Yesterday, the Oregon State Legislature convened its 2016 legislative session. As previously reported, both Senate Bill 1551 and House Bill 4147 were scheduled for committee hearings this week; however, SB 1551 was removed from the agenda last night and has yet to be rescheduled. HB 4147 is still on the agenda for the House Judiciary Committee and is scheduled to be heard on Thursday, February 4, at 3:00pm in HR 50 of the Oregon State Capitol. If you are available, please consider attending this hearing to voice your strong opposition to this deeply flawed bill. Also, please contact your state Representative in opposition to HB 4147.
*Please note, the location of the House Judiciary Committee hearing has changed to HR 50*
HB 4147 would prohibit the transfer of a firearm if the Oregon State Police (OSP) are unable to determine whether the recipient is prohibited from possessing a firearm. This deferral from OSP does not necessarily mean the recipient is prohibited, but rather that OSP is not satisfied with the background check inquiry and a determination has not yet been made. Such a determination could take days, weeks or even months. Current state law provides a small safeguard to prevent such delays by allowing federal firearms dealers to release a firearm if a decision has not been made after three days. HB 4147 would eliminate this protection and could potentially result in a transfer between law-abiding individuals being delayed indefinitely.
Just because SB 1551 was pulled from the hearing agenda does not mean the fight against this terrible bill is over. Please diligently pay attention to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates on SB 1551. With a shortened session this year, anti-gun legislators are moving quickly to push their misguided gun-control agendas through the legislative process. It is possible that this bill could be scheduled for another hearing. SB 1551 would strip away a person’s ability to purchase a firearm based solely on an allegation without affording due process of the law. An anonymous phone call or internet submission, alleging that a person is experiencing a “mental health emergency,” would place a 30 day hold on all firearm purchases unless the accused petitions the court for relief. The accused would be saddled with the burden of proving their mental competency by “clear and convincing evidence.”
Once again, please contact your state Representative immediately to voice your strong opposition to House Bill 4147. Also, please consider attending this hearing to voice your opposition to this deeply flawed bill.
Please forward this email to friends, family and fellow Second Amendment supporters in Oregon and encourage them to do the same.
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