Deschutes Sheriff Nelson opposes assault weapons ban

Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson on Friday joined his Jefferson County counterpart in taking a public stand against an initiative petition to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“I firmly believe that every responsible and accountable law abiding citizen who wants to legally own a firearm should do so,” Nelson wrote in a Facebook posting stating his opposition to Initiative Petition 43, which targets through its definition of “assault weapons” semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols.

Jefferson County Jim Adkins took a similar stand in a Facebook posting on April 1.

Here is Sheriff’ Nelson’s posted Facebook message, in full:

“As your Sheriff, I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States of America and the State of Oregon. In addition to this, I swore to perform the duties of Deschutes County Sheriff to the best of my ability. I support and defend the Second Amendment and oppose IP 43.

“I serve the 190,000 citizens of our great county and am charged with public safety. Our office has issued over 14,000 concealed handgun licenses and I firmly believe that every responsible and accountable law abiding citizen who wants to legally own a firearm should do so. Firearms have their lawful place in society and are an important tool in personal protection and ensuring public safety in our county.

“I understand the concerns of school violence across the country and the role law enforcement plays. Oregon has a number of laws on the books regarding background checks and age restrictions related to the purchase of a firearm. These laws prohibit the sale of firearms to convicted felons, those convicted of misdemeanor crimes involving violence, those adjudicated as mentally ill, those who have been committed as the result of a Mental Commitment Hearing, those with an active felony warrant, active out of state misdemeanor warrant and those on pretrial release for a felony.

“Our office continues to take all threats seriously, and we appropriately vet them in partnership with our DA’s Office, mental health professionals, other law enforcement agencies, our schools, and others in the public safety sector. We immediately respond to, investigate threats of violence or danger, and hold people accountable. We are committed to keeping our children and community safe. Deputies of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office will always respond to assist and protect the citizens we serve, but you must be prepared to appropriately take care of you and your family until we can get there.”