Oregon has gone deep down the anti-gun rabbit hole over the last handful of years. In fact, it's gotten so bad that one bill proposed would have banned anything with a capacity over five rounds--a measure which would have banned most revolvers, much less semi-automatics--and while that didn't pass, the fact that it was even considered was wild.

One of the issues with gun control laws, however, is that a lot of people don't really know what they can and can't do. Gun stores may know what they're required to do, but a lot of other people may unintentionally violate the law.

In Ashland, Oregon, officials there are hoping to prevent some of that.

In November 2022 Oregon voters narrowly passed Measure 114, a groundbreaking gun control law that has never taken effect. Mired in series of court challenges, it may be years before the law’s fate is settled. But there is plenty to talk about before the litigation runs its course.

“Be Gun Smart….Whether or You Own a Firearm or Not” is a free public program on Tues., March 4, 4:00-5:30 p.m., in the Gresham Room at Ashland Library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd. Part of the “Big Ideas” program series, it is presented by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Ashland Branch and Jackson County Library Services.

The speakers are Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara and Jackson County Sheriff Nate Sickler. They will discuss a number of issues important to citizens including an overview of current local/state/federal laws surrounding guns, how to dispose of unwanted firearms, and community and agency response to threats to our schools.

Now, on the surface, I like seeing something like this. A lot of people have questions and they get bad information from a lot of sources. Even law enforcement can give bad information to people, as we recently saw. So an informative meeting outlining what the law is and isn't could be a great resource for people who are unsure of what they can and cannot do legally.

Of course, as noted, the problem is that law enforcement can give bad information. Such a meeting is only as good as the information being given, and cops can get it wrong. They might not arrest people who follow what they say, but that doesn't mean the feds wouldn't, and that's part of the problem.

However, I also want to point out that while a meeting like this might be necessary, it shouldn't be.

If any set of laws are so complicated that they need a special meeting in order for people to understand what they can and can't do, then the laws are too complicated in general. That's especially true when you're talking about a constitutionally protected right that our Founding Fathers said "shall not be infringed."

Oregon does a whole lot of infringing, all while sanctimoniously pretending they're the ones that care.

The fact that people need lessons in what they can and cannot do with regard to firearms is a horrendous travesty of justice. I'm not blaming the Ashland officials who thought this was a good idea, generally speaking, but I am blaming pretty much every anti-gun lawmaker in this country who thinks restricting law-abiding gun owners is a good idea.