Oregon: Committee Votes On Government Mandated Gun Lock-Up Bill

[Charlie T Waite]

On February 12^th, the House Judiciary Committee voted to refer House Bill 4005, which will impose one-size-fits-all standards for firearm storage, to the House Rules Committee. Also, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to refer Senate Bill 1538, a bill to allow localities to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding CHL holders, to the Senate Rules Committee.

Please use the Take Action button below to ask your Representative to OPPOSE HB 4005 and ask your Senator to OPPOSE SB 1538 if those bills move to the floor. The button will redirect you to a second action, so be sure to click through that one as well.

House Bill 4005 is a firearm storage bill that mandates the same egregious provisions from SB 978, which failed to pass last year. HB 4005 requires all firearms to be locked with a trigger-locking device or kept in a locked container, unless carried, with each firearm not secured constituting a separate violation. Anyone who has their firearms lost or stolen would be strictly liable for any injury to persons or property if the firearms were not stored in compliance with the law. Gun safety and storage is a matter of personal responsibility and every person’s situation is different. It is unreasonable for the law to impose a one-size-fits-all solution. In short, this measure invades people’s homes and forces them to render their firearms useless for self-defense or become criminals.

Senate Bill 1538 abolishes Oregon's state firearms preemption statute by allowing local governments and schools to restrict the lawful carry of firearms on the premises by CHL holders. Current law ensures that those living and traveling throughout Oregon are subject to uniform state statutes wherever they are.

Again, please be sure to click through the “Take Action” button to voice your opposition to both these bills.