The first hearing to reverse pro gun rights gains made in the 2009 session will be held on February 2nd at 8am.

(The pre-session hearing on this bill was scheduled for 8am. It was heard at 7.22 am before either Republican Senator had arrived.)

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an “informational” hearing on SB603.
(Invited testimony only, neither OFF nor NRA was “invited.”)

SB 603 was actually a bill from 2009 which you may recall corrected an error in Oregon law that allowed a person with a felony conviction to petition to have his rights restored to BUY a gun, but then was forbidden from owning it

Your efforts for months finally got this error fixed, but now at the urging of the Department of Justice, Senator Floyd Prozanski has introduced SB 1008 to reverse the corrections he himself made in SB 603.

What’s so odd about this is that 603, which Prozanski rewrote to correct the mistake mentioned above, passed out of his committee with no opposition, passed the full Senate with no opposition, passed the House Judiciary and the full House with no opposition and then was re-passed by the Senate with no opposition.

Now Prozanski is claiming that a five page bill that was largely his own work, was a “drafting mistake” and must be overturned.

This is an amazing assertion.

He claims he did not understand the changes he himself made and that every other legislator AND the Governor made the same “mistake.”

(We strongly suggest you read both 603 and 1008. See if you think the 43 page 1008 is easier to understand than the 5 page 603.)

(Please see this link for the “rebuttal” Senator Prozanski asked us to post.)

It’s essential that you contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them not to rush to overturn this bill in a short “special” session. If they are, in fact, that confused, a rush to replace this simple bill with a 45 page “correction” would be a tremendous mistake.

Contact info for the Committee members and a sample message follow.

SENATE JUDICIARY.
Floyd Prozanski CHAIR
sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us
900 Court St. NE, S-417, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986 -1704

Brian Boquist Vice Chair
sen.brianboquist@state.or.us
900 Court St. NE., S-305, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1712

Susanne Bonamici
sen.suzannebonamici@state.or.us
900 Court St. NE., S-403, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1717

Jackie Dingfelder
sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us
900 Court St. NE., S-407, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1723

Doug Whitsett
sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us
900 Court St. NE., S-303, Salem, OR, 97301
503-986-1728

Sample Letter: ____________________________________

Dear Senator,

SB 603 passed out of your committee with no opposition. It passed the Senate twice, with no opposition. Now it is being called a “drafting error.” SB 603 corrected a major error in Oregon law, and was thoroughly discussed and vetted. I strongly urge you not to reverse the gains made in this bill in the short time you have in the February “special session.”

In spite of what’s been said, SB 603 does NOT allow felons to walk out of prison and get firearms. In fact, there remain substantial hurdles to a restoration of firearms rights. Let’s give this law a chance to prove itself.

Sincerely,

_______________________

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon - -(AmmoLand.com)- First, we’d like to thank all of you who have committed to being part of our efforts to protect gun rights in 2010. We are deeply grateful for your continued support.

Now on to the bad news.

Although the “special” session does not start until February, the Oregon legislature has already scheduled a “work session” on a “legislative concept” to reverse gains made in the 2009 session.

The “special sessions” were promoted by the legislature as a way to get around Oregon’s policy of only meeting every other year. In an effort to be able to raise taxes on a more regular basis, the legislature created an annual “emergency” so they could meet every year. But clearly, they have plans to do more than simply raise your taxes in February.

On Wednesday, Jan 13, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will be meeting. On the schedule for the Senate Committee is “Legislative Concept 57.”

The “concept” is 43 pages long, but its goal is brief and easy to explain. What this would do if it becomes law is reverse the corrections we made in 2009 with SB 603.

As you may recall, until the first of this year, Oregon’s law stated that a person with a felony conviction could petition the courts to have his rights restored to buy a firearm. But, absurdly, he could not OWN that firearm.

After extensive discussions with Senate Judiciary Chairman Floyd Prozanski , we eventually convinced him that this clearly made no sense, and because of your tireless efforts,we passed SB 603 without a single “no” vote in either House. That bill took effect January 1. Now a person who had a felony conviction could request to have his rights restored. It was NOT a guarantee, it only allowed the person to ask. If he was successful his rights would be restored to buy AND own. In a country where a person can be convicted of a felony for being in possession of the wrong size lobster we believed this was an important correction.

Then, in September, at a joint meeting of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the Department of Justice testified that this bill must have been a “mistake.” Now, according to the DOJ, any felon could walk out of prison and buy a gun. This was nonsense. In fact, it was just plain false. Nothing could be further from the truth. But apparently, lies work.

The “legislative concept” that will be discussed on Wednesday reverses SB 603 and denies the ability to petition for rights restoration to anyone barred from possessing a firearm under ORS 166.270. That section covers anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony.

