National Concealed Carry Rears Its Head Yet Again

HR 986 (Concealed Carry Reciprocity) could pass in the House and make its way to the Senate. The bill currently has 215 co-sponsors.

Reciprocity places a great deal of risk on law enforcement simply to extend a courtesy to a few people.

This dangerous bill would allow people who have a concealed handgun license (CHL) from one state to carry a loaded, hidden gun in another state putting both law enforcement and the public at greater risk of gun shot death or injury.

Ceasefire Oregon believes HR 986 is harmful to Oregonians and infringes on states' rights to protect their citizens. In fact, the Oregon legislature has rejected reciprocity several times, most recently in 2015 (HB 3093).

What you need to know about concealed handgun reciprocity:

• Concealed handgun licenses are not like drivers’ licenses. Drivers’ licenses ensure a uniform standard of knowledge across the country. However, CHL training requirements can differ widely from state to state.
• Reciprocity would pose serious challenges to law enforcement. In addition to confronting travelers packing heat with little or no training or knowledge of relevant Oregon firearms laws, law enforcement would be further challenged by the difficulty of verifying that individuals bearing out-of-state CHLs are legally allowed to carry a gun in public.
• Not granting reciprocity is well within the scope the the Second Amendment. As stated in McDonald: “It is important to keep in mind that Heller, while striking down a law that prohibited the possession of handguns in the home, recognized that the right to keep and bear arms is not ‘a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.’”
• Having a CHL does NOT mean that a person is an expert. In fact, Oregon issues CHLs to people who have never even touched a gun.
• According the a Violence Policy Center report, concealed handgun license holders are responsible for at least 873 deaths not involving self defense since 2007, including 29 mass shootings that killed 139 people.

Oregonians do not benefit if more hidden, loaded guns are allowed in our state. The bill’s sole “benefit,” conferred upon those who want to avoid paperwork and a few dollars in CHL fees, is far outweighed by the risk of having poorly trained CHL holders from other states carrying loaded, concealed guns on our streets, in our parks and even into our Capitol building.

Call your Congressional Representative and Senator now and tell them to vote NO on HR 986. HR986 is all risk and no benefit.

Senator Ron Wyden: (503) 326-7525
Senator Jeff Merkley: (503) 326-3386
Congresswoman Bonamici: (503) 469-6010
Congressman Blumenauer: (503) 231-2300
Congressman DeFazio: 541-465-6732
Congressman Schrader: (503) 588-9100
Congressman Walden: (541) 389-4408
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Today is your day to join the good fight.

April 20, 1999. Columbine High School Shooting.

Seventeen years ago today, gun violence stole the lives of 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School. Twenty other people were wounded. Tragically, Columbine wasn’t the first mass shooting at a school, nor was it the last.

Since 1999, a new generation of children have grown up and are now in their own last years of high school like so many of the Columbine students seventeen years ago. Now, however, because of the regularity of mass shootings and a government that values gun money over lives of American children, this cohort of students have often had active-shooter lockdown drills. They are called Generation Lockdown.

But make no mistake: while Generation Lockdown was growing up, much was done to fight the gun lobby and educate Americans about preventing gun violence. Ceasefire Oregon has been working since 1999 to stop bad gun bills from being enacted and to promote effective, reasonable laws to reduce gun violence like Oregon’s universal background check law. Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation has worked since 1994 to take guns off the streets and educate Oregonians about safe storage (Asking Saves Kids).

We were far from the only ones who rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

Across the country, the Brady Campaign worked ferociously for stronger national and state guns laws. States United to Prevent Gun Violence was created as an umbrella organization for the many state gun violence prevention (GVP) groups that formed. Center for American Progress threw its considerable power into the fight. Other national GVP groups formed including the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Stop Handgun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, Newtown Action Alliance. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence was formed in 1999 to help thousands of GVP activists and groups understand state and national gun laws.

One of the most courageous GVP activists is Tom Mauser whose son, Daniel, was killed at Columbine High School. Tom has been on a GVP crusade of truly epic proportions since 1999. Tom once said,

“Our goal is to honor Daniel with acts of hope, and not mar our memory of him with anger or hatred or despair.”

So please join GVP activists like Tom Mauser, Donna Dees, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Richard Martinez and thousands of others who have helped changed hearts and laws while Generation Lockdown was growing up. Despite what the gun lobby would like you to believe, the GVP movement has made tremendous progress, and we are just getting warmed up!

