A decent gun-related article by the Portland Oregonian (Atlanta Constitution West), of all papers.
I pause to wipe a tear from my eye.
And, mirable dictu , they preceeded the infamous loophole statement with "so-called".
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/06/lc_61gun09.frame
A judge holds that their lawsuit against the Oregon secretary of state's office was filed prematurely
Friday, June 9, 2000
By Mark Larabee of The Oregonian staff
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Oregon secretary of state's office by supporters of an initiative seeking criminal background checks because the suit was filed too soon.
The Stop Gun Violence campaign, a gun-control group trying to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, filed the suit last month after its opponents challenged the legality of the petitions because of the stock of paper they were printed on.
If passed, the measure would close the so-called "gun show loophole" by requiring all sellers at public gun shows to run background checks on their customers. Currently, only federally licensed firearms dealers must run the checks, while private sellers and gun collectors do not.
The legal battle began last month when the backers of a competing measure, the Firearms Act of 2000, complained to the Elections Division that the Stop Gun Violence campaign, headed by Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, was circulating petitions on slick, magazine-style paper. The paper stock was not pre-approved, as is required under state elections rules. Furthermore, shiny paper is always disallowed because the ink tends to smear, officials said.
In response to the complaint, elections officials ruled that any signatures gathered on the slick petitions would not be counted. So Burdick's group sued.
On Wednesday, Burdick and the group's attorneys were told that their lawsuit was premature and that it would have been more appropriate to wait until after the state rejects the signatures.
"They are seeking an advisory opinion from this court in advance of an actual legal controversy," wrote Marion County Circuit Judge Joseph C. Guimond.
Burdick said she's disappointed because the ruling leaves people who signed the petitions confused. She said her group will mail new petitions on approved paper to the 2,500 who signed the originals. "We really believe that the people have a constitutional right to participate in this process and that the type of paper shouldn't stop them," she said.
The campaign has gathered about 50,000 signatures, Burdick said. It needs 66,786 valid ones by July 7 to qualify for the ballot.
You can reach Mark Larabee at (503)294-7664 or by e-mail at marklarabee@news.oregonian.com.
Copyright 2000 Oregon Live.
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The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
I pause to wipe a tear from my eye.
And, mirable dictu , they preceeded the infamous loophole statement with "so-called".
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/06/lc_61gun09.frame
A judge holds that their lawsuit against the Oregon secretary of state's office was filed prematurely
Friday, June 9, 2000
By Mark Larabee of The Oregonian staff
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Oregon secretary of state's office by supporters of an initiative seeking criminal background checks because the suit was filed too soon.
The Stop Gun Violence campaign, a gun-control group trying to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, filed the suit last month after its opponents challenged the legality of the petitions because of the stock of paper they were printed on.
If passed, the measure would close the so-called "gun show loophole" by requiring all sellers at public gun shows to run background checks on their customers. Currently, only federally licensed firearms dealers must run the checks, while private sellers and gun collectors do not.
The legal battle began last month when the backers of a competing measure, the Firearms Act of 2000, complained to the Elections Division that the Stop Gun Violence campaign, headed by Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, was circulating petitions on slick, magazine-style paper. The paper stock was not pre-approved, as is required under state elections rules. Furthermore, shiny paper is always disallowed because the ink tends to smear, officials said.
In response to the complaint, elections officials ruled that any signatures gathered on the slick petitions would not be counted. So Burdick's group sued.
On Wednesday, Burdick and the group's attorneys were told that their lawsuit was premature and that it would have been more appropriate to wait until after the state rejects the signatures.
"They are seeking an advisory opinion from this court in advance of an actual legal controversy," wrote Marion County Circuit Judge Joseph C. Guimond.
Burdick said she's disappointed because the ruling leaves people who signed the petitions confused. She said her group will mail new petitions on approved paper to the 2,500 who signed the originals. "We really believe that the people have a constitutional right to participate in this process and that the type of paper shouldn't stop them," she said.
The campaign has gathered about 50,000 signatures, Burdick said. It needs 66,786 valid ones by July 7 to qualify for the ballot.
You can reach Mark Larabee at (503)294-7664 or by e-mail at marklarabee@news.oregonian.com.
Copyright 2000 Oregon Live.
------------------
The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
