Bikeride through Springfield

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On Friday I took a bikeride from my apt to the bank. Total distance about 10 miles.
I decided to OC, since being hunched over riding makes secure CC rather difficult.

So I grab my 1911, put it in my serpa, strap on and go.

and nothing happened.

No one said anything. I noticed a few people giving me the look, and at the ATM the other customers kept their distance back (which is great, I don't have to ask anyone to not crowd me at the ATM).

Observations: Most people don't seem to notice. They're heads are in the clouds.
When people do notice, they think I'm a cop because: well groomed + young white male + gun + riding a bike = off duty cop.

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I've spent some hours riding my bicycle and other OCing around Springfield over the last few months with very boring results. Nobody seems to notice or care.

A couple of months ago, I decided to Email both Eugene and Springfield Police Departments asking if they're aware OC is legal and what their procedure is for reports of someone carrying a gun. Within a few days, I received a call fromCpt. Lewis in the Springfield PD and discussed Open Carry with him. I let him know about the Open Carry movement and he asked for the web address. He stated that if they get a call they are required to investigate, but he'll make sure and send out a memo to his officers about the Open Carry movement and to let them know they may see an increase in citizens carrying firearms openly. He also suggested to avoid problems I should CC, but recognized it's my choice and right to OC. :celebrate

I've never received any response from Eugene PD, after two Emails. I'm thinking of calling them and asking if their Email is broken. :uhoh:

I've heard from Curtis Greer (GREAT 2nd Amendment supporter and NRA instructor in Springfield) that Eugene can be hazardous to those carrying firearms. He told me of two specific instances in recent years where two people were detained and firearms seized and almost didn't get them back after MWAG calls (1 was carrying concealed and someone saw it, the other was OCing).

Keep up the OCing lazyeye. I'm hoping I'll get to start OCing again soon (right now I can't risk my place to live )
...Orygunner...

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But boring results are what we want, right?

Gratz on the successful OC.

Orygunner, would you consider drafting a letter roughly summing the contents of your conversation with the Sheriff and posting it here to be peer edited and reviewed? I think if us members got together to draft a letter, got a little help from Lonnie, we could put together something generic that members could send along to their local police agencies. At the top of my list, Portland Police and the Transit Police.

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grishnav wrote:

But boring results are what we want, right?

Gratz on the successful OC.

Orygunner, would you consider drafting a letter roughly summing the contents of your conversation with the Sheriff and posting it here to be peer edited and reviewed? I think if us members got together to draft a letter, got a little help from Lonnie, we could put together something generic that members could send along to their local police agencies. At the top of my list, Portland Police and the Transit Police.

Click to expand...

Good idea, grishnav. I think the only problem with the transit authority would be that - to my understanding, any way - Tri-Met gets a lot of federal funding as well as state funding. That means that to maintain federal funding they need to follow specific rules from the feds as well. I haven't had the time to regularly check up on this (internet down during the day when it gets to hot, about 120 - 125 F), but I would love it if some one could prove this theory of mine wrong.

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DenWin wrote:

grishnav wrote:

But boring results are what we want, right?

Gratz on the successful OC.

Orygunner, would you consider drafting a letter roughly summing the contents of your conversation with the Sheriff and posting it here to be peer edited and reviewed? I think if us members got together to draft a letter, got a little help from Lonnie, we could put together something generic that members could send along to their local police agencies. At the top of my list, Portland Police and the Transit Police.

Click to expand...

Good idea, grishnav. I think the only problem with the transit authority would be that - to my understanding, any way - Tri-Met gets a lot of federal funding as well as state funding. That means that to maintain federal funding they need to follow specific rules from the feds as well. I haven't had the time to regularly check up on this (internet down during the day when it gets to hot, about 120 - 125 F), but I would love it if some one could prove this theory of mine wrong.

Click to expand...

The fear being, I suppose, that the prospect of losing federal funding would cause the legislature to change the preemption statue to allow Trimet to regulate firearms? A reasonable fear, and one of the reasons I haven't contacted them yet (still looking into it).

Either way, as it stands right now, Trimet does not ban firearms on their system. The wording of their ordinance is merely confusing enough that most of their police and security think they do. If Trimet is required by federal funding rules to ban firearms, then they are already breaking them. Further, they are breaking the Oregon people's contract with them and/or the federal contract with them as a municipal corporation by accepting the federal funding rules that require them to ban firearms when they aren't allowed to by Oregon law.

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Good for you, keep up the vigilance.