Below is a list of groups where you can find more information about how to join the good fight. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to do. We were all beginners once and we will help you.

Join us to honor those we have lost and to change American culture so we won’t have another Generation Lockdown.

Welcome to the good fight.

Penny Okamoto, Executive Director
Ceasefire Oregon

States United to Prevent Gun Violence Check States United for your state GVP group
Brady Campaign
Center for American Progress
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Stop Handgun Violence
Everytown for Gun Safety
Moms Demand Action
Newtown Action Alliance
Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence

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On April 16, Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation supporters joined COEF board members, author Heidi Yewman, Paul Kemp of Gun Owners for Responsible Ownership, and Andrew Perez at a special presentation of “The Amish Project” at the Portland Actors Conservatory (PAC).

“The Amish Project” is a powerful play that explores the meaning of forgiveness against the backdrop of the Nickel Mines shooting at an Amish school house on October 2, 2006. Please take time to attend a performance. Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation extends our special thanks to Director Beth Harper, the amazing PAC actors, Heidi Yewman, Paul Kemp, Andrew Perez and Samson of PAC.

All societies struggle with violence. In the United States, however, readily available guns allow people who have thoughts of violence to quickly and easily turn violent thoughts into very real bloodshed.

Ultimately, our society puts responsibility upon the shooter for the shooting. Should the gun industry bear the responsibility as well?

The willingness of our government to support the gun lobby’s legislative agenda, coupled with the gun lobby’s vile marketing campaigns, have made our country unique among civilized nations. America is the only Western nation that allows guns to be sold anywhere, anytime, with very few, if any, safety checks or requirements.

If the Nickel Mines shooter didn’t have easy access to a gun, would he have committed this atrocity? Would he have killed 5 innocent school girls and left three others wounded?

Who is responsible for gun violence? To whom does our forgiveness belong? An angry shooter? A young man who unintentionally shot a best friend? A government that allows our country to be inundated with firearms? The gun manufacturers?

COEF urges you to see “The Amish Project” and share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter at @CeasefireOregon.

If you missed the special performance, you can still attend one of the remaining performances. Tickets are still available for shows this week at Portland Actors Conservatory.

Event Location
Portland Actors Conservatory
1436 SW Montgomery Street
Portland, OR 97201

Tickets are $15 to $25 based on ability to pay. All proceeds benefit the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation. Tickets are available online HERE through COEF's partner, States United to Prevent Gun Violence.

Background information on the Amish Schoolhouse shooting:
On October 2, 2006, eight girls were shot, killing five young girls, at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community of Nickel Mines, a village in Pennsylvania. The gunman took the girls hostage and shot eight out of ten girls (aged 6–13), killing five, before committing suicide in the schoolhouse. The Amish community responded with forgiveness and reconciliation.
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GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION WINS FOR THE 2016 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

The number of GVP advocates and the sheer power of your collective voice was breathtaking this year! Even though Senate President Peter Courtney blocked HB 4147 (Charleston Loophole), this legislative session was a striking victory for gun violence prevention in many ways.

1. Never before have so many legislative aides told me they were flooded with calls from GVP advocates! Excellent phone work, folks!
2. You and advocates from all the Oregon GVP groups *owned* the Capitol and hearing room when our bills were up for a hearing or a vote.
3. HB 4075 passed. This bill will establish a tip line for Oregon schools.
4. HB 4066 passed. This bill will prohibit weaponized drones, including prohibiting people from firing bullets from drones.
5. HB 4046 passed. This bill increases penalties for poaching. Included is the ability of the state to seize guns used in a third or subsequent poaching conviction.
6. The opposition completely failed to introduce any legislation.
7. A key Oregon legislator, Rep. Jeff Barker (D-Hillsboro), was crucial in helping HB 4147 pass out of the Oregon House. Rep. Barker's support for this was critical and he is taking some nasty heat from the opposition so please call him and thank him for his support!

