Oregon Lawmakers Double Down Despite Making ‘Dirty Dozen’ List

Emboldened by a state Court of Appeals ruling that Oregon’s gun control Measure 114 is constitutional, Beaver State lawmakers are doubling down in their anti-gun-rights crusade, despite the state making what attorney William Kirk has labeled “the Dirty Dozen” list recommended for scrutiny by the Department of Justice’s Second Amendment Task Force.

The Task Force was announced earlier this month by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Earlier this week, as reported by AmmoLand News, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) recommended 12 states for possible investigation by the Task Force, because of alleged patterns of “grievous” Second Amendment violations.

But now, KGW is reporting that “some in the Oregon Legislature are pushing for more gun control bills.”

The station noted state Rep. Greg Smith, an eastern Oregon Republican, reacted, “I represent a district where my folks are just saying, ‘Gosh, enough is enough. Enough is enough. How much more are they going to do to us?’”

According to the KGW report, Democrats in Salem are now pushing three pieces of gun control legislation:

• House Bill 3075 which would create the enforcement mechanisms of Measure 114, “essentially preparing for implementation if the measure clears all of its current legal hurdles,” KGW says.
• House Bill 3076 would establish a state licensing program for Oregon firearms retailers. It has already passed out of committee.
• Senate Bill 243 would create a 72-hour waiting period for the completion of gun purchases. Neighboring Washington had a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases, but now imposes a ten-day wait on all firearm transactions.

While this is happening, OregonLive is reporting that two Harney County gun owners—Joseph Arnold and Cliff Asmussen—have petitioned the Oregon Supreme Court to determine whether Measure 114 actually complies with the state constitution, as the appeals court said it does. The state high court has yet to review the case. Arnold and Asmussen are supported by Gun Owners of America and the Gun Owners Foundation. They are represented by attorneys Tony Aiello Jr., and Tyler Smith at Tyler Smith & Associates in Canby, Ore.

In their motion, attorneys for the Harney County plaintiffs note the difficulty and red tape facing any Oregon citizen who wants to buy a firearm under provisions of Measure 114, which requires a permit-to-purchase from the police.

“To obtain the Permit,” they explain, “Oregonians must pay for and complete two classes; undergo an in-person psychological evaluation with law enforcement; pass two background checks; undergo fingerprinting and photographing; wait up to 30 days to appeal an indecision or denial; and pay a $65 fee.”

Under the Oregon State Constitution’s Article 1, Section 27, “The people shall have the right to bear arms for the defense of themselves, and the State, but the Military shall be kept in strict subordination to the civil power[.]”

And amid all of these happenings south of the Columbia River, civil rights attorney William Kirk, president of Washington Gun Law, has posted a video in which he discusses the CCRKBA’s letter to AG Bondi, recommending she direct the Task Force to focus on a dozen states, including Oregon.

During his remarks, he alludes to one paragraph in CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb’s letter to Bondi, in which he said the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington “have adopted laws in recent years which have essentially relegated Second Amendment rights to the level of government-regulated privileges.”

Kirk observes, “That is absolutely true.”

Apparently, to affirm Oregon’s presence on the list, the majority of Democrats in the state House and Senate want to ratchet down even farther on the rights of their gun-owning constituents.

There is plenty of speculation about whether Bondi’s Task Force announcement is “window dressing” or serious business. As explained by Bondi, she will “serve as the Chair of the Task Force and the Associate Attorney General will serve as the Vice Chair. The Task Force will be further composed of representatives from my personal staff, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, the Office of the Solicitor General. the Civil Division, the Civil Rights Division, the Criminal Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and any other components or representatives that I may from time to time designate to assist in the Task Force’s labors.”

As noted by AmmoLand contributor David Codrea, missing from the mix is anyone representing a gun owner advocacy organization. There are plenty from which Bondi could choose, including CCRKBA, the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, National Association for Gun Rights and various activist state organizations including Massachusetts Gun Owners Action League, Illinois State Rifle Association, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, and many others.

Bondi has only had a week to work on this while the DOJ has been busy with many other endeavors, so this is likely to take some time before any announcements are made by the Task Force. American gun owners are excited and energized, but while anti-gun lawmakers in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, California and elsewhere continue to push public disarmament without a few legal warning shots across their bows, frustration and impatience might creep in.

RELATED:

• Gun Rights Group to Bondi: Target 2A Violations in 12 Specific States
• Task Force’s Exclusion of Gun Owner Advocates Means Continuing DOJ Disappointments

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.