Proposed Oregon Gun Laws Are Worse Than You Thought

I noted the other day that a bill submitted by Oregon State Senator Rob Wagner (D) would limit people to magazines that hold no more than 5 rounds, and that people would be restricted from purchasing more than 20 rounds per month. It gets even worse, which means other Democrat run states will give this a whirl

Tough Gun Control Bill, To Oregon Senate

Scheduled to appear this year in front of the Oregon Senate is SB 501, a bill that would dramatically change firearms laws in Oregon. The bill was authored by Students for Change, a gun control advocacy group of Lake Oswego teenagers that assembled after the Parkland, Florida massacre.

If passed as the bill now stands, Oregon gun laws would be among the strictest in the country. The piece of legislation calls for anyone purchasing or receing a firearm to obtain a state-issued permit, punishable by 364 days imprisonment, a $6,250 fine, or both. The bill also requires gun owners to secure all firearms not carried by or within reach of the owner via trigger locks or locked containers, a violation would carry 30 days jail time, a $1,250 fine, or both. The law would also require background checks for purchasing or receiving ammunition, mandatory reporting to police within 24 hours of firearm theft, and 14 day background checks for gun purchases and transfers.

None of this would affect criminals. Just law abiding citizens. Most people do not keep their firearm on or near them while at home. But, they know where they are if they need them. However, they would have to be locked up, making them worthless when needed. Further, how would the Authorities know? Will they be making spot checks?

Perhaps the most sweeping changes that this bill proposes are magazine capacity regulations and ammunition sales limits. As the bill exists, it would prohibit most “large-capacity magazines,” which it defines as all magazines, fixed or detachable, capable of holding more than five rounds. Exempted from the ban would be fixed .22 caliber magazine tubes and fixed lever-action rifle magazines. The bill contained no language exempting shotguns from the ban, which sometimes hold seven shells in a fixed magazine tube. This legislation would presumably outlaw most revolvers, which usually hold six rounds. The penalty for violating this section of the law would be 364 days in prison, a $6,250, or both. Currently, the strictest state magazine capacity laws in the U.S. limit to ten rounds, and exist in a handful of states including California and New York.

The legislation would outlaw most shotguns and revolvers. And there is no grandfathering in the bill as proposed.

SB 501 would also limit ammunition sales to 20 rounds a month, per person. Rounds sold at shooting ranges would be the exception, but all rounds purchased must be fired on site. Ammunition is very commonly sold in packages of 25. Some states have ammunition laws that include permitting and prohibited round types, but a 20 round limit would be the first state law barring ammo purchase at a certain amount.

The bill as proposed also raises the age of purchase to 21 for all firearms, and makes it very difficult and very complicated to purchase. Any criminal conviction would disqualify a person. Got caught with a beer at the park? Convicted of that minor offense? Barred.

Of course, there aren’t many guns one would be allowed to actually own that are usable. Matt Vespa writes “So, in other words, if this passes, the only legal firearms you could own in Oregon were the ones the Louis and Clark expedition probably carried when they rolled into the area in the 1800s.” That might be a bit much, because that bottom rifle in the picture comes with a 5 round magazine, like many hunting rifles. This would ban the majority of handguns, though, unless the manufacturers start making mags that will only hold 5 rounds.

Expect other Democrat cities and states to start looking to do the same. Because this was always about banning guns.

Also expect lots of lawsuits and court challenges.