Oregon Firearms has filed the first of what we believe will be numerous lawsuits to put the brakes on Ballot Measure 114, Oregon’s gun ban initiative.(Although the media is not giving it much attention yet, in the lawsuit filed with the court, our lawyer, John Kaempf, also challenges the “permit to purchase” provisions of Measure 114. This is a separate argument in addition to challenging the gun magazines ban. )
A number of other gun rights organizations have announced their intentions to challenge this truly evil measure and we look forward to, and welcome, any legal action that will stand in the way of this clearly unconstitutional attack on common sense and the rights of Oregonians.
As you probably know, most people assumed the measure would take effect on or around January 15th. That’s because most people assumed that State of Oregon would not declare that an election had been “certified” while votes were still being counted in many counties. Well, most people were wrong.
In spite of the fact that there are STILL uncounted ballots, Oregon’s Secretary of State has declared that the ban on new gun sales, and the outlawing of standard capacity magazines, goes into effect on Dec. 8th.
This came as a shock not only to gun owners, and gun stores (who stand to lose everything that day) but to the State Police and Sheriffs who have been saddled with implementing this nightmare with no direction, no funding, and no resources . And that’s exactly how it was intended.
The liars who promoted this measureare still absurdly claiming that the measure won’t go into effect until the rules are created while also claiming that creating and imposing the rules are the cop’s problem.
While the legislature could make changes to this new assault on rights, they don’t even START work until more than a month after it goes into effect, turning countless Oregonians into criminals overnight and crushing small businesses across the state.
As you can imagine the accelerated date of implementation left us with far less time to act in court. Having to respond to a measure that somehow was declared “certified” while the votes were still being counted was, to say the least, unprecedented. But that is how the Secretary of State rolls in Oregon.
Our lawsuit was joined by the Sherman County Sheriff ( and civil rights champion) Brad Lohrey and firearms dealer Adam Johnson of Coat of Arms firearms in Keizer, Oregon. Numerous other sheriffs have volunteered to join the suit as have other small dealers and many, many individuals.
Because of the rush to force this measure into law, the devastation it would create came at us faster than we expected so we had no choice but to act quickly. We simply could not wait. There are too many good people whose personal safety and life savings were at risk.
As you would expect, we cannot predict how the courts will rule. We know the state has said they will vigorously defend this measure and work to shut down gun stores as quickly as possible. And as you know, virtually every firearms related legal challenge has been lengthy, expensive, and wrought with setbacks.
(The courts were more than happy to uphold orders that closed schools and crippled small businesses during COVID.)
We also have no way of knowing what actions the legislature could take, either after it’s too late or sooner in an unlikely “special session.”
But the threat was too grave to wait.
This will be the single most expensive battle in the history of our organization. The legal bills are already mounting. To everyone who has generously donated to this critical fight, we deeply and sincerely thank you. But it’s just getting started.
If you can help, we would be extremely grateful for anything you can contribute. You can donate on line here:
If you prefer to donate through the mail, the mailing address is at the top of that page. (PO Box 556 Canby OR, 97013)
While donations to any of our three organizations (OFF, the PAC or OFEF) go to the same fight, it is the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation that is paying the bills. You can select that from the “Donation Category” drop down menu in the above link.
The big box stores that sell sleeping bags and treadmills can survive this. The family gun store where the owner knows your name cannot.
We will not back down.
No Comments
Leave a comment Cancel