The FRONT LINE
A BALLOT BOX GUN BAN
OREGON ’ S NEW GUN-CONTROL LAWS MANDATE UNFUNDED SYSTEMS THAT DON ’ T EXIST .
Of all the ballot measures nationwide in this year ’ s election , Oregon ’ s Ballot Measure 114 directly affected sportsmen by vastly changing firearm laws . The measure narrowly passed ( 50.7 percent ) despite its supporters outspending opponents roughly 20-1 .
Measure 114 is an extreme collection of anti-gun proposals that includes requiring a permit to purchase firearms , banning magazines holding more than 10 rounds and mandating lawenforcement safety training before a person can purchase , and thereby own , a firearm . To be clear , none of these provisions have been shown by objective science ( and unbiased researchers ) to protect the public from violent crime . In short , these “ feel good ” initiatives are nothing more than barriers to self-defense and recreation for law-abiding citizens that will do nothing to stop , or even minimize , crime .
The Sportsmen ’ s Alliance warned early on that if Measure 114 was passed , it would result in a de facto ban on all firearm sales because none of the required infrastructure existed for the new requirements of the law . Soon after passing , Oregon ’ s attorney general quickly had to admit the state was unprepared to implement that law and asked a federal judge to put the new law on hold for two months while the permitting system is created out of thin air . It ’ s anyone ’ s guess if two months is sufficient or whether state officials will need more time .
Numerous lawsuits have been filed , in both federal and state courts , challenging Measure 114 ’ s egregious attack on the right to keep and bear arms . None of these suits are likely to resolve quickly , so this looks like a long bumpy ride . In fact , as The Sportsmen ’ s Advocate went to press , a state judge put the law on hold , finding the magazine ban to be an excessive restriction on law-abiding citizens as a clear violation of Oregon ’ s constitution and its protection of the right to keep and bear arms .
MONTANA 2016 :
WHEN TRAPPERS FOUGHT BACK
Ballot initiatives have long been a tool of anti-hunting extremists in this country . The Sportsmen ’ s Alliance was founded in response to an anti-trapping ballot initiative in Ohio in 1977 , and we continue to fight effectively at the ballot box nationwide ( see opposite page ). Most recently in 2016 , a measure to ban trapping on public land in Montana qualified for the ballot . The effort was largely funded by out-of-state interests ideologically opposed to traditional wildlife management , including trapping . This is the same battle we see throughout the country , where animal extremists use graphic imagery and language to drive ordinary citizens to make decisions not on available science , but emotion .
The Sportsmen ’ s Alliance responded by doing what we do best : we helped pull together a coalition of sportsmen ’ s groups to fight the measure , managed an effective campaign through all media outlets , and took it straight to the animal extremists , proudly defending Montana trappers and sportsmen throughout the state . By election day , sportsmen had left the extremists in the dust , garnering nearly 63 percent of the vote .
PHOTOGRAPH ADOBE STOCK BY
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