News & Resources
LEGESLATIVE WATCH
Legislation is officially over for 2023. Many bulls died on the vine. Here is the outcome of those impacting us most directly:
House Bill 2572 : Expands definition of “civil disorder” for purposes of crime of unlawful paramilitary activity.
This one did passed but not before the PSAO was part of getting 90% of the carve-outs made for our Security Officers. This was a huge win for our officers so they can continue to train for their safety and the safety of others.
This was originally on our radar because they combined 3 House Bills into one (2005, 2006 and 2007). 2007 was our largest concern which allowed all government organization to deem their facility as a “gun free” zone and “adjacent property” with no description as to what adjacent property is. This could mean attached structures or the land across the street. This was entirely too risky for our Security Officers who would walk from their post to the nearest convenience store and unknowingly break the law.
Fortunately, part of the bargain to get our walk-out senators back, was to strip this bill back to its original content of just ghost guns and it was passed by the secod house on 6/21 and signed by the speaker on 6/22. Next stop, the Governor’s office to be signed in to law.
SB348: The complete rewrite of measure 114 (but worse in some aspects)
This went to a subcomittee of the Ways and Means committee called “Capital Construction” on 5/24 and it never made it out. This bill could have made any security officer who has purchased a firearm since December 8th, a criminal and could have shut down 99% of all FFL’s in the state of Oregon. We are grateful that it was so poorly constructed that it could not make it through the process in a timely manner because this became personal identity to many, not a bill about firearms.
Measure 114, however, is still looming as we are waiting to hear from the federal judge Karin Immergut after the bench trial (where the judge rules directly without a jury) as to her decision. Even if passed, it is probably that there will be appeals, which would mean the process will drag on a bit longer. As this Measure will have a significant impact on the safety of our armed security officers, the PSAO will do everything we can to make our voice heard. Your supportive membership will help that voice be louder and stronger.
IMPORTANT STORIES
Crime in Oregon starts to trend down, according to FBI data
From 2021 to 2022 across the state’s largest cities, violent crime dropped a combined 8.8% and property crime decreased by 2.6%.
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Multnomah County Librarians Say They’re No Longer Willing to Work as De Facto Security Guards
Their union says the model used to staff libraries for the past two decades puts library workers squarely in the path of potential violence.
Man charged in 9 armed robberies at Portland-area pot shops, convenience stores
A man who demanded marijuana and cash from a string of Portland-area pot shops and markets while armed with a handgun has been charged with 16 counts of robbery, court documents allege.
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CRIME MAP
Unfortunately, the service for our interactive crim map has been retired. We are still workig to establish an API or embeddable active feed of Oregon’s crime map but for now you can visit https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/crime-statistics#toc-dashboard-walkthrough for Portland specific crime data or https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/or/crime for Oregon.