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OMGWTFBBQ!11
Text of the summary below:

76th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2011 Regular Session

Senate Bill 659

Sponsored by COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT, CONSUMER AND SMALL BUSINESS PROTECTION

SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the measure as introduced.

Prohibits manufacturing, selling or rebuilding firearm without chamber load indicator.

Prohibits manufacturing, selling or rebuilding semiautomatic pistol without magazine disconnect mechanism.

Prohibits removing or disabling chamber load indicator or magazine disconnect mechanism.

Punishes violation by maximum of one year’s imprisonment, $6,250 fine, or both.

Punishes sub-sequent violations by maximum of five years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both.

Becomes operative January 1, 2013.

A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to firearm safety devices.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) It is unlawful for any person to manufacture or sell:
(a) A firearm, unless the firearm is equipped with a chamber load indicator.
(b) A semiautomatic pistol, unless the semiautomatic pistol is equipped with a magazine
disconnect mechanism.

(2) It is unlawful for any person to rebuild:
(a) A firearm, unless the firearm is rebuilt with a chamber load indicator.
(b) A semiautomatic pistol, unless the semiautomatic pistol is rebuilt with a magazine
disconnect mechanism.

(3) It is unlawful for any person to:
(a) Remove a chamber load indicator from a firearm or otherwise render the indicator
inoperable.
(b) Remove a magazine disconnect mechanism from a semiautomatic pistol or otherwise
render the mechanism inoperable.

(4) A chamber load indicator described in this section must:
(a) Be readily visible;
(b) Contain incorporated or adjacent explanatory text or graphics; and
(c) Provide notice to a reasonable person, without reference to any resource other than
the firearm itself, whether a cartridge is in the firing chamber.

(5)
(a) Any person who violates this section commits a Class A misdemeanor.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, any person who violates this section
commits a Class C felony, if the person has a previous conviction for violating this section.
(6) As used in this section:
(a) “Chamber load indicator” means a device that plainly indicates that a cartridge is in
the firing chamber of a firearm.
(b) “Firearm” has the meaning given that term in ORS 166.210, except that it does not
include a revolver.
(c) “Magazine disconnect mechanism” means a mechanism that prevents a semiauto-
matic pistol that has a detachable magazine from operating to strike the primer of ammu-
nition in the firing chamber when a detachable magazine is not inserted in the
semiautomatic pistol.
(d) “Semiautomatic pistol” means a pistol, the operating mode of which uses the energy
of the explosive in a fixed cartridge to extract a fired cartridge and chamber a fresh car-
tridge with each single pull of the trigger.

SECTION 2.
(1) Section 1 of this 2011 Act becomes operative on January 1, 2013.
(2) Section 1 of this 2011 Act applies to firearms manufactured, sold or rebuilt on or after
January 1, 2013.
 
Who is the moron responsible for crafting this finely polished pile of excrement? I see it's presented by a committee. "Senate Bill 659Sponsored by COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT, CONSUMER AND SMALL BUSINESS PROTECTION" but some one person--somewhere---must be the author.

Thought I was getting a faint whiff of Ginny Burdick--but I can't find any direct connection.
 
crazy how little these dopes actually know about the things they're trying to make into LAWS. obviously it would be basically impossible to comply with this law... i have to wonder if they know that, and are trying to sneak in a proxy ban on transfers, or if they seriously just have no clue. either way, it'll never fly.
 
Sponsor of this senate bill 659, the Senate Committee on General Government, Consumer and Small Business Protection

Chair
Sen. Chip Shields

Vice-chair
Sen. Larry George

Members
Sen. Suzanne Bonamici
Sen. Brian Boquist
Sen. Rod Monroe

Sounds like you ought to contact your state senator and ask him to oppose SB 659. I'm writing a letter to my senator, Mark Hass.
 
I spoke with a representative of Sen. Larry George's office this morning. He was very clear that they don't feel this bill has any backing and that Sen. Larry George does NOT support this bill. Sen. Larry George's office seemed to clearly understand the effects this bill could have on Oregon's gunsmiths, especially in the current state of Oregon's economy. They were very helpful and I would encourage anyone with questions or concerns to contact his office, the number is 503-986-1713.
 
I spoke with a representative of Sen. Larry George's office this morning. He was very clear that they don't feel this bill has any backing and that Sen. Larry George does NOT support this bill. Sen. Larry George's office seemed to clearly understand the effects this bill could have on Oregon's gunsmiths, especially in the current state of Oregon's economy. They were very helpful and I would encourage anyone with questions or concerns to contact his office, the number is 503-986-1713.

Good. Glad to hear that the vice-chair of the committee thinks the bill is junk. Still brings up the question---where did it come from? Someone had to write it, and have enough horsepower to push it through committee and on to the Senate Presidents desk. Who is the author? Someone somewhere thinks this bill is a good idea. I would like to know who that person is. I want to volunteer to work for his/her opponent in the next election.
 
I just received a reply from OFF. I looked around their website and didn't see anything about this bill, so I sent them an email. Here is a copy of it, along with the reply. It also names the person that thought this would be a good idea.



Hello.
>
> First of all, thank you for all of your hard work helping to preserve freedom.
> I am contacting you regarding a disturbing bill I saw posted on a firearm forum. I thought I'd better forward it to you so you can alert other OFF members. Here is a link to the article I found regarding sb 0659. I'm sure you agree, this is beyond disturbing and would make many guns illegal. I'm confident you will make every effort to stop this ridiculous piece of legislation.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Robert


Robert,

We posted this on our website a few days ago. It's absurd. And we found out who is behind it. Senator Bonamici. Paranoid gun hater. This thing has almost no chance even if it passes the senate, which it won't because we'll crush them. But rest assured, we're watching it.

Kevin
 
I'm not seeing the part that states this law would only pertain to gunsmiths. It looks to me like it's saying it would be illegal to sell a firearm without a loaded chamber indicator...period.

Am I missing something? It wouldn't be the first time...
 
Sure is hard to see what this will accomplish (or how it will be enforced) since the main prohibitive section (section 1) only applies to guns manufactured or modified after 1/1/2013. So virtually every gun out there up until that time is exempt. This means every time someone wants to check if the law is being violated they will have to run down when the gun was manufactured. Bet the gun manufactures are going to refuse since this puts a significant (un-funded) burden on them to help out the government. Might not even be constitutional because of this. Not to mention the fact that any supposed safety benefit of this law is negated by the fact that all the guns out there that don't meet this law will still be legally out there. Talk about a waste of time.
 
This bill looks like it was cut and pasted off of a firearms "safety" website....Brady comes to mind. Apparently we have a State Senator who will pass along this enlightened legislation to the unwashed masses...er, us.
 
I contacted Senator Telfer's (R-Bend) office last night. Her chief of staff (her daughter I believe) responded this morning with a vague email. I was a bit disappointed in the response, as all it takes is for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. In this case, she said that she would alert the Senator if the bill made it to a full vote. I hope there is a larger outrage over this or at least it doesn't make it to a full vote, otherwise there may be enough apathy for it to pass...
 

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