Please call Rep. Jeff Barker now to THANK him for his support. 503-986-1428

We will be back in 2017 with tougher bills and huge support. In the meantime, let's work on electing #gunsense candidates!
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Here are the facts about HB 4147:

-Over 90% of firearm background checks are completed within minutes.
-Some background checks take longer. This is calling a "pending" background check.
-Under current law, a check is allowed to pend for 3 business days.
-After that time, the seller is permitted to sell the gun even if the check is not complete. This is called the Charleston loophole. (Note: the seller is not required to sell the gun. Walmart, for example, doesn't sell guns without a completed background check.)
-Nine people were gunned down in their own church last year in Charleston, South Carolina, because a man who was prohibited from buying a gun was sold a gun because his firearm background check was not completed within 3 days.
-From 2010 through 2014, gun dealers throughout the United States have gone forward with 15,729 gun sales to prohibited people because a background check could not be completed within three business days. (In 2010, FBI referred 2,955 denials to ATF for firearm retrieval actions because the sale was denied after the three-business-day period. 3,166 such referrals were made in 2011; 3,722 in 2012; 3,375 in 2013; and 2,511 in 2014. FBI, NICS Operations Reports, 2010-2014)
-According to FBI data, more than 20 percent of “proceed default” sales, where a final determination was made by the FBI, involve sales of firearms to prohibited individuals. An analysis of FBI data by Mayors Against Illegal Guns found "default proceed sales are more than eight times more likely to be associated with a prohibited purchaser than sales where the purchaser's background check is resolved within three days."
-HB 4147 only pertains to background checks that are pending. A gun seller may proceed with the gun sale as soon as the background check is approved.

The opposition has created a wild hypothetical story about an abused woman who must have a gun immediately to shoot an abusive husband. This story is a complete fabrication. Let's get the facts straight about domestic violence and guns:
-Background checks prevent abusive people from buying guns. (Shame on the gun lobby for making it easier for abusive people to be armed!)
-An abused woman has other avenues of immediate protection, including contacting the police.
-According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, having a gun in the home does not make an abused woman safer and increases the risk of homicide 20 times when there is a history of domestic violence (John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, 2010)

Ceasefire Oregon applauds the courage of legislators who have introduced bills which will provide strong, effective ways to combat gun violence.

Background information about HB 4147 and the Charleston Loophole:
Federal law requires that licensed gun dealers run criminal background checks on all potential gun buyers. But due to a National Rifle Association-backed provision added to the 1993 Brady Bill, the law allows sales to proceed after three business days—even if background check operators have not confirmed the buyer is legally allowed to have guns.

• On July 10, 2015, the FBI said the Charleston shooter was able to purchase the gun he used in the shooting because this “default proceed” period had elapsed—and the dealer made the sale even though the background check was not complete.
• In the last five years, gun dealers have gone forward with more than 15,000 gun sales to prohibited people because a background check could not be completed within the default period.

How was this deadly, NRA-backed loophole carved out? Read it on Fact Check.

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87% of Oregonians support background checks, including 83% of Oregon gun owners.¹

NO on SB 86

Dodging bullets in our forests? Shooting ranges next to your farm? Not in our Oregon!

SB 86 completely disregards common sense and public safety by creating a special loophole for people who want to have shooting ranges in land already zoned for farm or forest use. That means Oregonians who live on farms or near forest zones could suddenly be neighbors with a firing range that hosts shooting matches. A bullet from a .22 caliber gun can travel up to one mile. A bullet from a .30-06 can travel up to 3 miles. SB 86 is a dangerous bill. Call your legislators (find them here) and Senator Floyd Prozanski at 503-986-1704. Ask them to vote NO on SB 86.

Unload Your 401k #ImUnloading

Is your 401k invested in public gun companies? Inside many of our 401k portfolios are three public gun companies. Find out if they're in yours and learn what you can do to begin to take them out. Unload Your 401k at unloadyour401k.com.

Statement from Ceasefire Oregon about the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber

We at Ceasefire Oregon and the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation are saddened by the this news of Governor John Kitzhaber's resignation. For many years, Governor Kitzhaber has been committed to gun violence prevention in Oregon. He helped draw attention to the Asking Saves Kids Campaign by proclaiming June 21, 2014 "ASK Day" in Oregon and championed expanded background checks for firearm sales.

In February 2014, Governor Kitzhaber joined Capt. Mark Kelly to testify in support of SB 1551 which would have closed the private sale loophole in firearms background checks. Gov. Kitzhaber said the bill is "a reasonable step that shows Oregon is being serious" about reducing gun violence by preventing felons and domestic abusers from buying guns. We are grateful to Governor Kitzhaber for his commitment to reducing gun violence and we wish him well.

