Guest Blog: Current Oregon Gun-Control Bills

By now those of us who are paying attention have realized that the anti-gun factions are in full attack mode. Their perception is with the Democrats in charge they are not likely to find a better time to renew their attempts to outlaw guns. For the uninitiated, the way they see to accomplish this is to chip away. Take away one small right after another until they are all gone. A couple of examples: one national and one local to Oregon. On the national level; there is an attempt to resurrect the Clinton/Brady gun ban. H.R. 1022: Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007.. On the state level here in Oregon there are several bad laws being considered in our legislature. The worst is SB 1012. This bill mandates a full time range officer along with some other draconian measures which would put small gun clubs out of business.

You get the idea. It is time for everyone to get behind the NRA. Now I know some of you don’t like the NRA for various reasons. But let me ask you this. Are you a Democrat? A Republican? Are you happy with everything your party does all the time? If not, did you quit the party? Did you stop voting? Or do you grit your teeth and vote for the least offensive candidate? Well view the NRA the same way and join. They are our best resource for preserving our 2^nd amendment rights.

Yes there are other organizations, but I know from personal experience in politics they are not anywhere as effective. Nor are they feared in both Washington and your state capitol as much as the NRA. One state senator in Oregon is persistently anti-gun, however, she will not go straight up against the NRA anymore. She knows she is a target, so she tries to keep a low profile on the anti-gun issue.

Look hard at the other alternative organizations who claim to be alternatives to the NRA. There are three basic types of organization. One is the one-man operation. This type solicits contributions and attempts lobbying, but much of the money goes to pay the one man’s salary. Another type is the special purpose organization which purports to protect one kind of right, like say hunting. The last type is the stealth organization who actually is anti-gun putting out a subtle message contrary to the truth about guns and gun owners. None of these is as effective as the NRA.

Many of you will learn about the latest attempts to curtail our second amendment rights thru venues like this. Others like myself learned about them thru email alerts from the NRA. When an email arrives it contains all the pertinent info you will need to learn about the legislation and the names and addresses, including emails, of who to contact. The latest one for Oregon even included a suggested email message.

So get involved, join the fight, and join the NRA. Remember they may be after our “assault“ rifles today, but they will be after your trap gun or your .22 plinker tomorrow.

Mark O'Shea

"Gun Control is What IPSC is All About!"