Oregon: Bill Expanding Firearm Prohibitions to be Heard

Tomorrow, February 20^th, at 8:00AM the Oregon state Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a public hearing on House Bill 4145.  HB 4145 was passed by the Oregon state House of Representatives last week with a 37-23 vote.  This legislation, which was introduced at the request of Governor Kate Brown, would significantly expand the class of persons who could be stripped of their Second Amendment rights.  Please contact Senate Judiciary members and urge their strong opposition to House Bill 4145!  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact Senate Judiciary members.

House Bill 4145 would expand the class of persons in Oregon that could be prohibited from possessing firearms.  This legislation would add the misdemeanor of stalking to the list of offenses that would result in the removal of Second Amendment rights, and would change existing law so that a broader definition of “family and household members” would be applied to firearm prohibitions for certain misdemeanor offenses and protective orders.  The misdemeanor offense of stalking under Oregon statute requires no finding that the individual is a credible threat, and furthermore, requires no use of force or even attempted use of force.  Oregon defines this offense to include alarming another individual through unwanted contact, which under HB 4145, would result in a removal the removal of Second Amendment rights.

This legislation was filed at the request of Bloomberg supported Governor Kate Brown, who accepted a quarter of a million dollars from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg during her election in 2016.  It is no surprise that she is again pushing new gun restrictions for 2018 as she heads into her re-election campaign.

In addition, the state Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Joint Memorial 202 last week, which would urge Congress to regulate certain firearm accessories as well as firearm components and build kits as if they were firearms.  SJM 202, sponsored by Senator Peter Courtney (D-11), has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee for further consideration.  

Again, please contact Senate Judiciary Committee members urging their strong opposition to House Bill 4145!