Portland, OR - Portland Mayor Proposes Gun Restrictions After Rash Of Shootings

[Gunreference1]

Portland Mayor Proposes Gun Restrictions After Rash Of Shootings

Kristian Foden-Vencil | August 20, 2010 | Portland, OR

Portland Mayor Sam Adams proposed a series of gun restrictions Friday. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, the initiative comes after a rash of gang-related shootings over the last four days.

Gun laws generally fall under federal and state jurisdiction. But Adams asked his city attorney to develop new ways of reducing gun violence in Portland.

Five ideas surfaced: imposing a curfew for juveniles who've been convicted of violating a gun law; creating the new crimes of 'failure to control a child's access to a gun' and 'failure to report the theft or loss of a gun.'

Adams also wants to increase the fine for illegally having a loaded gun in public, and he wants to exclude anyone who's violated a gun law from certain high crime areas of the city.

Sam Adams: "You know my father is a member of the National Rifle Association, I grew up hunting and fishing in Newport, Oregon so this is not an attempt to disturb legal use of guns or legal owners of guns. My proposed changes to local laws target illegal use of guns."

Adams is proposing a two week comment period.

Kevin Starrett of the Oregon Firearms Federation says the city has no authority to enact gun legislation. He called the idea, 'a desperate move by a disgraced mayor.'

Meanwhile, Portland Police Bureau is asking the public for tips on the recent shootings. It established a $1,000 reward.

http://news.opb.org/article/11231-portland-mayor-proposes-gun-restrictions-after-rash-shootings/

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Mayor asks for public input on gun initiatives

by KGW Staff
kgw.com
Posted on August 23, 2010 at 8:13 AM

PORTLAND -- Portland Mayor Sam Adams introduced five new proposals that he believes could control gang problems in the city and now he wants the public to share input.

Last week, there were 10 gang-related shootings in the Portland Metro area and over the weekend, there was one additional deadly shooting which was not gang-related.

Adams said he wants the public to be involved in designing and deciding on new gun and anti-gang initiatives.

One of Adams’ ideas would involve a curfew for juveniles who have violated gun laws. Another recommendation was to create new penalties for people who fail to control children’s access to firearms or fail to report a theft or loss of a firearm.

Along with those initiatives, Adams also suggested increased penalties for people who are found in possession of loaded firearms in public places. And Adams would like to exclude people who have violated gun laws from areas of the city where the use of guns is especially high.

Adams has asked for public comments on the proposed initiatives over the next two weeks.

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Mayor-asks-for-public-input-on-gun-initiatives-101301654.html

Steve

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

One time at my last place in P-town, I looked out the window and saw a thirteen yer old boy playfully waving a lorcin .22 at his friends.

How many laws do you think that kid was breaking?

Adams is a damn fool if he thinks those gang bangers would pay any heed to curfew's or fines. The lives of their own friends and family are but cheap playthings to them.

I lived in that neighborhood where all the shootings happened. In fact, this is not news. I remember one night hearing gun fights erupt all around the neighborhood as people were killed and reprisals were made. And it was never reported in the local media. None of it. Ever.

Now two years later they want to enact some feel good B.S.?

Adams is a piece of shit.

The only thing that would change the situation in Portlands poorest neighborhoods is education, and real opportunities towards gainful employment. Those kids need a future, not a legislative bandaid.

[308]

Adams needs to do what he does best..."sucking off 17-1/2 year old males in public bathrooms"

[Gunreference1]

And David Codrea weighs in: Portland Mayor Adams wants me to denounce gun group

Just click on the link below to see what Mr. Codrea has to say on the subject.

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/portland-mayor-adams-wants-me-to-denounce-gun-group

Steve

[crapshoot]

Adams needs to do what he does best..."sucking off 17-1/2 year old males in public bathrooms"

And you know this because???

[Gunreference1]

And you know this because???

This became public knowledge.

In 2009, Adams was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing related to a consensual sexual relationship with a young man he met in 2005. Adams said the deception was warranted in light of how a public sex scandal could have disrupted his mayoral campaign.[6][7][8]

Reference - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Adams_(Oregon_politician)

Steve

[Gunreference1]

David Codrea unloads on Mayor Sam Adams.

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/denounce-portland-mayor-sam-adams-not-oregon-firearms-federation

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Mayor Sam Adams' plan for new Portland gun laws could face stiff opposition

Published: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 8:46 PM
Updated: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 8:47 PM

Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian

When Portland Mayor Sam Adams recently proposed three new city gun laws and two changes to existing city code, he joined several mayors across the country who are trying to pass gun-control laws that state lawmakers would not -- or could not.

"It's amazing to me the denial around the connection between inadequacy in our gun laws and gun crimes on the street. The Legislature hasn't connected those dots," Adams said. "The absence of meaningful gun law changes must end. I'm intent on changing that."

