U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Oral arguments in the first of what is expected to be several lawsuits challenging Oregon’s restrictive gun control Measure 114 are scheduled this Friday, Dec. 2 in U.S. District Court in Portland before District Judge Karin J. Immergut, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).
In reaction, the Oregon Firearms Federation is predicting “a long battle ahead” with the first hurdle being able to secure an injunction to prevent the measure from taking effect Dec. 8.
“While this greatly reduces the time our legal team has for preparation,” OFF said on its website, “we are hoping it means the court has recognized the need to act quickly. But only time will tell.”
Other legal actions are reportedly waiting to be filed. The Second Amendment Foundation also plans to sue in federal court, Public Broadcasting said. SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb told OPB, “(The) Net effect is they’re going to shut down all gun stores and basically no one is going to be able to buy a firearm, which is totally in violation of Second Amendment rights,” if Measure 114 takes effect as scheduled.
Also, the National Shooting Sports Foundation announced last week it also plans to challenge the Oregon measure.
By no small coincidence, a Kentucky congressman made an observation during Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program on NBC that essentially describes the reality and false expectations of the gun control movement, which too many Beaver State voters do not apparently understand.
Speaking to host Chuck Todd, Republican Rep. James Comer observed, “Well Chuck, you talk about this a lot on Meet the Press, but when you look at cities that have the most strict gun laws, like Washington DC, Chicago, these are the cities with the highest rates of crimes committed with guns. So you know, just simply passing more bills isn’t going to solve the problem.”
Under Oregon’s initiative, prospective gun buyers would first have to take a safety course—including a live fire exercise—from a law enforcement agency, then get a permit to purchase and only then be allowed to buy a firearm. The measure also bans so-called “high capacity magazines” capable of holding more than ten cartridges, but it allows current owners of such magazines to keep them.
OFF said the measure will “crush small businesses across the state and send a message to the most vulnerable Oregonians that their safety and privacy are meaningless.”
Sponsors of the measure apparently believe it will make things safer, but according to the Twitter account “Portland Homicides,” the Rose City had already suffered 87 murders as of Nov. 24. But according to the Portland Oregonian, the situation is even worse, with 93 slayings so far.
https://twitter.com/pdxhomicide/status/1595806570025451520?s=20&t=nIVG9PJ6RdvEXQDzY4HCtQ
In a new development, Leupold has officially denounced Measure 114. See the related story.
While Oregon’s gun rights battle is quickly heating up, on the other side of the Columbia River in neighboring Washington, the issue of violent crime is also on the front burner, thanks to a post on Twitter from Washington State Homicide (a non-law enforcement entity) which includes a state map purporting to show the number of homicides committed so far this year. The county-by-county breakdown shows the most murders so far have occurred in King County (108), followed by neighboring Pierce (70) and Yakima (34), the latter being in Eastern Washington. Snohomish County apparently has logged 30 slayings, according to the map, and Spokane County has posted 21. There is no small irony in the fact that King County is the home of the billionaire-backed Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the Northwest’s leading gun prohibition group.
BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a look at homicide totals in every Washington State county as of today. The counties with no numbers have zero. #homicides #wastatehomicide #killings #murder #murdermap pic.twitter.com/V8GuzBbA3N
— Washington State Homicide (@WAStateHomicide) November 27, 2022
Ammoland reached out to the WAStateHomicide Twitter account for further details, but there was no timely response.
However, Republican State Rep. Jim Walsh from Washington’s 19th District posted this observation on Facebook: “The current Governor’s soft-on-crime policies aren’t just driving up property crimes. They’re also driving up violent crimes. Specifically, homicides.”
The homicide statistics may have some validity since another Twitter account—Seattle Homicides—is reporting 54 slayings so far this year in just the Jet City. With just over a month remaining, the body count is likely to go up, even with the onset of the holiday season.
Public concern in King County has intensified since the shooting death of a man in the Southcenter Westfield Mall parking garage Nov. 18. The victim, Chris Wesolowicz was killed and his wife, Mary was wounded when they apparently interrupted a car prowler or thief.