The only exception would be for persons who had only one felony, which was not a homicide or a weapons charge and had been released from “imprisonment, parole, post-prison supervision or probation,” for 15 years. Of course the catch is that those people could still be charged with unlawful possession under a different Oregon statute! So essentially we are back to where we were before all your hard work to pass 603, and all because the Department of Justice came and misrepresented the bill you passed.

This “concept” is on the schedule for the Senate Committee. That means it was approved by Senator Prozanski. Why he would seek to reverse a bill he helped draft remains a mystery and he has not responded to our call to him. So, it’s time to get back in the saddle. We cannot allow all the hard work we did last year to be undone.

Please contact Senator Prozanski and tell him to kill this “concept” now. We made progress in our efforts to make Oregon’s law make sense. Now he wants to turn back the clock. Contact info and a sample message follow. Please feel free to modify it.

Contact Info:

__________________________________________________________________

Dear Senator Prozanski,

“Legislative Concept 57,” scheduled to be heard in your committee on Wednesday, returns Oregon law to its pre-2010 state of making no sense. Why would the state allow a person to ask for restoration of his rights if he was prohibited under 166.250 and 166.470 but NOT under 166.270? I know the Department of Justice testified in September that this bill would allow felons to walk out of prison and buy guns, but you know this is untrue since you were responsible for drafting the bill this seeks to reverse, SB 603.

I urge you not to be intimidated by the misrepresentations and scare tactics of the DOJ, and do not move LC 57 forward. We’ve made a small amount of progress in improving Oregon’s laws. Please don’t take a step backwards.

Yours,

____________________________________

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court. Visit: www.oregonfirearms.org

Oregon Firearms Federation

Medford , Oregon --(AmmoLand.com)- In a case funded by the Oregon FIrearms Educational Foundation, Jane Doe Vs Medford School District, the court ruled that Oregon’s preemption statute does not protect employees from gun restrictions imposed on them by state employers.

This case, which got international attention, pitted a Medford school teacher against her employer. When it was learned that the teacher, Shirley Katz, possessed a concealed handgun license, her school and school district began a campaign of abuse and threats against her. We agreed to take her case to court.

After the Circuit Court ruled that the school could, in fact, create rules to prevent her from possessing a self-defense firearm, we appealed. The Court’s decision can be seen here.

It’s interesting that the Court continues to use and misunderstand the case of Starrett vs City of Portland, another case funded by OFEF. In their decision they state “In Starrett, the City of Portland leased Pioneer Square to a privately owned company, Entercom, which owned and operated a number of radio stations in the area. Id. at 536. Entercom leased the property in order to host a New Year’s Eve celebration. ”

This is exactly the opposite of what happened. In fact, Entercom radio did not “lease” space from the city. The city PAID Entercom radio to run a City party on City property with taxpayer money. So once again, the Courts reach a conclusion based on incorrect former conclusions.

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court.

Oregon Firearms Federation

Oregon --(AmmoLand.com)-Although our legislature is supposed to meet only every two years, it is now a forgone conclusion that they will be in Salem annually.

But they are not waiting until then to begin their assault on your rights, so it’s essential that you start responding right away.

Today, at a joint session of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees the attacks began.

As you may know, in the 2009 session OFF passed SB 603. This bill did several things.

One of the things it did was correct a mistake in Oregon law. The old law (still in effect until January 2010) said that a person with a felony conviction could petition the courts to have his rights restored to purchase a firearm. However, that person was still not allowed to OWN a firearm. SB 603 corrected that and allowed a person to ask to both buy and own.

It seemed like a no-brainer. But today the Oregon Department of Justice came to asked that this correction be reversed. It was their position that because of SB 603, a person with multiple felony convictions could walk out of prison and illegally get guns. This is, of course, absurd.

All the bill does is allow a person who could ASK to have his rights restored to actually get them restored. There is no guarantee that the petitioner would be successful. But it was clear that neither the Department of Justice, nor most members of the committee really understood current law or the effects of the bill.

Although this was not a public hearing, we were asked to respond to the DOJ and we made it clear that the language in SB 603 was not a mistake, nor was it unintended. It was a well crafted attempt to fix an existing error. If this language is stripped from the bill, the law may very well return to its previous nonsensical version.

But that was just a down payment on what was next.

As you know, the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the Oregon University System for attempting to enforce illegal anti-gun rules.

Just as in the Medford School District, which threatened a teacher there for having a CHL, the Oregon University System has draconian anti-gun regulations that Oregon law does not allow them to adopt.

But, not content to wait until the courts rule on either case, OUS has sent out their hired hack, Neil Bryant, to try to convince the legislature to write new rules to strip license holders of their ability to be on University property.

