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Gun Violence Must be Addressed – OR Measure 114 Won’t Do That [1]

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Date: 2022-10-25

I am a Socialist, a registered Democrat, and a parent of a teenager. I have seen the mass shootings play out repeatedly across the country, and I too am afraid of getting the alert on my phone that my child’s school is in lockdown due to an active shooter. There are steps that should be implemented to address the mass violence epidemic. Measure 114 is being promoted as a “common sense” solution that would do just that. However, the truth is, it will not.

Each item in the proposed measure contains poison pills which supposedly address the problem, but will create a wide array of others:

1. The Permit Process: The first step in this process is creating a new and entirely separate registry from the NCIS Background Check System already in place. This registry would be public record - every gun owner’s personal information, including race and ethnicity and any additional information deemed “necessary” by law enforcement. The OSP would collect this information, and no privacy protections are provided by the measure. This is not only superfluous but creates a centralized database for Police to track and surveil citizens.

2. The “Permit Agents” for the new system are designated to be local Poand Sheriff departments – which the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association estimates would require an additional 300+ law enforcement officers and $30 Million additional funding for the new bureaucracy. This is just a veiled tactic to increase the size and scope of law enforcement which is already rife with corruption and civil rights abuse.

3. Cops would be given the full authority to deny any applicant they deemed a “danger to the community at large” – given the close ties between Oregon Law Enforcement and White Supremacist terrorist organizations like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other capitol insurrectionists, it is clear who they consider dangerous.

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/10/15/dozens-of-oregon-law-enforcement-officers-joined-far-right-oath-keepers-militia/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/15/joey-gibson-portland-police-relationship-cooperation-text-messages

4. Anyone who was denied an application would immediately be reported to law enforcement and their information sent to the district attorney for potential prosecution. If the person denied a permit wishes to appeal their denial, they must do so to the OHS’ Psychiatric Security Review Board; an organization that has had repeated complaints of Racism, Transphobia, and cover-ups of corruption since 2017.

https://www.thelundreport.org/content/new-concerns-about-racism-transphobia-raised-oregon-state-hospital-leadership

https://www.eastoregonian.com/news/psychiatric-security-review-board-drops-lawsuit-against-malheur-newspaper/article_63ab8768-7611-50d2-b79c-a31082d1809d.html

5. The firearm safety classes required by the measure – a good idea on the surface – doesn’t regulate the fees allowed to be charged, and requires a live-fire test. Many of the places offering gun safety classes don’t have live fire capability, so if a city or county was unable or unwilling to have the full testing requirements in place, there would be no gun sales, denying constitutional rights to all citizens there, but particularly those unable to travel longer distances to go elsewhere –directly impacting working class and POC.

6. The Large-Capacity Magazines portion requires a Class A Misdemeanor be added to the penal code for possessing a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds, and does not give any indication as to how gun owners are supposed to be able to prove they were purchased before the measure passed. In addition, many pistols and shotguns already have capacity for more than 10 rounds which would prevent any legal gun owners from selling or transferring their legally obtained firearms. Cops are exempted.

This legislation doesn’t protect kids. Such bans have been ineffective in other states that have passed similar laws, and only resulted in burdening POC, working class, trans and queer people who are already targeted by white supremacist and police violence, preventing them from defending themselves.

Please say NO to Measure 114.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/25/2131114/-Gun-Violence-Must-be-Addressed-OR-Measure-114-Won-t-Do-That

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