Sportsmen’s Alliance sat down with Sheriff Brian Wolfe of Malheur County, Oregon to hear his thoughts on the impact of Ballot Measure 114.
I’ve been in law enforcement for 32 years. I first started in the city of Nyssa, Oregon. From there went to the city of Ontario and then came to the sheriff’s office as the appointed undersheriff in 1997. I was undersheriff from 1997 to 2011 at which time I was appointed sheriff upon the retirement of the former. I have been elected to this office three times since.
I believe that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. The biggest reason that I have issues with Ballot Measure 114 is because I do not believe it to be constitutional. The Supreme Court has already spoken on this, even through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. So, to me, it’s pretty clear that the proposed ballot measure infringes upon the Constitution of the United States.
The Oregon State Sheriffs Association did a real simple study. We believe at minimum; this will cost us around $40 million. We believe that through the ballot measure we would generate around 25 to 29 million. So, there’s a huge shortfall. The other problem with it is we can’t find enough people to fill all our positions as it is. We’re going to be required to provide training. I can tell you that in this sheriff’s office, we will find a way to make it happen. My fear is that police departments, or maybe even other sheriff’s offices, will just say they don’t have the staffing levels to be able to provide this training. Or only offer limited training such as a class once a year for 30 people. That has wide reaching effects.
I’m all about safety and public safety. The proponents of Ballot Measure 114 claim that this will make safer communities. I totally disagree. To me, it’s nothing more than power and control. There are current federal and state laws throughout the United States that already prohibit the actions of these people that would harm another using a firearm.
Oregon has already passed a bill that requires all weapons to be locked up and requires a transfer to be done. You can’t loan or gift a firearm to another person without a transfer. Even if I have a friend who is going on a hunting trip, I can’t loan that friend a firearm to take on the hunting trip.
It is my belief that people with a deranged mental status will find a way to hurt and kill others, whether it’s with a firearm or something else. We really have to quit trying to put Band-Aids or unrealistic fixes on things. There are no mental health hospitals per se like there were back in the eighties and even the very early nineties. We’ve got to start addressing the mental health issues rather than coming up with these “feel good measures” that some people believe will be effective; we know that they aren’t effective.
All you have to do is look at Detroit, Michigan and Washington, D.C., who have some of the strictest gun laws in the United States but yet their crime rate is the highest in the nation. The other thing that really bothers me is the term “gun violence”. Well, the gun is not able to commit violence. It’s the person behind it that has the deranged thinking.
Look at the people, the gun stores and the businesses that sell guns in Oregon, what it’s going to do to them. Look at the law-abiding citizens who may not be able to get a permit because the training is not offered. Or maybe some people just can’t afford it. This thing is just perfect for disaster all the way around. We haven’t even talked about the ability to protect yourself and your home and your family with firearms. You know, it’s going to restrict the ability for some people to protect themselves and to use a gun for self-defense.
I’m opposed to ballot measure 114. I do not believe it would make our communities safer.
