"(scroll down for "actions" we NEED you to take - FOR LIBERTY!)
Dear Supporters of Liberty Ashland!
Tuesday 17th June, The Board of The City of Ashland will read, for the first time, an ordinance that seeks to ban loaded open carry by non CHL permit holders.
This ordinance was proposed on the basis of a fallacious notion that fewer visible firearms will in some way "protect our children". The truth is, it will only serve to inoculate in them a dangerous and very un-American notion: that a government issued permit or uniform is required to exercise one's natural inalienable right to self defense.
Over the last several months Liberty Ashland has demonstrated the potential fallout and unintended consequences of passing such an ill conceived ordinance, by fielding over 100 open carriers (significant numbers of whom were local Ashland residents, driven to activism by the proposed agenda driven unconstitutional ordinance). Liberty Ashland has it on good account that a well funded legal challenge to the ordinance is a likely response, as is the influx of CHL holding long gun carry activists! As Ashland residents, we have no desire to see our resources wasted in a such a manner.
As The Chief of Police, and numerous members of his team have confirmed, there is and has never been a public safety issue with open carry in Ashland Oregon. Indeed, as one Sergeant commented, "It's the hidden, unseen weapons that concern me - not the ones in plain sight"! As sworn peace officers of integrity have no desire to break their oaths, The Board of The City Council of Ashland is beholden to not only stand under their own oaths - but to never put a Peace Officer in a position where they may feel may compromise theirs. It is bad for morale, and encouraging contempt for bad codes make the policing of others even harder to do with willful compliance of the resident citizenry.
Simply: this is an unlawful and immoral ordinance, which solves no problem, and which will lead to otherwise avoidable conflict and expense.
Members of Liberty Ashland have been working closely with members of the Council, including Mayor John Stromberg, and individuals who identify as "gun control" advocates, in order to find common ground. Perhaps surprisingly to some, and thanks to the leadership of Councillor Pam Marsh, the working group has been able to do so. Plans are afoot to launch a "beta" city gun safety training initiative in the fall of this year, with an eye to seeing a very nonpartisan and sensible, common sense training brought to our school district. There is no excuse for any child to be endangered as a result of ignorance or carelessness, and all parents - and our community - have the responsibility, and now the opportunity to make sure that Ashland remains a City free of avoidable danger. An ordinance that serves only to arbitrarily disarm a significant demographic of Ashland's resident population is unjustifiable, and will not be stood for.
Please, stand with us, in LIBERTY! and take the following actions:
1. Like and Share this post
2. Visit the following site and sign the petition: <broken link removed>
3. Visit this comments page and submit a written comment to The City of Ashland's board stating your opposition to the proposed open carry ban ordinance (and reasons why): http://www.ashland.or.us/CouncilContact.asp
4. If you live in or within traveling distance of Ashland, please meet with our group at 6-30 pm at Garfield Park Tuesday 17 June, wear red, and attend the City Council meeting to make it clear that you stand for Liberty, and you will not see the rights of We The People eroded piecemeal by fiat!"
Dear Supporters of Liberty Ashland!
Tuesday 17th June, The Board of The City of Ashland will read, for the first time, an ordinance that seeks to ban loaded open carry by non CHL permit holders.
This ordinance was proposed on the basis of a fallacious notion that fewer visible firearms will in some way "protect our children". The truth is, it will only serve to inoculate in them a dangerous and very un-American notion: that a government issued permit or uniform is required to exercise one's natural inalienable right to self defense.
Over the last several months Liberty Ashland has demonstrated the potential fallout and unintended consequences of passing such an ill conceived ordinance, by fielding over 100 open carriers (significant numbers of whom were local Ashland residents, driven to activism by the proposed agenda driven unconstitutional ordinance). Liberty Ashland has it on good account that a well funded legal challenge to the ordinance is a likely response, as is the influx of CHL holding long gun carry activists! As Ashland residents, we have no desire to see our resources wasted in a such a manner.
As The Chief of Police, and numerous members of his team have confirmed, there is and has never been a public safety issue with open carry in Ashland Oregon. Indeed, as one Sergeant commented, "It's the hidden, unseen weapons that concern me - not the ones in plain sight"! As sworn peace officers of integrity have no desire to break their oaths, The Board of The City Council of Ashland is beholden to not only stand under their own oaths - but to never put a Peace Officer in a position where they may feel may compromise theirs. It is bad for morale, and encouraging contempt for bad codes make the policing of others even harder to do with willful compliance of the resident citizenry.
Simply: this is an unlawful and immoral ordinance, which solves no problem, and which will lead to otherwise avoidable conflict and expense.
Members of Liberty Ashland have been working closely with members of the Council, including Mayor John Stromberg, and individuals who identify as "gun control" advocates, in order to find common ground. Perhaps surprisingly to some, and thanks to the leadership of Councillor Pam Marsh, the working group has been able to do so. Plans are afoot to launch a "beta" city gun safety training initiative in the fall of this year, with an eye to seeing a very nonpartisan and sensible, common sense training brought to our school district. There is no excuse for any child to be endangered as a result of ignorance or carelessness, and all parents - and our community - have the responsibility, and now the opportunity to make sure that Ashland remains a City free of avoidable danger. An ordinance that serves only to arbitrarily disarm a significant demographic of Ashland's resident population is unjustifiable, and will not be stood for.
Please, stand with us, in LIBERTY! and take the following actions:
1. Like and Share this post
2. Visit the following site and sign the petition: <broken link removed>
3. Visit this comments page and submit a written comment to The City of Ashland's board stating your opposition to the proposed open carry ban ordinance (and reasons why): http://www.ashland.or.us/CouncilContact.asp
4. If you live in or within traveling distance of Ashland, please meet with our group at 6-30 pm at Garfield Park Tuesday 17 June, wear red, and attend the City Council meeting to make it clear that you stand for Liberty, and you will not see the rights of We The People eroded piecemeal by fiat!"
