04.01.15

In a fitting tribute to April Fool’s Day, Floyd Prozanski held a hearing today on his gun owner registration bill, SB 941.

We want to thank everyone who came out to testify against this dangerous legislation, especially Sheriff Glenn Palmer of Grant County.

Since yesterday, several other Sheriffs have gone on record opposing the bill, including the sheriffs of Yamhill, Douglas, and Columbia County. We applaud them. The Oregon State Sheriffs Association itself however, fearful of retribution by the Democrat controlled Senate, refused to take a position.

In what was a moment of either breathtaking stupidity or astonishing ignorance, the former Chief of Police of Portland, Mike Reese, testified that there is no way currently for private parties to conduct background checks for gun purchases. Mercifully many of our sheriffs are better informed.

The bill will be voted on tomorrow morning and sent to the Senate floor. It’s likely they will do this as quickly as possible. DO NOT LET UP. There is still time to kill this as it moves through the process and it must also pass in the House.

This morning, another anti-gun bill was introduced. SB 945 is a “lock up your guns” law. One of its sponsors, Paul Evans, has tried to paint himself as pro-gun. We rated him an “F-” when he ran for office. Here’s why. (We rated Rep. Val Hoyle a “B”. She has been downgraded to F- as well, due to her sponsorship of the SB 941.)

On April 6th, the House Judiciary Committee will be hearing HB 3093. This bill would allow certain people who have permits to carry concealed handguns in other states to carry in Oregon. The bill gives the Oregon State Police the authority to decide which states qualify. For obvious reasons, we think this is a really bad idea.