Oregon, surprisingly, not California, may actually be ground zero.
On Tuesday, the state Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve Senate Bill 978 which contains a cornucopia of new gun control measures that will effectively criminalize the Second Amendment and all gun owners.
As reported by Ammoland:
This legislation is an omnibus gun control package that, among other things, would require firearms be kept unavailable for self-defense and would also expand gun free zones where law-abiding individuals would be left defenseless.
Specifically, the measure will:
— Legalize age discrimination by allowing firearms dealers to refuse to sell even rifles to anyone under the age of 21, thereby denying legal adults the right to keep and bear arms (since federal law currently prohibits the sale of handguns to anyone under 21 — itself an unconstitutional violation);
— Implement such strict firearms storage requirements as to make guns in the home useless for self-defense;
— Hold gun owners liable for criminal acts committed with their stolen firearms;
— Penalize gun owners who have had their firearms stolen from them if they fail to follow strict reporting requirements;
— Ban home-manufacturing of firearms, which has been an American tradition since before our country’s founding (Oregonians, for example, would likely not be permitted to purchase ‘gun kits’ and assemble them at home, even though firing mechanisms still have to be run through the FBI’s background check system before the purchase goes through);
— Empower local governments to establish wide-ranging, far-reaching “gun-free zones” that criminals will ignore as they shoot up and murder unarmed, defenseless citizens while police arrive minutes too late;
— Boost licensure fees for concealed handgun permits (licenses are also blatantly unconstitutional).
All of these measures amount to violations of the Second Amendment’s “infringement” clause.
In a separate article, Ammoland noted the urgency in defeating this piece of legislation:
Our backs are against the wall. If Oregon Democrat's Omnibus gun control bill, SB 978 passes almost all of us are at risk of becoming felons. It is that simple.
SB 978 was created to turn as many Oregon gun owners of us as possible into criminals.
Virtually all Democrats support this bill.
The gun news site recommends one course of action: “The Senate Republicans have to take a courageous stand and WALK OUT” rather than remain in session with Democrats and provide them with a quorum necessary to proceed. (Related: Texas senator files measure to turn entire state into a “gun sanctuary,” nullifying ALL federal gun control laws.)
“If they don’t, your gun rights will be gone, end of story,” the Oregon Firearms Foundation wrote.
The legislation is designed to make it so risky to remain a gun owner that many Oregonians will simply give up their firearms rather than risk being fined or, worse, jailed.
“You will be a criminal if someone steals your gun,” the foundation notes. “You will be a criminal if you don’t lock up your guns. You will be a criminal if you DO lock up your guns. You will be a felon if you drive NEAR a ‘public building’ with a firearm. You can go to prison for 5 years for picking up a friend or family member at an airport.”
The Oregon Senate is preparing to throw down the gauntlet and effectively render the Second Amendment null and void.
Gun groups will sue, but Oregon is covered by the notoriously Left-wing Ninth Circuit, which will no doubt rule in favor of the state’s law. It will most likely be upheld on appeal (which will take months).
And there’s no guarantee the Supreme Court will take the case.
If ever there was a time for more “Second Amendment sanctuaries,” now is the time — not just in Oregon, but throughout the United States.
The Right needs to steal another page from the Left’s playbook: #Resist.
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