Executive orders: 'Some of them quite frankly, are humorous'
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COOS BAY, Ore.-- Just a few hours after releasing a letter voicing his support for the Second Amendment, Coos County Sheriff Craig Zanni spoke with KCBY News about what the letter means for the future of Coos County when it comes to enforcing gun laws.
Zanni joins Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller, Crook County Sheriff Jim Hensley and Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin who have all written letters stating their strong support for the Second Amendment, but Zanni's letter was different in that instead of being addressed to Vice President Joe Biden, Zanni addressed his letter to the Citizens of Coos County.
"People are concerned 'well they're going to take away our rights'," Zanni said. "No, we wouldn't stand for that. I have a copy of the 23 executive orders that were given, and some of them quite frankly are humorous, because one is an order by the President ordering himself to nominate an ATF director which is his job anyways."
After a news conference Wednesday in which President Obama laid out a new gun control policy for the nation that would be enforced by executive order, Zanni said many people have called his office fearing their guns would be taken away from them, and that is why he released a statement saying he was a supporter of the Second Amendment and the state's concealed carry laws.
"I just think people were anticipating some type of incident where somebody was going to say 'we're going to confiscate guns and take guns', and I have all 23 executive orders, and I don't see anything like that," he said.
Zanni said if anyone from any level of government came to the county to take away a law abiding citizen's gun, then he would not stand for it and would defend the person's right to have a gun.
Zanni said the letter was to reassure people that as long as they are law abiding citizens, then he will support their right to own a gun, but Zanni did say there were some executive orders he was pleased to see, such as ones that would offer more support to local law enforcement groups and increase attention on mental health.
"Most of the people [who carry out violent acts] are suffering from some form of mental illness, and we've put some type of stigma on somebody admitting they have a mental illness," he said. "So nobody wants to say anything, and that's the real issue. It's not about guns. It's about the people who commit these types of crimes."
Aside from reducing magazine clip sizes, banning assault weapons and more background checks, the sheriff said many of the orders are simply restating laws that he already enforces and that have been in place for years, and that people shouldn't expect drastic changes to how they already live their lives.
"The joke in my office is these orders could've been reduced to two things: the things you're supposed to do, do. The things you're not supposed to do, don't," he said.
Zanni said everyone wants a safer country, and now is not the time for hasty decisions made in the middle of the night. A sound policy about mental health and getting guns out of the hands of the mentally ill is what he would prefer to see.
"There is a lot of angst because it is an emotional issue involving the death of children," he said. "Everybody is concerned about that, and I don't care what side of the political spectrum you are."
If you have a concern about gun and mental health policy, Zanni said making violent threats will only get you into trouble. The best way is to contact your elected officials and become active in the political process.
WOW, there is a sane sheriff in Oregon. He actually understands that trying to improve and enforce laws is not the same as taking all our guns so the citizens are unprotected. I have owned guns since I was 9 and passed my hunters education course, I belive in responsable gun ownership, but there is no reason I need an asault rifle with a 30 round clip, because I don't need to kill a room full of people. There is no reason to allow huge loopholes in the background check system so that all a criminal has to do is buy their guns at a gun show rather than a gun shop. I like my guns but I love my children.
@Blahblahblah You're purposely trying to pass off false information. Oregon is one of seven States that requires all gun sales at a gun show to require a background check. Even for private dealers & individuals at the gun show.
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I need 30 and 100 round magazines for the exact same reason today & in the future as I did while in the Military. Furthermore its the same reason the police & military need them today.
@Shofoeshore Would it be safe to say that people with guns travel across state lines sometimes, would it also be safe to say this is a national issue?
If you have an honorable discharge and no felony convictions there is no reason you should lose any of your weaponry. No one is going to take your guns or your magazines unless they were bought illegally.
The president suggested we stop making more, not that we collect them all and melt them down!
