One of the nation’s “defund the police” and surging violent crime epicenters could see big changes on election day.
Oregonians will soon cast their ballots and they are showing signs they may reject a severe gun control ballot initiative, as well as elect the first pro-Second Amendment governor in more than forty years.
The Backdrop
The visuals were common and often on national news. Portland was a hotbed of violence, looting and riots in 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the rise of defund the police movement. Broken windows and vandalism were commonplace. Riots and destruction culminated with an attack on the downtown federal courthouse. Rioters used Molotov cocktails to set fire to the building.
It’s no surprise that soft-on-criminal policies meant residents were left fearing for their safety. It’s been the same story all across the country. In Portland, numerous businesses decided it was far too unsafe to continue to keep their doors open and closed up shop.
The situation was so bad the co-president of the Portland Downtown Development Group sent a letter to Portland Democratic and antigun Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Council members, criticizing the city’s policies. “The exodus of companies… does have most everything to do with the lawlessness you are endorsing downtown,” the letter stated, adding “It’s like nothing I have seen in 42 years of doing business in downtown.”
Portland was the focal point, but those feelings resonated across the state. Now a new effort by gun control groups means law-abiding Oregonians could face even more restrictions on their ability to protect themselves and businesses with a firearm, not more freedoms.
Top of the Ticket
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Kate Brown was proclaimed a “gunsense” candidate by Everytown for Gun Safety and endorsed by Oregon Moms Demand Action. She signed more gun control laws last year but is term-limited, opening the race. Voters are considering a different direction.
Oregon state Rep. Christine Drazan is the Republican candidate, the minority leader in the state house and her belief in the Second Amendment is quite the opposite from Gov. Brown’s.
There’s also Independent candidate state Rep. Betsy Johnson. She’s bucked her Democratic colleagues to vote against universal background checks for private firearm transfers and “red flag” laws that didn’t include Due Process rights protections. Compared to Democratic challenger Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, the differences are stark.
Rep. Drazan told voters, “Oregon already has among the most stringent gun control laws in the nation on the books. As Governor, I will veto any bill that compromises Oregonians’ Second Amendment rights, including the right to defend themselves and their family.”
Rep. Drazan has a pro-Second Amendment record. She’s a gunowner and voted against a flawed mandatory firearm storage proposal in 2021 that also made it a crime for lawful conceal carry permit holders to possess their firearm in the state capitol or on certain sensitive locations. In 2019, Rep. Drazan also voted against a “red flag” bill that denied accused Oregonians of their Due Process rights.
At a recent gubernatorial debate, gun control was a topic as Bend, Oregon, was the site of a tragic shooting incident. Minority Leader Drazan explained, “What happened in Bend was an absolute tragedy. Someone facing extreme mental health challenges was intent on hurting others and was effectively able to do so…but more gun laws will not prevent every single tragedy from happening.”
What does it mean for Rep. Drazan heading to Election Day? Voters have currently made her the frontrunner in the race, according to polling.
Gun Control Ballot Measure
Voters will also decide whether to approve a gun control ballot initiative, IP 17. If enacted, the measure would require law-abiding Oregonians to first receive a permit-to-purchase a firearm. Those requirements include paying additional fees, completing an expanded background check, classroom training and more and the permit would be valid for five years. The ballot initiative also would implement restrictions on magazine capacity to 10 rounds or fewer.
NSSF is a member of the coalition to vote down this proposal.
As crime remains one of the top issues on voters’ minds heading to Nov. 8, generic Republican candidates hold a 14-point advantage over generic Democrats. Those sentiments seem to be present in Oregon as voters began to early vote and IP 17’s fate not a foregone conclusion.
As issues of crime and the ability of law-abiding voters to protect themselves from criminals remain prominent, Oregonians could be poised to #GUNVOTE on Election Day so they don’t risk their rights.
Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Tried to burn down a federal courthouse? Sounds like an armed insurrection to me. At least more so than 1/6.
Voting harder Daddy may kick the can farther down the road. The fact a constitutional right is on the ballot chopping block means the state is lost. Just a matter of when.
All the signatures was gathered in Portland, Salem and Eugene!!!
Polls show even in those cities, even most of the Democats being interviewed have come out against the anti-gun ballot…
The writer is leaving out the fact, rifles and shotguns will be banned under that ballot!!!!
