More than two dozen gun-related bills have been filed in the Oregon legislature this session, and though not all of them are anti-2A, thanks to the Democrat majorities in both the House and Senate the gun control measures are the only ones that are likely to gain traction. 

Even those bills may struggle to find footing, as Salem Statesman Journal reporter Capi Lynn noted in her coverage of the latest doings at the statehouse. 

None have yet to gain serious traction for a combination of reasons. A barrage of bills is clogging the system, Measure 114 is facing ongoing court challenges, and the state has already reformed several gun laws in recent years.

Many of the record 3,317 bills, resolutions and memorials introduced this session will inevitably die.

Separate state and federal challenges have left Measure 114, a sweeping expansion of Oregon gun laws voters narrowly passed in 2022, in legal limbo. 

Even without the muscle of Measure 114, which would require Oregonians to apply for and obtain a permit before purchasing a gun and outlaw large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, Oregon has some of the strictest gun safety laws in the nation.

It ranks just outside the top 10 by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (No. 11) and Everytown for Gun Safety (No. 12). 

... “We probably could be doing a better job publicizing what we have on the books, but there’s still more work to do,” said state Sen. Lisa Reynolds, D-Portland, a chief sponsor for a handful of firearms-related bills this session.

Among the bills that Reynolds and other anti-gun Dems have introduced are measures to bar young adults from possessing firearms (SB 697) and imposing a 72-hour waiting period on those adults who are still allowed to purchase firearms at retail (SB 429). 

While Senate Bill 697 addresses concerns about the role of young people in gun violence incidents, including mass shootings, opponents argue it infringes on the Second Amendment rights of 18- to 20-year-olds.

The bill would make it illegal for someone under 21 to use or possess semiautomatic rifles or shotguns, and it would have a significant impact on high school trap shooting, one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. An estimated two-thirds of firearms used in trap shooting are semiautomatics. 

SB 697 does include a provision that allows under-21s to "temporarily" possess a firearm for "hunting, target practice or any other lawful purpose", which should in theory allow for youth shooting sports to continue unimpeded. In a state that's increasingly hostile to our Second Amendment rights, however, it's not difficult to imagine an overzealous prosecutor in Multnomah County deciding to crack down on a local high school trap team and/or their adult coaches. 

The bigger issue with SB 697 is that 18, 19, and 20-year-olds are legal adults who should have full access to their Second Amendment rights instead of having them stripped away by the state. This bill is a lawsuit waiting to happen if it becomes law, and since it died in committee last year I wouldn't be that surprised if it meets a similar fate this session while courts across the country wrestle with the issue of when, exactly, our 2A rights kick in. 

Senate Bill 429 would implement a mandatory 72-hour waiting period for transfers of a firearm or unfinished frame or receiver from the time a gun dealer requests a criminal background check and has received an approval number from Oregon State Police.

Supporters say waiting period laws delaying the purchase by a few days can reduce gun homicide and suicide rates and allow for more thorough background checks.

Opponents argue the bill has no provisions for OSP accountability or timely response to the application, leading to what they would expect to be an indefinite waiting period.

That's a huge problem with the current bill, but again, the bigger issue is that waiting periods themselves are not compatible with an uninfringed right to keep and bear arms. Artificially delaying someone's ability to exercise a fundamental civil right is downright un-American, even if supporters claim to have the best intentions in mind. And if Measure 114's permit-to-purchase is eventually allowed to go into effect by the Oregon Supreme Court, the state will have a de facto 30-day waiting period in place, since licensing authorities are allowed a month to approve permits once an application has been submitted. 

Lynn has a much better understanding of what's happening at the Oregon legislature than I do from my desk 2,800 (or so) miles away, and I'm heartened by her statement that at the moment none of these bills have seen much movement. Still, Oregon gun owners can't take that inaction for granted, and they need to be in constant contact with their lawmakers (Republican and Democrat alike) to urge them to leave our Second Amendment rights alone and to focus their attention on violent criminals, drug dealers, and those folks who are actually making the state less safe.