Over the past several years, gun control politics has gained a foothold in the Pacific Northwest, with Portland and Seattle serving as hubs of anti-gun activism. However, thanks to this year’s key Supreme Court ruling in the Bruen case, federal courts are now giving far less leeway to gun control laws than in the past.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
Yeoman’s work again Dave. This chart is breathtaking. What really stands out is the 3 county area I call Pugetopolis. My little red County Grays Harbor, has 2. The homicide rates are being driven due to the cowardice and the lack of political will in a 1 party governed state. The Pugetopolis area, leads this state with everything bad. The dummies, (I haven’t found a good pejorative for the citizens yet, maybe PŪGIDIOT will work), not only vote wrong, the Pūgidiot’s of King County gave away the ability to elect their sheriff, instead they are letting the county clowncil and… Read more »
Bob, your narrative about the brutal killing of Kris Kime pretty much defines the far left Seattle mindset as it applies to non-intervention by police. Honestly, $1.7 mil and a memorial plaque couldn’t bring Kime back to life. I’m not sure what a scholarship fund in his name accomplishes. It didn’t restore his life, but it did allow the Seattle elite to feel better about themselves.
Thanks for reading and sharing this AMMOLAND report.
No additional gun laws should be tolerated. No additional gun paperwork should be acknowledged. No additional off-limits areas should be respected. Any additional encroachments should be met with wholesale mass disobedience. Too much has been done already and it changed nothing. Consider it “maximum compliance”. Add a few cusswords and it would make good rap.
All Secretaries of State who allow such obvious anti-Constitutional measures to be included on voting ballots need to be punished. Rosenblum deserves nothing but the worst for allowing 114 credibility and she is 100% responsible for placing it up for a vote. Absolutely insane how this is tolerated.
In leftist run states, bad laws are passed and stayed until they are Constitutionally challenged. California is notorious for passing laws hoping for no one to notice and so the infraction/s remains in place. If no opposition exists, success, if overuled by a lower court, a stay is usually requested and typically approved. The case is deferred to a higher court. Either way the law stays until ruled upon by the aforementioned higher court.
The key, underlying fact behind all of this was cleanly and succinctly stated over a hundred years ago by Lincoln Steffens in his book The Shame of The Cities: “The misgovernment OF the American people is misgovernment BY the American people.” WE are to blame, because WE elect these imbeciles. And only WE can fix it.
Thank you Oregon Firearms Federation for taking action.
I’ve long had a theory that if you couldn’t ‘qualify’ as an ‘a’ list liberal in kalypornia you had to jump in your micro bus and head north. A certain percentage of those broke down on I-5 in the Eugene/Portland area and had to stay there. The rest made it to Tacoma/Seattle (and a few in Olympia). The result is they fouled up both states. Can anyone disprove my theory? BTW – now that the libs are more mobile they are spreading like a plague of locusts – look what they have done to commierado. I saw a story about… Read more »
Gomez, I think you might be onto something. Take a look at the following article, BTW-I despise Wikipedia, it’s not trustworthy about most subjects but they know their lefty shit so I used them for this example.
I remember hearing about these fools when I was in elementary school in the Midwest. I think that not only did the bus breakdown in Oregon, which it did, they spewed their poison and poisonous lifestyles (LSD loving Hippie shit), everywhere that damn bus went. The west coast especially, is still feeling the pain they left behind, freakin’ losers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Pranksters
“Corruptisima republica plurimae leges.” (The more corrupt a republic, the more numerous its laws.) – Tacitus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus Real solutions COST MONEY. New laws – especially with no specific funding provided for their enforcement – cost almost nothing to create. So for several thousand plus years and counting, endless NEW LAWS offered up by corrupt bureaucracies in place of real solutions, has been and continues to be a very serious problem. All previous civilizations that went this route no longer exist. Ask the Romans how this worked out for them! Bumper-sticker sized simple solution: Reject new laws. Demand REAL SOLUTIONS –… Read more »
best of luck to Oregone. If it works out maybe WA will follow….nah, they will try to pull if off anyway they think they can get away with it.
Or whoever is pulling brain dead Joe’s strings.
Let’s play Let’s Pretend…the Game Children Play.
https://courageouslion380.substack.com/p/lets-play-lets-pretend