Fayetteville, AR –-(Ammoland.com)- To supporters of gun rights, California is a prime example of how bad things can get. If you’re a law-abiding gun owner in that state, the list of regulatory burdens that you have to fight through is long, while gun violence continues in the state, and the overall homicide rate specifically remains close to that of Texas over the years.
Despite these facts, there are invariably people who want to enact the same laws in their own states. One example of this is going on right now in Oregon—the equivalent of having your neighbors playing wretched music at high volume and deciding to put your own radio on to the same station. Initiative Petition 43 would ban “any semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, any feature like a folding or telescoping stock, and that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition” for sale and require anyone who currently owns such things to register them, move them out of state, or surrender them to avoid being turned into felons—a Class B felony in this case, subjecting owners to a potential sentence of ten years and $250,000 in fines.
The good news is that this is not even on the ballot yet and isn’t likely to pass even if it gets enough signatures to be voted on in November. As state representative Bill Post said, “This got zero comment or help from anybody in Oregon’s Democratic leadership. The reason they’re not supporting this is that they’re not stupid. They know this would bring out the greatest red wave of votes in Oregon history.”
That level of political rationality is refreshing to hear from a legislator in the state, especially given the bad notions being offered by the people who are pushing the proposed bill. One of its supporters, Michael Cahana of Congregation Beth Israel, stated, “We recognize that there are perfectly legitimate uses of guns for self-protection and hunting that make a lot of sense. But assault weapons are not used for either of those purposes. Many of these weapons exist only for killing and do not belong in civilian hands.”
As I’ve discussed before, lethal force is at times justified, and Cahana understands that since he admits that having guns to defend oneself makes sense. What he thinks self-defense involves, if not lethal force, is anyone’s guess, but gun control advocates often fail to think things through.
I point out that Cahana is a part of a religious congregation since this initiative is the creation of an interfaith coalition. This raises a point that I bring up frequently with supporters of more and more restrictions on gun rights. Do they realize that exercising one right—or two, in this case, speech and religion—to attack a different right has the effect of undermining all rights? I value the right to speak my mind, and I won’t say that we should silence differing opinions, but we also have to recognize that when opinions become law, they’ve moved into the rights of others.
The impulse to control is one that many people are possessed with, and that impulse too often leads to a loss of the empathy that we’re asked to have, a willingness to ignore the rights of others to settle the urges of our own minds. This is the point that we have to keep driving home in these debates. What is being attacked here is the basic acceptance that there are boundaries beyond which society must not go in its treatment of individuals. Gun rights are a key symbol of this.
About Greg Camp
Greg Camp has taught English composition and literature since 1998 and is the author of six books, including a western, The Willing Spirit, and Each One, Teach One, with Ranjit Singh on gun politics in America. His books can be found on Amazon. He tweets @gregcampnc.
Fortunately, in Tn. the teachers are not required to join the union. I know several that do not belong because it gives them no advantage other than making the fat cat fatter.
The anti-gunners have clearly stated that, since they can’t get guns banned on a national level, they are going at it state by state. And the Californication of Oregon began over 20 years ago when I lived there. I moved away for family reasons, and I wanted to retire there but now…I just might have to retire in AZ or TX.
We have the same problem ,on the east coast, New York and Vermont. It seem a lot of the liberal thrash ,from n.y., is moving into Vermont and affecting the vote. To the people of Vermont YOU must STOP this or you WILL end up like N.Y. and the SAFE-ACT. and the other 100 odd pages of gun laws.
There are far more conservative gun loving patriots in Oregon than the liberal media wants us to believe. This I can assure you. Yes, Portland is mostly a lost annexation of Khalifornia at this point, however, the vast majority of Oregonians across our fine state are completely against garbage like this and will not stand for it. The legislators in Salem have been able to push most of their crap agenda through without a vote, but it has all been non-constitutional related nonsense up to this point. This is different. If this bill makes it on the ballot, and we… Read more »
As a California refugee who fled to Oregon over 20 years, I will fight the Communists who control this state tooth and nail. We stand a chance here, as the liberals do not control everything yet, as they do in California.
as a Oregonian I am totally appalled at what is going on here. as a retired le officer I am only glad I am no longer in a place to chose if I would have enforce such fascist proposed law. I have lived in Oregon all of my 66 plus years here and my family has served in the military and le here for over a 100 years. I got to say maybe its time to look elsewhere to call home.
If you WERE still active as LE, and this law passed, and you were called to take them all up, I trust there would BE no “decision” to make. Thjis law is plainlly unconstitutional on several counts. Thus null, void, and of no effect. So there would BE no “decision” whether to enforce it or not.
Schools must not be teaching American history and how the United States was formed and what it’s new citizens went through and the history up to now.
That is correct. The teachers union has been anti American and anti family for a long time. Look who was out protesting this last weekend. The PTA meeting should be overrun by angery parents. Time for concerned adults to be marching around our schools. BE INVOLVED! Or loose your children.
Can’t get much more LEFT than being in a teachers union. They brainwash children at a VERY early age to form their lib/Dem thought pattern… Then you end up with these mouthpiece protesters spewing their anti gun rhetoric. They are CLUELESS… Bought and paid for to say what the buyer instructs them to say and do. Puppets, nothing more. Front line fodder for the gated community, millionaire bunch.
you are 100% correct,the teachers are having the little kids paint signs like (why is it easier to buy a gun than than get a mental heath check) on school time and posting them all over the schools.they are being brainwashed and most parents don’t have a clue.this is the teachers union and pps educaters agenda.the don’t want armed resource officers because being a sanctuary city it makes illegals going to school worried about deportation
‘Loose your children’. As in ‘on the loose’? Loose children ARE the problem, bub.
The ENTIRE Left Coast is Bolshevik! It used to be part of America.
Agreed durabo. Middle and Eastern Washington and Oregon have some fine folks, but sadly, the Seattle and Portland areas (coasts) might as well be California politically.
Actually, both Seattle and Portland are far from the Pacific Ocean. Nice try; no cigar.
“…the Seattle and Portland areas (& coastal areas)” I intended to write, but thanks for pointing out my mistake. Now that you feel better about yourself, at someone else’s expense, troll, get a life and try to make a meaningful contribution somewhere if possible.