Latest news with #HB3076
Epoch Times
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Oregon Lawmakers, Courts Weigh Strict New Gun Laws
The battle over firearm safety regulations versus gun rights is raging in Oregon. The fate of Ballot Measure 114, which has been tied up in litigation since voters approved it in 2022, now resides with the Oregon Supreme Court. The measure is widely deemed to contain the strictest gun laws in the nation. Democrat lawmakers, who hold the majority in both legislative chambers, are not waiting for a ruling. Instead, they are advancing three firearms safety bills. The bill would increase the length of time a 'permit agent' has to issue or deny permits, and increase fees to apply for or renew a permit from $65 to $150. Related Stories 2/10/2023 9/19/2023 'We're very eager to have it [Measure 114] put in place,' said Liz McKenna of 'It's time to see what it can do.' Testifying in opposition, Republican state Rep. Alek Skarlatos criticized the proposed $150 permit fee and $110 renewal fee as discriminatory toward low-income individuals, who he claimed are more likely to use firearms for self-defense. 'A $300 rifle is now $450, plus the $48 background check fee,' he said. The bill also extends the time for the state to issue a permit to a qualified applicant from 30 to 60 days from receipt of the application. Though he has supported 'most gun violence measures in the past decade,' Democrat Rep. Paul Evans bucked his party by calling HB 3075 'an attack on disadvantaged Oregonians' in his April newsletter. State Licensing for Dealers Bill 3076 would direct the Oregon Department of Justice to create a state licensing program for gun dealers, with license application and renewal fees as much as $1,500 annually and potential increases of 20 percent each year. Oregon firearm dealers are currently licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and require a Federal Firearms License (FFL), with no additional licensing requirements. Under HB 3076, a valid FFL from the ATF would no longer be sufficient to operate a gun store in the state. Shops of all sizes and home-based FFLs would be required to install a digital video surveillance system that records at any time a customer is on the premises. Gun transfers would have to be captured on video with a three-year storage requirement. All FFL employees who handle firearms or ammunition would be required to first pass a state-certified training course that hasn't been developed yet and follow that training with annual refreshers. 'HB 3076, as amended, creates absurd and draconian new restrictions on gun dealers in an effort to shut down as many firearms businesses as possible,' the Oregon Firearms Federation told The Epoch Times. 'However, the new rules also apply to home-based FFLs and will apply at gun shows, where the requirements will be impossible to comply with.' Oregon House Republicans criticized both bills, saying they restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens to bear arms while doing nothing to reduce crime and uphold public safety. 'These bills are an attack on the constitutional right to bear arms,' House Minority Leader Rep. Christine Drazan said in an April 8 statement to the media. 'The only thing these bills do is punish law-abiding gun owners and small businesses that are in full compliance with federal law.' Evans again broke with his party in saying that he is 'adamantly opposed' to all of Oregon's pending gun legislation. 'The fervor advancing these measures has caused me to earnestly reconsider my party affiliation,' he wrote in his newsletter. Both House bills contain an 'emergency declaration.' This clause ensures that the bills would go into effect as soon as the governor signs them, rather than waiting until January of the following year. Meanwhile, in the Senate ... Introduced by Democrat Sen. Floyd Prozanski, It would also ban rapid-fire devices like bump stocks, binary triggers, and rapid-fire activators, and would allow local governments to ban firearms in public buildings, Prozanski explained in an April 9 'The first part of the law is designed to help prevent suicides or domestic violence,' by requiring a wait time for people with 'high emotions,' Prozanski said. 'It would give them time to rethink their position before carrying out suicide or domestic violence.' Evans described the requirement for a three-day waiting period after passing a background check a 'theft of liberty.' 'Who would support a three-day waiting period for the purchase of an automobile, the delivery of alcohol or a gummy, or for an appointment providing reproductive care?' Testifying in support of the bill on March 27, Jess Marks, executive director for the gun safety advocacy group 'While there has been this huge shift in the technology and the types of firearms available, there have been almost no changes in how this new technology is regulated,' Marks testified. Tracking Measure 114 Voters approved Ballot Measure 114, requiring a permit to purchase a gun, with a 50.75 percent margin. The measure remains on hold pending Under the measure, prospective buyers must pass a criminal background check and complete a gun safety course to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm. They must also prove they are not a danger to themselves or others. If it stands, the measure overrides the 'Charleston Loophole,' a law that currently allows firearm transfers to proceed if a background check takes more than three days. Additionally, it restricts magazines that are 'capable of holding or being modified to hold' more than 10 rounds. A Harney County, Oregon, circuit court judge ruled in November 2023 that Measure 114 violated the state constitution. In a major reversal of that ruling, a three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals found in March this year that the measure does not violate the state constitution's right to bear arms. The court On April 14, the plaintiffs, two Harney County gun owners, asked the Oregon Supreme Court to weigh in. In a 24-page The plaintiffs contend that its requirement to obtain a permit to buy a gun would turn that constitutional right 'into a privilege for the government to grant or refuse.' The state supreme court can take up to 90 days to act, Aiello explained in a social media 'At some point, the supreme court will decide to hear our case, not hear our case, or the legislature may pass HB 3075,' one of three bills introduced in the state legislature in January, he said. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed that the state would 'Oregonians voted for this, and it's time we move ahead with common-sense safety measures,' Rayfield said. The state ranks 12th in the nation for the strength of its gun laws, State law requires that guns be securely stored whenever they are not in their owner's immediate control, prohibits guns at the state capitol, and gives colleges and universities the authority to prohibit guns on their grounds. In 2023, the state enacted a prohibition on untraceable 'ghost guns' and 3D-printed guns.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon gun reform advocates ‘rejoicing' but not slowing down after Measure 114 ruling
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A controversial gun control measure — approved by voters more than two years ago — is now back in play, as the Oregon State Court of Appeals rules it is constitutional. But even as opponents are planning their next appeal, advocates for gun reform aren't slowing down either. The court's ruling means a hold on gun safety requirements could soon be lifted throughout the state. Body found at pond prompts homicide investigation Voters passed Measure 114 in November 2022. It requires people to undergo a background check and safety courses to receive a gun permit. It also limits the legal magazine capacity to less than 10 rounds — with exceptions for police and military. Supporters of Measure 114 are ecstatic and they said it's a move in the right direction. 'It's a day to give rejoicing in a country that's living with a lot of fear right now,' said Rev. Dr. W.J. Mark Knutson, the chair of , the advocacy group that helped push for Measure 114. Knutson held a press conference on Wednesday at his Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland. He said efforts are continuing to push for gun reform issues in Salem, including , which would require federally licensed firearms dealers to also be licensed in Oregon. 'There's some important bills in the state legislature, we'll be coming alongside others to help move through. There are social programs that are [for] young people that we'll be working on with other organizations that are not here today but would like to have been. So how do we weave that community? And that's never going to be complete. So, we'll continue on,' said Knutson said. Wyden decries pause on student loan repayment programs Advocates argue that laws like Measure 114, the proposed HB 3076 and others could have prevented tragic incidents like the back in 2015 and the several in Portland. 'If you eliminate that, you eliminate a great portion of people that are killed even by stray bullets,' said Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes. Though Measure 114 has been ruled constitutional, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going into effect, at least not yet. Those opposing the measure in this case have the next 35 days to appeal this ruling. Tony Aiello, Jr., a senior associate with Tyler Smith & Associates, has already indicated he by bringing it to a higher court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
