01/30/2020
This bill allows cities, counties, school districts, colleges and universities, and metropolitan service districts to ban carried firearms in or on the grounds of “Public Buildings” – *even by those with Concealed Handgun Licenses.*
“Public Building” is defined in ORS 166.360: “Public building” means a hospital, a capitol building, a public or private school, as defined in ORS 339.315, a college or university, a city hall or the residence of any state official elected by the state at large, and the grounds adjacent to each such building. The term also includes that portion of any other building occupied by an agency of the state or a municipal corporation, as defined in ORS 297.405, other than a court facility.
Personal Choice and Responsibility
This would make it effectively impossible to legally carry protection, as a person could never know whether they might be on property where carry is illegal. There is no justification for this. CHL holders are the most law-abiding segment of society, committing crimes at even a lower rate than police officers. Further, they constantly save lives by being ‘there’ and stopping or at least slowing an attacker until police can arrive.
76% of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs said “law-abiding armed citizens help law enforcement reduce violent criminal activity” in the 28th annual survey by the National Association of Chiefs of Police at http://www.mrctv.org/blog/survey-76-police-chiefs-say-armed-citizens-reduce-violent-crime.
The FBI report on 50 active shooter incidents in 2016-2017 https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-incidents-us-2016-2017.pdf/view concluded that “Armed and unarmed citizens engaged the shooter in 10 incidents. They safely and successfully ended the shootings in eight of those incidents. Their selfless actions likely saved many lives.”
There is NO problem this bill needs to solve, as concealed carry permit holders not only do not cause problems, they often stop them. This bill if enacted, will lead to the loss of life of innocent, defenseless people.
Limited Government
Holders of concealed permits have gone through extensive background checks and have proven they are not a threat to anyone. For government to force these citizens to disarm and be defenseless is unconscionable. No one has a right to deny someone else the ability to defend their life. This is unconstitutional as it obviously infringes on the right to bear protected by the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and will be held as such if it is enacted and goes to court.
Local Control
Oregon Citizens Lobby is in favor of “local control” – deferring to local government wherever possible rather than state or federal government. But the U.S. Constitution, where there is a conflict, supersedes all and in protection of rights enumerated in the bill of rights, must be the deciding factor.
What’s the buzz?