Oregon voters delivered a loud and clear message to our legislators last night: Oregonians want to end gun violence! There are simply too many gun crimes here in Oregon. We demand common sense gun laws and we will vote out legislators who refuse to take simple steps to keep guns away from criminals.
You helped create a huge victory for gun violence prevention last night! Thank you! Thousands of you stood up to the gun lobby and paved the way for a strong background checks bill in 2015 in Oregon.
- Sara Gelser in Senate District 8, a supporter of background checks, was voted into office. Ceasefire Oregon supporters made phone calls and canvassed to help elect Sara Gelser. Her opponent, incumbent Betsy Close, was swept out. Close not only voted against background checks but she also took $10,000 from the Oregon Firearms Federation PAC, a gun lobby group.
- Washington passed I-594 which will expand background checks in Washington State on nearly all gun sales. Washington voters overwhelmingly voted for Initiative 594. At the same time, voters resoundingly rejected I-591, an NRA driven measure designed to weaken Washington state laws.
- Chuck Riley's race in Washington County's Senate District 15 against incumbent Bruce Starr has not yet been called. Ceasefire Oregon volunteers took part in canvasses and phone banks organized by Everytown for Gun Sense and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Our special thanks to Everytown and Moms Demand Action.
- Four amazing gun violence survivors canvassed with Everytown. Colin Goddard who survived 4 bullet wounds at the Virginia Tech massacre, Mary Reed who suffered 3 bullets wounds in Tucson while using her own body to shield her daugher, Neil Heslin whose son was killed at Sandy Hook, and Ashley Cech whose mother heroically saved students and staff at Sandy Hook.
- Other great wins for gun violence prevention are:
- Governor John Kitzhaber
- U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
- State Senator Alan Bates
- Representative Joe Gallegos
- Representative Shemia Fagan
Though it spent nearly $11 million on the 2012 election, the National Rifle Association saw less than 1 percent of its money go toward its desired result, according to the Sunlight Foundation—a nonpartisan group that uses data to promote government transparency.
Here are some of the candidates who were backed by gun lobbies or who opposed background checks and lost:
- Dennis Richardson, candidate for Governor, lost
- Monica Wehby, candidate for Senator, lost
- Casey Runyan, candidate for Oregon House District 9, lost
- Betsy Close, candidate for Oregon Senate District 8, lost
Ceasefire Oregon would like to thank all of you who called, canvassed, talked to your friends and voted for legislators who will support common sense gun laws. The road has been paved and now we can move forward to reduce gun violence. Oregonians will be safer now because of your work. Thank you!
ADDENDUM: A related post from the Common Gunsense blog about wins across the country.
