Sweeping Gun Control Bill Heads to Oregon Senate Floor for Vote

Anti-gun Democrats in Oregon are pushing to make major changes to the state’s gun laws this session, and a bill that would enact several new restrictions is now heading for a vote on the Senate floor after passing out of committee on a party line vote on Wednesday. 

The Democrat-controlled legislature is also looking to expand on Measure 114, which not only bans “large capacity” magazines, but establishes a permit-to-purchase process that’s also a backdoor gun registry, with a bill that would dramatically hike the fee for the permit also progressing through the legislature. Senate Bill 243-4, however, would create several brand new restrictions on gun owners in the state. 

 It would:

— Establish a 72-hour waiting period before someone can obtain a gun they’re buying. Oregon currently has no mandated wait time. 

— Raise the age from 18 to 21 to legally possess most guns except for certain hunting rifles and shotguns.

— Ban switch devices that turn guns from semi-automatic to fully automatic weapons.

Keep in mind that with the permit-to-purchase system, any prospective gun buyer could be forced to wait up to 30 days for their local sheriff to sign off on their purchase of a handgun. If SB 243-4 becomes law, those buyers would have to twiddle their thumbs for an additional three business days before they could take possession of their firearm, while adults under the age of 21 would be shut off completely from possessing the most commonly-used firearms for self-defense. 

SB 243-4 is also a full-frontal assault on the state’s firearms preemption law. While most cities and counties in Oregon are unlikely to create any new “gun-free zones” even if they’re given the green light by the legislature, it’s a given that Portland, Multnomah County, and other liberal bastions would take advantage of the opportunity to prevent concealed carry holders from exercising their right to carry as much as possible. 

Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, said he objected to wrapping the gun policy changes into one bill that allows only a single vote. He and the committee’s other Republican, committee vice chair Kim Thatcher of Keizer, voted against advancing the bill.

He said he also opposed the 72-hour waiting period to obtain a gun from a dealer, considering the delay already imposed by the voter-approved Measure 114 that requires people to apply for a permit to buy a gun. 

The Oregon Court of Appeals recently found Measure 114, approved by voters in 2022, met provisions of the state constitution, but two Harney County gun owners are planning to petition for review by the Oregon Supreme Court, blocking it from taking effect.

The other major gun control bill, House Bill 3075-2, passed the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and now goes to the House floor. It includes Measure 114’s major provisions to ban large-capacity ammunition magazines and require a permit before buying a gun with some modifications, including increasing fees for permits.

Once again lawmakers in Salem are ignoring the violent criminals who are responsible for the drive-by shootings, gang violence, and armed assaults that have plagued Portland for years. But they’re also ignoring the fact that as police in the city have engaged in targeted deterrence efforts against the small number of people responsible for an outsized portion of violent crime, Portland’s actually become a safer place in recent months. They’re still intent on trying to ban their way to safety, and it will be lawful Oregonians who pay the price for their outright hostility towards a fundamental civil right.