Clarification from Sen. Betsy Johnson: still a solid NO on bad gun bills

Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose)

I have not changed my position on any of the gun bills being proposed; should they come to the floor of the Senate, I will still be a no.

With respect to what has been posted elsewhere, here is exactly what was reported in my Facebook post:

“May 31

Budgets, background checks public safety on ‘This Week with State Senator Betsy Johnson’. Senator Johnson says legislators are busily working on budgets and some legislators are also talking about reasonable gun background check legislation. Senator Johnson says she has nothing specific to share about any potential legislation, it’s just an early conversation, but it is a bi-partisan effort to close some loopholes in Oregon’s gun background check system.

Senator Johnson says 2nd amendment rights are being respected, and she believes there needs to have a way to have folks who have been adjudicated as mentally ill to be added to the gun registry, so that person would not be able to own a gun. Senator Johnson says nothing on the gun issue has dramatically changed, other than some Democrats and Republicans are sitting down together — she says gun safety awareness courses are part of this preliminary conversation. 4 previous gun bills are gone and won’t be heard. Senator Johnson says those four bills will not be the basis of any conversation about gun laws going on now. She says there is no specific legislation being discussed at this point, and right now, it’s just talking.”

As you can see, my comments have to do with better reporting of adjudicated mental conditions to NICS (an area that Oregon has a dismal track record on), and to promote (NOT MANDATE!) gun safety courses (think a Hunter’s Safety Course).

I have not, and will not, be changing my position on the proposed bills.

And, I have nothing to do with the New York folks.