(LocalToday) Opponents of gun control fear a voting measure in Oregon will make their communities less safe as law enforcement will be forced to fund and implement a massive license acquisition program.
“This is the most extreme gun control measure in the country, or at least one of the most extreme,” Kerry Spurgin, president of the Oregon State Shooting Association, told Fox News. “It will virtually eliminate the sale of firearms in Oregon as written.”
If approved, Measure 114 would require a background check, hands-on weapons training, fingerprinting, and authorization to purchase a weapon. Police would need to maintain an electronic, searchable database of all gun permits.
The measure would also ban ammunition magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.
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Measure 114 would require Oregonians to go through a lengthy licensing process, including hands-on firearms training, before being allowed to purchase a gun. (iStock)
“When our neighbors bleed, we cannot stand by,” Rev. Mark Knutson, a lead proposer for the measure, told The Oregonian. “We needed action”
Interfaith group Lift Every Voice Oregon developed the measure and collected more than 130,000 signatures to put on the ballot. Lift Every Voice Oregon representatives did not respond to emails requesting an interview.
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Oregon already requires a background check on gun sales, but Measure 114 would duplicate the process, according to the Oregon State Sheriffs Association. It would also require local police departments to create and fund permitting programs.
“This measure will not make our community safer,” Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson said in a video statement. “It will put our communities at greater risk of violence because it requires every sheriff’s office and police department to divert scarce public safety resources to backend systems that are already in place.”
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The State Sheriffs Association estimates the bill will cost local governments $49 million annually, although permitting fees would bring in up to $19.5 million annually based on an estimated 300,000 annual applications.
The ban on high-capacity magazines would come into effect 180 days after the bill was passed, but it’s not clear how soon a gun purchase permit would be required. Opponents say the level of training required by the bill is not immediately available, raising concerns it will effectively halt Oregon firearm sales.
Oregon voters will consider one of the country’s toughest gun control measures, which requires a license to purchase a firearm and imposes a magazine capacity limit. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
