Far-leftists are keen on making wholesale changes to our society.
All too often their stubborn adherence to a radical ideology leaves them blind or willfully ignorant when it comes to how their preferred policies may impact real people.
Now police in this Blue State are worried about being outgunned by criminals.
Police officers in Oregon have been left scratching their heads, unsure whether they will be able to purchase new weapons without a permit or carry their service weapons while off duty.
It’s all because of the state’s embattled gun control law.
The law was slated to take effect December 8, 2022, but it was halted by a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Raschio two days beforehand.
Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner says, “It’s not clear how existing certified public safety professionals are treated under this ballot measure. Both the purchase of weapons and the possession of magazines in excess of 10 rounds, which all of our duty weapons have that.”
The measure, BM 114 mandates a permit to purchase any firearm and bans ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, among other changes.
Confusingly, there is no exception for military members and law enforcement agencies when it comes to the magazine ban, but “solely for authorized use by that entity related to the official duties of the entity.”
Skinner continued, “What does that mean for our off-duty officers that often are asked to, and in some cases by policy required to, be armed off duty as well? There’s a lot of those unanswered questions we’re hoping to get some clarity around.”
He’s not alone in his concern.
Linn County is looking to purchase 10-round magazines for deputies to carry when they are off duty and Sheriff Michelle Duncan says, “We don’t want them potentially getting a charge in another jurisdiction that could risk their police certification and job so we will look at getting them the lower capacity mags for off duty.”
According to Breitbart News, Gun Owners of America noted that the TRO regarding the background check for the permit to purchase is still in place and a decision on the “high capacity” magazine ban is expected soon.
The news outlet also found that BM 114 was being bankrolled by out-of-state donors.
To add insult to injury, police say they don’t know of a single training program in the state that currently satisfies all the permit requirements outlined in Measure 114.
According to Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jason Myers, “Every person, including law enforcement officers wishing to obtain a permit, will first have to complete training that does not yet exist.”
So, in addition to bad policy that will endanger innocent residents, the implementation of the new rules has been completely botched.
That’s not surprising, as complete Democrat control of the legislature and executive branch has rendered Washington, D.C. dysfunctional, we shouldn’t expect much difference in the individual states.
Still, here’s to hoping law enforcement and law-abiding Oregonians get clarity on the law, and that Second Amendment rights shall not be infringed, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
