Gun owners were victorious in Clackamas County today.
Pro Gun Rights Attorney Shawn Kollie successfully defended Warren Mitchell’s right to have an Oregon Concealed Handgun license in spite of the fact that he is technically homeless.
While currently homeless, Mitchell was nevertheless a longtime resident of Clackamas County. He received mail, including a government stimulus check, at a Clackamas County facility and met every other qualification.
Clackamas County denied a renewal for him based on their position that he was not legally a resident of the county.
Oddly, the County said in their petition defending the Sheriff’s refusal to renew:
It should be noted that although the term “resident” is not defined in ORS Chapter 166, it is defined in several other Oregon statutes. A common and helpful definition of “resident” is a person who has resided within a specific city, county, or the State continuously for at least six months prior to date of an application.
This is strange because ORS 166, the section of Oregon law that deals with firearms, very specifically DOES define “resident”, in this case exactly for the purposes of obtaining an Oregon CHL.
As we noted, and as Attorney Kollie pointed out, Mr. Mitchell met every single requirement.
The panic caused by Covid has created many new challenges for gun owners. Obviously for many, simply buying a gun has become very difficult. For quite a long time, Clackamas County used Covid as an excuse to refuse to issue new permits or even renew existing ones. As of today, they are issuing and renewing but there is no telling if they will continue given the Governor’s every changing draconian mandates and shut down threats.
We are grateful for the excellent work of Mr. Kollie and pleased that Warren Mitchell is not being denied a basic right because of his current housing situation.