“Shall Not Be Infringed.”
Perhaps activists in Oregon have confused this declaration of the 2nd Amendment with ANTIFA’s right to riot in downtown Portland because, it appears, they certainly don’t believe it applies to the right for law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.
Like many other states in our country that have diluted the 2nd Amendment through the bureaucratic process, Oregon is now asking voters to approve Measure 114, or the Changes to Firearm Ownership and Purchase Requirements Initiative.
A summary of the text of the measure includes the following:
Measure 114 requires anyone wanting to purchase a gun to have a purchasing permit; obtaining that permit will require a fully completed background check, as well as classroom and live-fire gun training.
Measure 114 also limits the sale and manufacture of magazines to 10 or fewer rounds. The only exceptions to this law are for military and law enforcement, as well as magazines exceeding the 10-round limit that are already owned on the date the act goes into effect. Further, previously purchased magazines cannot be resold or transferred to another owner, and their use is restricted.
Ballotpedia breaks it down further. A “yes” vote means:
- require permits issued by local law enforcement to buy a firearm;
- require photo ID, fingerprints, safety training, criminal background check, and fee payment to apply for a permit; and
- prohibit manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, possessing, using, or transferring ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds and make violations a class A misdemeanor.
The measure has been met with stiff opposition from a variety of organizations arguing that it will limit citizens 2nd Amendment rights.
For example, the NRA clarifies that according to Measure 114 neither a concealed carry handgun license nor a hunter safety certification would be considered “permits.”
In addition, the director of the Oregon Hunting Association, Amy Patrick, states that there is no grace period once the measure is enacted. Patrick argues that implementing the permit system could take years and potentially put gun shops out of business while denying Oregonians from using their 2nd Amendment rights.
Of course, violent criminals using illegally obtained weapons won’t be burdened by these new regulations, she notes.
“They’re marketing this as something that is going to make everybody safer. The name of this measure is the ‘Reduction In Gun Violence Act,’ I believe is what they’re calling it, with no acknowledgment that these changes are going to have zero effect on criminal violence.”
A recent joint poll conducted by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows that supporters of the measure currently outnumber opponents, at 51% of likely eligible voters saying they would approve the measure. Activists supporting the measure have also greatly outraised opponents by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But we must try to defeat Measure 114 all the same.
This sweeping measure does nothing but place additional burdens on sheriffs and state law enforcement, who are not currently equipped to process hundreds of thousands of permit applications a year. It does nothing but increase the costs of gun ownership for law abiding citizens while sucking millions of dollars a year out of their pockets for the state. And in a state where officials allow anarchist groups to rampage and murder in its largest city, this measure will only reduce the ability of everyday people to defend themselves as is their God-given right.
This November, if you live in Oregon, vote “NO” on Measure 114!