Bryant was the Chair of the Senate Judiciary in 1999. He was one of the driving forces behind an attempt to ram through legislation to end private transfers at gun shows. This bill was actually supported by a “pro-gun” state group back then, and it was ignored by the NRA. OFF opposed it and it was defeated by one vote.

Now Bryant is back as a lobbyist trying to attack the rights of the most law-abiding people in the state, concealed handgun license holders.

It’s interesting to note that while this hearing was a joint session of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the Chair of the House Committee, Jeff Barker, wanted no part of it. So he dismissed his committee when this issue came up. Only ultra-liberal House Rep Jefferson Smith stayed in the room. Smith commented that Oregon might be “better off” with a patchwork of different rules and laws in different places, a nightmare our “preemption” statute was passed to address.

Bryant told the Committee that college students should not be allowed to be on campus with lawfully owned guns because they drink too much. He asked what would happen if a bunch of drunken college students decided to “pass a gun around.” He wondered aloud about what armed students would do if they “broke up with their girlfriend” or were “angry at a professor.”

At no point did Bryant actually give an example of any problems on any college campuses. At no point did Bryant explain why these same students could be trusted off campus. But he did mention our lawsuits as the reason he was asking for new restrictions. (We can only conclude that the Oregon University System is convinced they will lose.)

Bryant also stated in the hearing that Jeff Maxwell, the Western Oregon University student who was unlawfully arrested for having a handgun on campus, was given a “public hearing.” As many of you know, that’s untrue. Maxwell was “tried” by a kangaroo court of students in a closed session where even Jeff’s family was denied access.

Bryant suggested, and the Senate Committee agreed to the creation of a “work group” to try to come up with new laws to restrict gun rights on college property.

Bryant suggested that the group consist of legislators, school board members, officials from K-12 schools, district attorneys, campus security, police and sheriffs. Almost as an afterthought he said a representative from “gun rights group” should perhaps be invited. At that suggestion, Senator Susanne Bonamici said that if a pro-gun representative was included, she wanted someone from an anti-gun group like Ceasefire Oregon. (As if the deck were not stacked enough.) Neither Bryant nor any member of the committee suggested having any representation from student organizations.

There is no question that the anti-gun establishment is running scared and is working overtime to find a way to disarm license holders. It is essential that we act before this misguided movement can pick up steam.

Both the attempted gutting of SB 603 and the attack on gun rights on college property will likely be considered at the February “special session.” Please contact the Senate Judiciary Committee and let them know that you will not stand for any attacks on your rights.

Chair Floyd Prozanski is the person who most needs to hear from you. It was he who agreed to put together the “work group” being assembled to craft these new restrictions.

If you are a student, or will be in the future, or if you have a child or grandchild who is a student, it is critical that Prozanski hear your voice. Remember, this is NOT just about colleges. If these efforts are successful, a parent with a CHL will not be allowed to pick up a child at school while in possession of a self defense firearm. Tell Prozanski that you want to be represented at this “work group.” (You may even want to serve on it yourself.) This group will be forming immediately. You MUST act right away. A sample e-mail and contact info for Senator Prozanski follows:

Capitol Address:
900 Court St. NE, S-417
Salem, OR 97301
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1704
District Address:
PO Box 11511
Eugene, OR 97440
District Phone:
541-342-2447

sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

____________________________________________

Dear Senator Prozanski,

I am very concerned that the improvements made to Oregon law under SB 603 will evaporate if the Department of Justice has its way. It’s clear that they have misunderstood current law and the changes that SB 603 makes. 603 does NOT allow felons to get guns. It only allows them to petition the court to review their status. Please don’t fall for the scare tactics the DOJ is using.

I am also very concerned about the formation of a “work group” to explore new ways to erode the rights of concealed handgun license holders. The Oregon University System’s position that license holders cannot be trusted on their property makes no sense. If the system is so concerned about “drunken college students” behaving irresponsibly, they should consider banning cars from campus. Cars kill far more college students than firearms do. If you do go ahead with the formation of this group, I urge you to not stack the deck with countless anti-gun bureaucrats and only token representation for gun owners.

Yours,

___________________________________

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court.

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon - -(AmmoLand.com)- HB 2853, a bill intended to expand the failed Brady law and force Oregon into compliance with the Federal “NICS Improvement” act passed out of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety today. The Federal bill was opposed by many state-wide pro-gun organizations, Gun Owners of America, the American Legion and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. It was supported by the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign against gun ownership.

The committee is a joint committee so it includes both House Reps and Senators. Because of the timing (so late in the session) there was virtually no notice that the “work session” was scheduled. As we move towards the end of the session expect this to continue. Bills will be scheduled with little or no notice, making it virtually impossible for you as a voter to know the progress of legislation.

