Grants Pass, Ore.- Josephine County gun supporters want to make sure their Second Amendment rights are safe.
“I don’t aim to hurt anybody with guns. It’s there for my protection, my support, the type of gun doesn’t make it bad,” gun supporter Jeff Frank said.
The push comes after an initiative was started to ban “assault weapons” in the state of Oregon. Supporters are gathering signatures and the initiative could end up on the ballot this November.
“Rather than be reactive to it, we are going to be proactive to it,” Joseph Rice, a coordinator with Liberty Watch of Josephine County.
Rice recently presented the “Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance” to county commissioners. The proposal would ban local officials from enforcing any laws that infringe upon second amendment rights.
“It would not allow taxpayer-funded confiscation of weapons in the boundaries of Josephine County,” he said.
The ordinance has already been adopted by Curry County. Rice says many other Oregon counties are following suit in opposition.
“Their definition of an assault weapon in this petition is very broad and literally through interpretation, it could successfully ban all assault weapons except a revolver,” said Rice.
Rice says Josephine County commissioners have yet to respond. He says if they do not approve the ordinance, he will file a petition to get the measure on the county’s ballot in November.
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