Outside an Albany gun show in March 2013.
Democrats in the Oregon Senate are pushing bills that would make life more difficult for holders of concealed handgun licenses. Why would they do that? What do they have against citizens who have obtained those licenses? That ought to be the main question from CHL holders when the Senate Judiciary Committee under Floyd Prozanski, D- Eugene, holds a hearing April 5.
The hearing deals with four bills and their proposed amendments, two of them hostile to CHL holders and applicants. One of them, SB 347 would make felons of CHL holders who carry in a school. The same bill was rejected last year. What changed? Has any CHL holder committed a gun crime in school? I haven’t heard of any.
Another, SB 796, would require license applicants to pass, in addition to current requirements, a rigorous shooting qualification totaling 50 rounds with time limits counted in seconds. Taking those tests will be costly and will reduce the number iof licenses sought.
Last spring there were about 148,000 CHLs in Oregon, good for four years each. For each one, sheriffs got $50 and firearms safety trainers got whatever they charge. Linn County alone processed about 1,000 applications a year. That $50,000 in revenue for local law enforcement is worth keeping in mind.
There’s been no problem with gun licenses in Oregon, so what — other than spite — is the point of these bills? (hh)
Chuck Leland responds: Your comments about legislative bills proposed to limit and control gun rights bring some thoughts to mind. I think some of the proposed legislation, such as background checks at gun shows and private sales, has merit as do some other proposed legislation at state and federal level. I also wonder, as I’m sure many gun owners do, where any legislation aimed at our 2nd amendment rights will stop. I read between the lines that our rights are to protect ourselves not only from foreign invasion and criminals, but from our very own politicans and bureaucrats.
Lastly, I received an e-mail recently stating that our licensed hunters number much larger than any standing army in the world. That alone should give pause to anyone threating our country or our individual liberties.