The committee invited testimony only from the supporters of the bill. Opponents were not allowed to testify. (In the interest of fairness no doubt.)

HB 2853 has been sold as a bill to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill (or in the language of the bill, “mentally retarded”) and who are a “danger to themselves and others.”

The obvious question is why are people who are a danger to themselves and others free and walking the streets? Even if a person accepted the fantasy that a law can keep guns out of the hands of bad people, what about knives, cars and power tools?

The Brady law was supposed to prevent criminals from getting guns. It failed. What it DID do was prevent law abiding people from getting guns. The Oregon State Police told us they had over 8000 “delays” last year. They had no statistics on how many people challenged those delays or how many people were successful in getting the record corrected.

If HB 2853 passes, you can rest assured that the incomplete and incorrect records the government keeps will ensnare a vast new collection of innocent people attempting to purchase firearms. But, now, instead of only having to beg the State Police to correct your records, you will be forced to petition the “Psychiatric Security Review Board” to correct your records. (Imagine explaining that to your significant other.) And of course, if you move or are attempting a purchase in another state, you will be forced to seek relief from the Feds. Good luck.

The bill, as you might expect, comes with the promise of Federal money. (If they can print it fast enough.) No doubt, that was a major element in the seduction of those who voted for it. But the fact remains that this bill vastly expands a failed system and puts more gun owners in the crosshairs of the most anti-gun administration on the history of our country.

Three members of the Subcommittee stood up for your rights today and voted NO.

They were:
Sen. Doug Whitsett sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us
Rep. Tim Freeman rep.timfreeman@state.or.us
Rep. Greg Smith rep.gregsmith@state.or.us

They deserve your thanks.

Those who voted to go for the money and expand the Brady law were:
Sen. Joanne Verger, Co-Chair sen.joanneverger@state.or.us
Sen. Vicki L Walker sen.vickiwalker@state.or.us
Rep. Chip Shields, Co-Chair rep.chipshields@state.or.us
Rep. Jeff Barker rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us
Rep. Nick Kahl rep.nickkahl@state.or.us
Rep. Nancy Nathanson rep.nancynathanson@state.or.us

The bill now moves to the full committee. This could happen any time with no notice. Please contact the full committee and express your opposition as soon as possible.

Contact info for the entire committee can be found here.

A sample cut and paste message follows. Please keep in mind this is a joint committee. You may be addressing either a Senator or a Representative.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HB 2853 is NOT about keeping guns out of the hands of the “dangerously mentally ill.”
It is about a vast expansion of the failed Brady law. Thousands of people are delayed or denied legitimate firearms transfers in Oregon every year because of errors in the records used to determine if a buyer is “eligible” to exercise a right. If this bill is passed, those denied firearms purchases because of faulty record keeping in Oregon will now be forced to plead their case before the “Psychiatric Security Review Board.”

If they move or are attempting an out-of-state transfer they will be entangled in a bureaucratic Federal nightmare.

This bill does nothing to keep dangerous people off the streets, it merely adds another layer of bureaucracy to an already failed system. Please vote NO on HB 2853.

Yours,

_________________________

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

More info found here:

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court.

Oregon Firearms Federation

Salem, Oregon - -(AmmoLand.com)- HB 2583, the Brady Expansion bill has been added (with just a few hours notice) to the schedule to be heard today in the Ways and Means Public Safety Subcommittee at 1pm.

This bill turns over mental health records to the Federal Government and expands the failed Brady law.

Errors in the current database cause countless unwarranted delays and denials of firearms purchases and this bill will expand those issues.

For more info on this bill please see this link  http://tinyurl.com/p3u7bx

Please, if  you get this message in time, contact the members of the subcommittee and tell them oppose HB 2853 and any expansion of the flawed  Brady law.

The members of the subcommittee are:

• Representative  Jeff Barker  rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us
• Representative Tim Freeman rep.timfreeman@state.or.us
• Representative Nick Kahl  rep.nickkahl@state.or.us
• Representative Nancy Nathanson rep.nancynathanson@state.or.us
• Representative Chip Shields  rep.chipshields@state.or.us
• Representative Greg Smith rep.gregsmith@state.or.us
• Senator Joanne Verger  sen.joanneverger@state.or.us
• Senator Vicki Walker  sen.vickiwalker@state.or.us
• Senator Doug Whitsett  sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us

About:
The Oregon Firearms Federation has proven itself to be Oregon’s only no compromise lobbying group, OFEF takes the same tough stands and serves as a vehicle for educating gun owners, promoting their rights and when necessary, fighting the freedom haters in court.