Establishing such gun laws is probably a tall order. Firearms advocates are quick to challenge proposals that limit guns, and some already are calling Adams' effort "laughable" and a publicity stunt.

People who favor such laws, however, said taking action on the city level can be the first step to change.

Adams, who contends that Portland is awash in illegal firearms, released a draft of his five proposals hours after he came under fire for not attending a Gang Violence Task Force meeting Aug. 20. The task force gathers every other week, but that meeting came after at least nine gang-related shootings within 36 hours.

The mayor, saying he was on top of the problem, distributed a draft of the ordinance and said it had been in the works since he took over as police commissioner in late May.

Mayors in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, among others, have adopted some of the proposals Adams offers.

The most common: Hold adults responsible if their gun gets into a child's hands, and penalize gun owners who don't report the theft or loss of a firearm. The theft reporting law could make it harder for gun owners to claim their gun was stolen if it surfaced in a crime, when they may have sold it illegally.

But one of his proposals -- an exclusion zone that would apply special rules in areas high in gun violence, to bar convicted gun offenders as a condition of probation -- appears unique, gun-control experts say.

"I think the cities are saying we're not getting help from the state, or Washington, but the problem is here, and we have a responsibility to our citizens to do what we can do," said Garen Wintemute, an emergency physician and director of the University of California at Davis' Violence Prevention Research Program.

Jon Vernick, co-director of the John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, said the municipal steps could spur state legislative action. "The hope is that as cities enact these laws ... states and federal lawmakers will become a little more willing to do the same."

Portland's deputy city attorney, Dave Woboril, said he reviewed other cities' laws, legal challenges and court rulings.

Five proposals emerged. Three would be new laws: the child safety, theft reporting and exclusion zone measures. The two others would amend existing laws: a special curfew for juveniles who have been convicted of a gun offense, and an increase to a maximum 30-day jail sentence for previous offenders carrying a gun in a public place, including in a vehicle or on transit. This does not affect concealed-handgun license holders.

Gun-rights activists denounced Adams' plan, calling it a "PR stunt" that will backfire.

They cited an Oregon law adopted in 1995 that says no city or other municipal district can enact civil or criminal ordinances to regulate, restrict or prohibit the sale, acquisition, transfer, ownership, possession, storage, transportation or use of firearms, or any component of firearms, such as ammunition.

"Several of the things he's proposed are clearly not lawful," said Kevin Starrett, executive director of Oregon Firearms Federation. "All of these regulations are like putting signs outside a bank that says 'No parking for bank robbers.'

"The fact is these issues are not going to be addressed by anything having to do with guns. These people who are violent can be creative. We've got laws against cocaine, but there ain't no shortage of it."

Starrett said the child-access proposal would regulate how guns are stored, in violation of the law, and that the city also can't penalize a gun owner for not reporting the loss of a firearm. The proposed curfew and exclusionary zones, Starrett said, may be lawful, but he called them "laughable."

"Adams' response to this outbreak of violence is to tell the gang bangers they ought to be in bed early, or that they can't cross the street," Starrett said. "I just don't think there's any legal or constitutional basis to tell a person who is not incarcerated when or where he can't go."

Woboril expects the code changes, if approved by the council, will hold up in court. He points out that the special curfew, increased penalty for previous offenders and the exclusions would affect only people already convicted of a gun offense.

"They have nothing to do with the use or handling of guns," Woboril said.

Ceasefire Oregon lobbied for a statewide child-access prevention law three years ago. "In '07, it absolutely did not go anywhere," said Penny Okamato, Ceasefire Oregon's executive director. "We're hoping we have more traction on it this year."

The nonprofit also had supported a lost-and-stolen reporting state bill but said it fell to the gun-rights lobby's influence.

Okamato applauded Adams' proposal, saying it would give police extra tools to try to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands. And police say the special curfew and zone exclusions would give officers a way to take volatile youths or criminals out of a heated environment.

Critics say the proposed exclusionary zones would just move the violence from one neighborhood to another. Adams says it's a fair concern.

"The goal is to not move them, but dissipate and reduce the number of gun crimes," he said. He also wants to make sure the law is narrowly drawn so exclusions affect only gun offenders as a condition of probation.

Tonya Dickens, a veteran gang outreach worker who has been called to many of the recent gang shootings to ease tensions on the street, says everyone seems to come up with his own answers.

"I just wish I could see something that's more tangible to our young people, like resources for jobs, job training and education," she said.

Law enforcement, meanwhile, will watch the process to make sure police can enforce any new laws and the district attorney's office can prosecute them.

"It's good the mayor's weighing in and using his bully pulpit," District Attorney Michael Schrunk said. "We've tried to take a very active role against people possessing, carrying or misusing firearms."

State Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland who has introduced gun-control bills in Salem, called it "questionable" whether Adams' plans can go through, considering the state's pre-emption law.

"But I think he ought to forge ahead anyway," she said. "The fundamental problem we have in Salem is the extremist end of the spectrum in the gun-owning community dominates the debate. They look bigger than they are because they're so loud."

Mayor Sam Adams' proposed gun-control laws - http://media.oregonlive.com/portland_impact/other/Adams.pdf

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/08/mayor_sam_adams_plan_for_new_p.html

Steve

[ltorlo64]

I agree, sort of, with one thing Mayor Adams wants to do. I do agree with the idea of a curfew. What I don't agree with is that it be restricted to those teens and children who have violated some law. There are thousands of teens in Portland. How are the police going to enforce a curfew on the few that have broken the law? Passing unenforcible laws is stupid and it weakens the intire law base.

If we were serious about education and about slowing violence, then ensuring that kids and teens were off the streets by a certain time is one way to do it. Now, for the negative. This is reallly a parent responsibility, and I hate it when the government, whichever one it is, has to step in because we don't handle our responsibility. The parents should be requiring the children to be home by a certain time, know who they are with and what they are doing, requiring them to maintain a certain GPA in school until they are either graduated or they have dropped out and are working at a real job, not just hanging out with friends living on public assistance.

As for the other proposals he has, just like any other gun control measure the only people they effect are the people who already obey the law. Why liberals don't understand this I have no idea. It is a lazy way to try to lead or govern, by making rules and thinking that will fix whatever the problem is you are after. This works in very few cases, at least in my experience. You generally have to determine what is wrong and then educate people. This is harder, but the results are almost always better and more lasting.

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

I agree, sort of, with one thing Mayor Adams wants to do. I do agree with the idea of a curfew. What I don't agree with is that it be restricted to those teens and children who have violated some law. There are thousands of teens in Portland. How are the police going to enforce a curfew on the few that have broken the law? Passing unenforcible laws is stupid and it weakens the intire law base.

If we were serious about education and about slowing violence, then ensuring that kids and teens were off the streets by a certain time is one way to do it. Now, for the negative. This is reallly a parent responsibility, and I hate it when the government, whichever one it is, has to step in because we don't handle our responsibility. The parents should be requiring the children to be home by a certain time, know who they are with and what they are doing, requiring them to maintain a certain GPA in school until they are either graduated or they have dropped out and are working at a real job, not just hanging out with friends living on public assistance.

As for the other proposals he has, just like any other gun control measure the only people they effect are the people who already obey the law. Why liberals don't understand this I have no idea. It is a lazy way to try to lead or govern, by making rules and thinking that will fix whatever the problem is you are after. This works in very few cases, at least in my experience. You generally have to determine what is wrong and then educate people. This is harder, but the results are almost always better and more lasting.
The ones the curfew would target are no more likely to follow that law than any other.

I've met these kids, and lived among them. They have no qualms about killing each other over the color of their bandanas.

What makes you think they'de follow a curfew?

[ltorlo64]

I don't think they would follow the curfew. If it applied to all, the police would not be trying to determine if the person they were interested in was one of the lucky curfew free ones or not. That was what I was trying to say. If there are 10 teens on a corner at 2:00 am, the police should just have to say they should not be there, not try to figure out that one that has a curfew and is violating it. In my mind, one is enforcable, the other is just making more useless paper.

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

I don't think they would follow the curfew. If it applied to all, the police would not be trying to determine if the person they were interested in was one of the lucky curfew free ones or not. That was what I was trying to say. If there are 10 teens on a corner at 2:00 am, the police should just have to say they should not be there, not try to figure out that one that has a curfew and is violating it. In my mind, one is enforcable, the other is just making more useless paper.
The cops won't do anything even with a curfew.

I've seen 10 gangsters openly selling crack cocaine and threatenting everybody who wasn't a customer at 2am, across the street from two Po Po's (portland police) who were happily drinking coffe and watching the whole thing with a slight sense of bemusement.

[ltorlo64]

The cops won't do anything even with a curfew.

I've seen 10 gangsters openly selling crack cocaine and threatenting everybody who wasn't a customer at 2am, across the street from two Po Po's (portland police) who were happily drinking coffe and watching the whole thing with a slight sense of bemusement..

That is a different, and I would say bigger problem, when the police don't even do their job when the criminals are making it easy for them. It still doesn't take from my argument that for police to even have a chance at enforcing the law, it must first be enforcable.

[Gunreference1]

City’s gun-control idea misses target

My View • Will Portland’s proposal to keep guns out of criminals’ hands really keep us safe?

By C.D. Michel

, Sep 9, 2010

Portland Mayor Sam Adams has proposed a number of ill-conceived gun control ordinances, most straight out of the gun-ban lobby’s play book.