Ceasefire Oregon will continue to work with the Oregon legislature and we look forward to working with Kate Brown as she becomes our new governor. Working together, we know we can reduce gun violence in Oregon.

Joanne Skirving, President, Ceasefire Oregon 

Penny Okamoto, Executive Director, Ceasefire Oregon

Julie Wheeler, President, Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation

The legislative session has begun! Bills aiming at reducing gun violence will soon be introduced. Ceasefire Oregon is currently working to mobilize support for these proposals. Stay tuned for more news. 

Cease Violence: A second anniversary memorial of the Clackamas Town Center and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings to remember all victims of violence.

Thank you for joning us on Friday, December 12 at 7 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church, 2710 NE 14th Ave., in Portland to honor all victims of violence, including those lost at Clackamas Town Center, Sandy Hook Elemenatry School, Reynolds High School, or through domestic violence, gang violence or suicide. And thank you to the scheduled speakers, Gary Spanovich of the Wholistic Peace Institute, Jenna Yuille whose mother, Cindy, died at Clackamas Town Center, and Pastor Mark Knutson.

Oregon voters delivered an emphatic message to our legislators last week: Oregonians want to end gun violence! We demand common sense gun laws and we will vote out legislators who refuse to take simple steps to keep guns away from criminals.

You helped create a huge victory for gun violence prevention in Oregon! Thank you! Thousands of you stood up to the gun lobby and paved the way for Oregon to pass a strong background checks bill in 2015. Read about the victories in our blog.

Ceasefire Oregon and the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation extend our deepest sympathies to the community of Marysville-Pilchuck High School and the families whose children have been killed or injured. The loss faced by the families and communities is horrific. The weapon used was believed to have been a Beretta .40-caliber handgun purchased by the shooter's father. (CNN, Oct. 24, 2014) Responsible gun owners must keep their weapons under control at all times and not accessible to teenagers. If you decide to purchase a weapon consider the home, the family and the community into which you are bringing a gun. Keep guns locked up and unloaded with the ammunition stored separately. Do it for your community and your family.

Ceasefire Oregon is currently working to elect candidates who support background checks and other common-sense gun laws. Interested in volunteering? Please email ceasefireoregon@gmail.com or email Michael DeLong at michael.ceasefireoregon@gmail.com.

James Brady passed away on August 4, 2014, at the age of 73. He was the man behind the Brady Handgun Bill to Prevent Gun Violence, which blocked an estimated 2 million gun sales to criminals, domestic abusers, and other dangerous people. After he was wounded during an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, Jim Brady and his wife worked to pass stronger gun laws and reduce gun violence. They saved countless lives through their courage and determination. Ceasefire Oregon and countless other gun violence prevention advocates mourn the loss of a true American hero. 

Governor John Kitzhaber issued a proclamation designating June 21st, 2014 as Asking Saves Kids Day, and encouraged all Oregonians to join in this observance. The ASK Campaign encourages parents to ask "Is there is an unlocked gun in your house?" before sending their child over to play. Asking this question is a simple step that every parent can take to keep their child safe, and possible save their child's life. 

In America today, shootings happen so frequently that usually only mass shootings gain attention. Sadly, in addition to these horrifying acts, gang violence is common. And that doesn't even touch the numbers of suicide by gunshot. Over 300 people in Oregon committ suicide with guns every year. 

Gun violence is a huge issue and we need more than just one solution. Just like cancer has many causes and requires many different treatments, gun violence has many roots and requires many different tactics. One tactic would be requiring background checks for all gun sales in America. Another would be increased support for mental health treatment. 

In the Seattle Pacific shooting, as in many mass shootings, the killing is ended when the murderer stops to reload and heroes have a chance to tackle the shooter. It's one reason why Ceasefire Oregon has worked to limit the number of bullets allowed in gun magazines. 

Does it work? When Adam Lanza took 11 seconds to reload at Sandy Hook, 11 kids escaped. Yes, it works. But it's not enough. We need to stop these murder rampages before they begin. 