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Doesn't matter what he suggested. People are thinking about their Right in the future as much as the present. Anyways, be careful what you wish for. When man creates a more destructive means, he has always done so out of neccesity. When.one does not have a destructive enough means, necessity becomes the mother of invention. An analogy & warning Plato spoke with just six words.
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So you must think we need even more powerful ways to defend ourselves? Because limiting something that is already a well accepted norm (30-100 round magazines) for defense in the future, whether by police, civilian or military alike. Will only feed the need to innovate our means by even more. Which btw I don't feel I need more or less than I currently do & I know many police, military & civilians out there that feel the same way.
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Another saying that comes to mind: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
Apparently this Sheriff is not informed about how the ATF has been stripped of any power what so ever to do their job to act on the gun laws we already have.Â
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What the President has purposed is to give the power back to the ATF. Two persons 1 in the congress from Kansas and one Senator slipped in deregulation to the powers of the ATF and stripped this dept. down to no powers to enforce gun laws.
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Everyone has said "we need to enforce the laws we have" all agree but the majority of people did not know through the years those laws have been deregulated leaving the ATF with little to no power to enforce. It started with the Patriot Act changing appointment of the ATF director to the Congress and Senate to confirm. No one has been appointed as the ATF director in over 6 years - there has been a temp assigned which is also a congressmen, the ATF has been tied down to nothing more than suggestions - all of this was backed by the NRA.
The powers of the ATF has been stripped so badly the only enforcement they have is a channel on youtube.
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Responsible guns owners and Legitimate gun dealers should be very happy that the laws in place can and will be acted on by the ATF IF the Presidents gun control policies are embraced by the house....we shall see.
We've got hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants that have clearly violated federal law, yet they live among us, demonstrate before cameras, occupy our low income housing complexes, siphon off our resources, and completely flaunt laws that have been on the books for years. I can't take any new laws seriously at this point. I'll still keep my larger capacity magazines without fear of prosecutionÂ
@flor3nc3 What does someone living in low income housing have to do with squat? My gf worked very closely with a non profit that specialized in that and your little rant makes no sense.Low income housing is built by non profits who then get tax credits from banks and they trade these credits like cash the government has nothing to do with this,so complaining that a Mexican lives there is retarded.Also,illegal immigrants can't apply there without proper real documentation,because they go through a criminal check prior to living there.You really want to get rid of the moochers? Kick out all the corporations getting billions in taxpayer funded corporate welfare.We know both know your little rant was just a racist diatribe,but it failed miserably due to your lack of information on the subject.
 @RelaxThereIsNoGod You obviously missed the point about which laws our officials actively enforce. Please don't assume that illegal immigrant automatically means Mexican....it implies you're a racist. Illegals can come from anywhere outside of the U.S. There are plenty from all nationalities. And if you think you're going to convince me that low income housing complexes aren't filled with moochers??? please
And those corporations getting the taxbreaks? That's our liberal state, county, and city officials you can thank for that. I stand by my rant
 @RelaxThereIsNoGod  @flor3nc3 Flor3nc3 - settle down immigration reform is coming save your breath for that one.
RelaxThereIsNoGod: Agreed, but using the word "retarded" in the context given - poor form. I am not one of those Politically Correct people but do not feel a real mental condition should be used as an example of another person's closed minded opinion.
Just be real carefull who you vote into office in the future if you don't want your rights taken away, especially in the state of oregon, people here seem to be blind to whats coming down the road with all our rights and individual freedoms, they tend to vote for there own needs and wants instead of the big picture whats good for the whole state and all the people
It's a reasonable letter. Â I'm glad this sheriff isn't one of those "I don't like what's happening so I'm going to decide not enforce new laws" insurrectionist sheriffs, like the ones in Douglas, Crook, and Linn Counties.
Only in this age of amazing political ignorance would an American consider support for law-abiding citizens' Constitutional rights as "insurrectionist".
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That is pitiful beyond words.
 @oregoncraig Whats even more pitiful?..those who keep making statements like this..keep breeding and breeding and making more just like themselves, we should all be scared!
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