Among these is an ordinance requiring gun owners to report the loss or theft of their firearms within 48 hours of when the owner knew or “should have known” the gun was missing.

Gun control advocacy groups have learned from costly PR professionals how to spin their anti-gun-owner proposals as benign. They disingenuously claim this law would prevent unlawful sales of firearms by purchasers who buy a gun legally, intending to resell it illegally on the black market. These “straw” purchasers often falsely claim that a crime gun traced back to them was stolen or lost.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/opinion/story.php?story_id=128398060503608800

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Adams holds off on anti-gun ordinance

by Michael Rollins
kgw.com
Posted on November 1, 2010 at 1:50 PM
Updated yesterday at 2:05 PM

PORTLAND -- Mayor Sam Adams has postponed plans to implement some type of gun control ordinance, his spokesman said.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Adams-holds-off-on-anti-gun-ordinance-106472733.html

Steve

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

Adams holds off on anti-gun ordinance

by Michael Rollins
kgw.com
Posted on November 1, 2010 at 1:50 PM
Updated yesterday at 2:05 PM

PORTLAND -- Mayor Sam Adams has postponed plans to implement some type of gun control ordinance, his spokesman said.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Adams-holds-off-on-anti-gun-ordinance-106472733.html

Steve
Well, no ones ever accused Adams of having a spine...

[Gunreference1]

Portland mayor's proposed gun-control ordinances to go before City Council on Nov. 18

Published: Monday, November 08, 2010, 4:27 PM
Updated: Monday, November 08, 2010, 5:51 PM
Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian

The City Council on Nov. 18 will consider three new gun-control proposals and two changes to existing city code that Mayor Sam Adams is proposing in an effort to reduce shootings within the city limits.

Adams sought input on the proposals from community groups, local and state officials, attorneys and criminal justice experts. On Monday, Adams was putting the finishing touches on his proposals after meeting with Chief Mike Reese and deputy city attorney Dave Woboril. He joins mayors across the country who are trying to pass gun-control laws that state lawmakers would not, or could not.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/portland_mayors_proposed_gun-c.html

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Dave Workman
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner

Portland mayor sends signal that WA gun owners better heed

November 10th, 2010 1:02 pm PT

Perhaps emboldened by last week’s voting results that did not turn Oregon’s Legislature over to Republicans – the GOP “wave” seems to have stopped at the Cascade Crest, same as here in Washington – Portland Mayor Sam Adams has announced he will essentially challenge the state’s 1995 preemption statute with a trio of new anti-gun ordinances for the Rose City.

Maybe he figures it's safe with a returning Democrat governor and enough Willamette Valley liberals in Salem that he won't get laughed out of town.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/portland-mayor-sends-signal-that-wa-gun-owners-better-heed

[Gunreference1]

Adams’ gun control proposals get quiet first hearing

Questions mostly raised about new curfew restrictions and exclusion zones

By Jim Redden
The Portland Tribune, Nov 18, 2010, Updated 6 hours ago (2 Reader comments)

Contrary to expectations, no one from the National Rifle Association or any other Second Amendment organization threatened to sue Portland when the City Council held its first hearing on Mayor Sam Adams' gun control proposals on Thursday afternoon.

Instead, Adams' proposals to require gun owners to keep firearms away from minors and report all loses to the police drew praise from many of those testified before the council.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129013074761604100

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Adams’ gun plan loaded with issues

Racial questions, safety squarely in the crosshairs of council’s discussion

By Jim Redden
The Portland Tribune, Nov 25, 2010, Updated 20.6 hours ago

It should be no surprise that Mayor Sam Adams’ gun safety proposals are being viewed through the prism of race.

Adams unveiled his ideas in August, shortly after a spike in shootings involving black gangs. When the City Council held its first hearing on the proposals last Thursday, Adams’ office presented an overview that noted racial disparities in gun-related
crimes.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129063700146170700

Steve

[308]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Sam_Adams_Portland.jpg/225px-Sam_Adams_Portland.jpg

Portland Mayor Sam Adams said he had lied in the past about having sexual relations with an 18-year-old male, who looked to him as a role model.

[Gunreference1]

City Council passes Adams’ gun safety initiative

Mayor defends plan against racial profiling accusations

By Jim Redden
The Portland Tribune, Dec 1, 2010, Updated 18.6 hours ago (3 Reader comments)

Despite public concerns raised about some elements of Mayor Sam Adams’ gun safety initiative, the City Council unanimously approved it Wednesday morning.

“This is not perfect, but it’s an important first step,” Commissioner Nick Fish said before voting in favor of a package of proposals designed to reduce the illegal ownership and use of guns in Portland, especially among young African-Americans.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129123151695438200

Steve