Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro) shocked some gun rights advocates when he said slavery in the U.S. was “right for the time” according to a Supreme Court ruling of the day. The comment appeared to be defending slavery, although he made the comment to illustrate the power he believes lies with the Supreme Court and to support his views on gun control, which he said does not infringe on civil liberties given in the U.S. Constitution.
Riley, whose comments were caught on video, held an informal conversation with his constituents on Saturday, April 25, at Insomniac Coffee in Hillsboro during which he faced heat from gun rights advocates. Riley has already come under pressure from opponents, who recently filed a recall petition due to his support of gun control laws in Oregon. House Rep. Susan McLain (D-Forest Grove) is also facing a potential recall.
Riley said that gun control laws, such as the one he sponsored to require criminal background checks for all gun registration, are within the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the right to bear arms spelled out in the Second Amendment.
His opponents challenged him on whether that interpretation is accurate and posed the example of slavery as an issue where the Supreme Court has gone wrong. In 1857, the Supreme Court declared its determination in the Dred Scott case: All blacks—whether slave or free—could never become U.S. citizens.
Riley said of the Supreme Court’s ruling, “They were right for the time until they changed it.” Later in the conversation, he added that the Supreme Court was ultimately wrong and pointed out that the constitution had to change to reflect that new view. The 13th Amendment, which prohibited slavery, was passed by Congress in 1865, replacing previous constitutional clauses that permitted slavery.
His comment riled up citizens at the coffee shop, though, including one who said he was using this justification to “take away our rights.”
Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro)
Riley could not be reached for further comment.
Riley was one sponsor of the Oregon Senate Bill 941, which would require criminal background checks for all private transfers of firearms. Exceptions include transfers to family members, between law enforcement officers, inherited firearms and transfers at buy-back or turn-in events.
Currently, Oregon requires background checks at gun shows or gun dealers but does not require a check for a private transfer. Under the law, private owners would be asked to call the Department of State Police to request a background check before transferring the gun to another individual. If they do not, they could be liable for any unlawful act committed with the gun.
Last week, a public hearing on the bill drew large numbers of opponents.
“This bill, if passed, will do absolutely nothing to deter crime, and will instead make criminals out of law-abiding gun owners, because I can't imagine anyone taking the time and spending the money to do a background check on a friend just to loan him or her a gun,” wrote Chuck Buchanan from Durkee, Ore.
Only eight other states, including Washington, D.C., already have universal background check laws. Washington state’s law just went into effect on Dec. 4, 2014.
Whether his remarks are backed by Supreme Court rulings is debatable. In recent years, the Supreme Court has shied away from taking a Second Amendment case, and it has chosen to tread lightly on the topic. It backed up a gun control law in a 2014 case ruling that gun purchases for others are unlawful without even using the Second Amendment. But its most recent headline grabbing decision was a 2008 case in which it upheld the right to own a gun.
A January poll indicated that 78 percent of Oregonians do not view the proposed legislation as a threat to Second Amendment rights, while 87 percent strongly support universal background checks.
Related Slideshow: The Eight Political Types
What political type are you? The Pew Research Center says most Americans fall into eight groups. Can you find your match?
Republicans who regularly attend religious services (55 percent attend at least weekly) and are very politically engaged. Steadfast Conservatives are mostly male (59 percent), non-Hispanic white (87 percent), and hold very negative thoughts towards immigrants/immigration.
If you are an individualist who invests in the stock market and believes the government is doing a bad job, then you might be a Business Conservative. Unlike Steadfast Conservatives, Business Conservatives believe that immigrants strengthen the country. Most Business Conservatives live in suburbs with 45 percent earning $75,000 a year or more.
Educated liberals who are optimistic about the nation’s future and who continually support President Obama (with 84 percent approving his job performance) and, you guessed it, faithfully vote Democrat. Unlike Business Conservatives who prefer the suburbs, 45 percent of Solid Liberals prefer to live in a city.
Are you a person that dislikes both Republicans and Democrats? Young Outsiders may lean towards the Republican Party, but heavily support the environment and liberal social policies, unlike their conservative counterparts. Also they are one of the youngest typology groups, with 30 percent under the age of 30. Young Outsiders are 73 percent non-Hispanic whites who think "poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return."
Like Young Outsiders, Hard-Pressed Skeptics doubt Democrats and Republicans, but lean towards the Democratic Party view, although fewer than half approve of Obama’s job performance. Difficult financial circumstances have left Hard-Pressed Skeptics to believe that “the poor have hard lives because government benefits don’t go far enough to help them live decently.”
Photo Credit: By Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information / Office of Emergency Management / Resettlement Administration [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped)
You might just be a Next Generation Left if you're liberal on social issues: abortion, same-sex marriage and affirmative action. However, Next Generation Leftists deny the belief that racial discrimination is a barrier to success for racial minorities.
This group is highly diverse with 30 percent African-American and 18 percent foreign born. Faith and Family Left want a greater government role in programs such as aid for the poor. However, they are conservative when it comes to social issues, like opposing same sex marriage and legalizing marijuana, probably because the majority put religion and family first.
If you keep saying “I don’t get it, I don’t see myself as any of the types,” you might just be a Bystander, which means you're the person on the sidelines. You're more interested in celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyonce (are they really getting a divorce?) than government and politics. Noteworthy that Bystanders don't registered to vote, but do love the outdoors. Some 66 percent of bystanders consider themselves an “outdoor person.”
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It