We will have to destroy said firearms, turn them over to local police, sell them to a dealer and or ship them out of the state…
I’m hoping it will go down in flames big time, and pro gun people will be able to whack the heads of the DEMOCATs in the legislator with it!!!!
Interesting…I’ll have to start watching this a little more closely.
Brother-in-Law lives in Eugene. I offered to teach him about firearms years ago (9-10?). He declined. Was interested in getting a shotgun. SoCal boy…more interested in smoking dope and playing his guitar.
Unlikely to go in favor of the Constitution, the left coast has been getting worse each year, unlikely they’re going to have an epiphany.
The west coast wants to be a CCP Protectorate.
They already are, however that’s a secret so dont tell anyone.
The guys testing products on ttag said it themselves when they explain Made in America can actually mean assembled in Texas out of Chinese parts. One article comes right out and says, We cant make it here no more, cost to much.
Lawrence,, , cue the music.
And we were singing
Bye bye miss American pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But didn’t have no lectric hole to plug it in
And good ole boys
Smokin meth outta pipes
Singing this’ll be the way America dies
This’ll be the way America dies
I’d feel Oregon will only infringe on more of the 2nd Amendment.
OK, here we go:
The only reason K. Brown, Ted Wheeler, & several people on the Portland city council were NOT recalled, was because the states colleges in the I-5 corridor urged the students to vote no on the recall.
Second: Democrats have screwed this state for close to 35 years. Don’t believe me, look at the senator’s & congressmen. They were youngsters when they got in office. All they have done is fuck the state. No wonder the eastern part of the state that is very under represented, wants to be part of Idaho. The I-5 corridor runs the whole state.
Now for the candidates: Kotex, is just another K. Brown, Betsy Johnson is pretty good, she is, or was a Democrat, they hated her because she actually didn’t go along with their B S, Hopefully,
Christine Drazan wins & we can make Oregone, the great state it was before the Democrats destroyed it. NO MORE GUN LAWS & most IMPORTANTLY,,,, LETS GO BRANDON…🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Is that Rachel Madcow’s sister?
No–twin brother. Clone? I dunno…think my eyes are playing tricks on me.
“…in the wake of the murder of George Floyd….”
Yeah, no. George Floyd was a career crack-smoker who reaped what he sowed.
MAJOR 2A VICTORY: Federal Court declares Federal Gun Control Law UNCONSTITUTIONAL > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ZF4eqtKbQ
A Federal District Court in West Virginia threw out a criminal charge under 18 USC 922k because the law violated the Second Amendment. The US Government failed to demonstrate an appropriate historical analogue reflecting that the modern gun control law banning the possession of firearms with an obliterated serial number. Thus, criminal charge was dismissed but court did allow criminal charge for being a felon in possession to move forward.
US v. Randy Price decision is here > https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wvsd.234171/gov.uscourts.wvsd.234171.48.0.pdf
I doubt that we’ll get anything other than a Democrat governor. Since they enacted mail-in balloting in 1996, mysteriously, there has never been a Republican governor since. We count our votes on computers running Windows NT, a 20 year old dead OS, and I can only assume it is for a reason…to cheat. And by law, you cannot see how your vote was applied.
I’ve got family who recently moved out to the North Left Coast. Youngsters who don’t think very far ahead. I hope you folks are able to turn things around.
The people who live in the country need to really face the facts, that “the city’s have fallen”. Country people, rural people, need to start electing officials who are willing to ignore state and federal laws. And if a tyrant sends state level or federal level police, into their rural community? To enforce an unconstitutional law. Those outsiders should be arrested and in placed in the local jails.
As far as I’m concerned any politician is going to have to, have a history going back at least 10 or 20 years. Proving that they support the Second Amendment. Democrat or Republican libertarian independent I don’t care. I should be able to do an internet search and find a 10 or 20 year old story, of a politician supporting a law-abiding citizen, using a gun to defend themselves and their loved ones. Or a story of them supporting a citizen defending a complete stranger against an attacker.
Did any of these candidates support the police in the year 2020? Did they support the police standing down. Did they support the police who kneeled in front of a black lives matter protest?
I can’t stop playing Flappy Bird. It makes me happy. Thanks for this great game.
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