Three Beverly Cleary students have won second place in the middle school category in the national 2014 C-SPAN Student Cam documentary contest for their film "Gun Control in America." Contestants were asked what issue they thought was the most important facing Congress in 2014.

These students decided to address gun violence in America. Their seven minute film includes interviews with Representative Earl Blumenauer and a Ceasefire Oregon volunteer.

President Obama has nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy, a distinguished and well-qualified doctor, to be the next Surgeon General. However, his nomination is being opposed by the National Rifle Association. The reason? Dr. Murthy supports effective gun laws and views gun violence as a public health issue that can and should be addressed immediately. 

The New England Journal of Medicine ran an excellent editorial supporting his nomination. Please contact Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley and urge them to support Dr. Murthy! 

In 2007 Missouri repealed a law requiring background checks and licenses for all gun owners. A new study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research shows that after this law was repealed, firearm deaths in Missouri increased by 23 percent (55 to 63 more murders annually from 2008 to 2012). 

This study provides compelling confirmation that weaknesses in gun laws lead to deaths from gun violence. 

The 2014 Oregon Legislature did nothing to prevent gun violence. SB 1551, which would have required background checks on almost all gun sales in Oregon, did not come up for a vote and died in the Senate Rules Committee. The lack of a vote was despite promises made to Rules Committee Chair Senator Floyd Prozanski that SB 1551 would receive a vote. 

We ask Oregonians to hold their legislators accountable for not enacting laws that will reduce gun violence. We demand that our legislators stand up for the lives of Oregonians. 

Ceasefire Oregon will continue to work to pass common-sense gun safety laws and educate the public about the effectiveness of laws including universal background checks and child access prevention. 

Thank you for joining us for the January 28th Gun Violence Prevention Summit! 

The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released their 2013 State Scorecard: Why Gun Laws Matter. The report contains analyses of the gun laws in every state, and it ranks states according to how effective and strong their laws are. Every state is awarded a letter grade indicating the overall strength or weakness of its gun laws. Oregon's grade is a D+.

2013 was an important year. After the horrifying massacre at Sandy Hook, twenty-one states passed new laws to reduce gun laws, and eight of them enacted major reforms. 

Thank you for joining us at the December 11th vigil in honor of the victims of the Clackamas Town Center! 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all victims of gun violence, their families, and their friends. The mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on September 16 resulted in 13 deaths (including the shooter's), and many others were injured. This is the deadliest shooting since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Just three days after the Navy Yard shooting, 13 people were shot in a park in Chicago. Thankfully, all survived, but several were seriously injured. 

While mass shootings receive the most media attention, dozens of people are victims of gun violence every day--in moments of rage, feuds with neighbors, drive-by shootings, domestic violence, suicides, unintentional shootings, and many other instances. 

Since the massacre at Sandy Hook, Joe Nocera, a columnist for The New York Times, has issued the Gun Report, a daily update that provides a grim record of the carnage and death on our streets, much of which results from inadequate gun safety laws. Visit http://nocera.blogs.nytimes.com/category/gun-report/. 

A different blog, www.kidshootings.blogspot.com, reports shootings involving kids. Reports of shootings in Oregon are collected at https://www.facebook.com/oregonshootings.

The American people deserve better than this. While laws that present real opportunities to save lives sit on the desks of legislators, many Americans continue to die as a result of gun violence. The American people are calling for action. Our legislators need to act now.
 

The 2013 Oregon Legislature did nothing to prevent gun violence.

We are deeply disappointed that even after the recent horrific shooting tragedies here in Oregon and across the country, the 2013 Oregon Legislature chose to do nothing to reduce gun violence. Oregonians overwhelmingly support common-sense steps like requiring universal background checks to ensure that guns do not end up in the hands of criminals. It is our hope that our elected leaders will soon catch up with the views of their constituents.

The movement to strengthen our gun laws is stronger today than at any time in the last decade. With our partners in the Oregon Alliance to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action and the Brady Campaign, we will continue gearing up for new educational campaigns and the next legislative session. We appreciate the hard work by Senators Floyd Prozanski and Ginny Burdick this session and look forward to successfully passing legislation to make our communities safer.
 

Ceasefire Oregon mourns the death of Julie Sterling, our dear friend, co-founder, board member, and lifelong advocate. She was an inspiration to all of us, and we will miss her dearly.

Oregonians support common-sense gun safety laws: watch and share this video.