I received this email two days ago from a gun rights organization I belong to, The Oregon Firearms Federation. This “no compromise” organization has been very effective in fighting draconian gun bills here for quite some time and has helped me personally providing me with free legal counsel when I was put on “delayed” status when I first tried to purchase a firearm here.
Make no mistake, this organization backs Trump but they are leery about his new attitude of supporting “Red Flag” laws. Please read the letter below and voice your thoughts on this subject.
8.17.19
After running on a platform of protecting the Constitutional Rights of gun owners, President Trump seems determined to alienate as many of them as quickly as possible.
Early on he supported firearms confiscation laws, saying “Take the guns first, due process later.” He followed this with a wholly unconstitutional redefining of a legal firearms accessory into a “machine gun,” an act so absurd and dangerous it is remarkable the NRA was virtually silent on it. Not only did Trump’s actions steal the lawful property of thousands, it made felons of countless Trump supporters who refused to comply with a completely illegitimate order. (OFF is party to a current lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban.)
Now Trump is again openly supporting and encouraging one of the most dangerous gun confiscation proposals ever; “Red Flag” laws or “ERPOS” (extreme risk protection orders.)
As you know, Oregon has enacted this dangerous and unconstitutional law. Now Trump wants to see it spread nation wide.
Under an ERPO, a person with no mental health qualifications can declare that you are a danger to yourself or others. If a judge agrees, the police come and confiscate your firearms. No due process, no day in court until after your property has been stolen. And then only at your own expense, if you can somehow prove you are not a danger. Good luck with that.
In Oregon, reasons for believing you are a danger to yourself or others include recent use of marijuana products, a past DUI or the lawful purchase of a firearm in the last 6 months.
The idea that you can be punished without ever having committed a crime is pretty chilling. But rest assured, these laws will be expanded until “predictive policing” will be used against anyone who opposes the people in power. And we’ve seen it here before.
There are many who will accept anything Trump does believing anyone else would be worse. But as Trump continues to align himself against gun owners the differences between Trump and his opponents shrink for gun owners.
We believe if Trump hears from enough of us it may still be possible to correct the direction he’s taking. Please take a moment to use the GOA letter to the President to urge him to reverse course and stand strong for the people who elected him.
Yes, we all love the Orange One, but is he losing his way here? My fellow deplorables, what do you think?
