Oregon: Tuesday Work Sessions and Committee Votes Scheduled for Mandatory Storage & Indefinite Transfer Delay Legislation

[Charlie T Waite]

Anti-gun legislators are looking to advance legislation through Committees next week that would significantly impair Oregonians’ access to firearms. 

On Tuesday, the Oregon House Committee on Health Care has scheduled a Work Session and vote on Mandatory Storage legislation, House Bill 2510.  Please contact committee members and ask them to OPPOSE House Bill 2510.

House Bill 2510, sponsored by Representative Rachel Prusak (D-37), requires owners or possessors of firearms, to lock up their firearms and impose increased fines and strict liability penalties for failing to do so.  This measure imposes one-size fits all government-mandated standards for storing a firearm, rendering a person’s firearm useless when needed for self-defense.  This is a matter of personal responsibility, not government oversight.  HB 2510 requires firearms to be locked when not in use, even at home, and during transportation.  Failing to do so could cost you $500-$2,000 and result in misdemeanor charges for violations, which are imposed on each firearm. 
HB 2510 does not stop there.  It also victimizes gun owners who suffer loss or theft of their property by imposing fines and strict liability on them, rather than the thief, for up to two years following the theft. 

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Also on Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider legislation creating an indefinite delay on firearm transfers, House Bill 2543.  Please contact committee members and ask them to OPPOSE House Bill 2543.

House Bill 2543, sponsored by Representative Lisa Reynolds (D-36), allows for the indefinite delay of firearm transfers.  Current law allows a licensed firearm dealer (FFL) to release a firearm to a purchaser the following business day, if they have not received any additional correspondence from the Department of State Police after receiving a “delay” when conducting the initial background check for a firearm transfer.  This safeguard prevents the potential shutdown of sales via endless delays, and allows law-abiding individuals to take possession of a firearm in a timely manner.  HB 2543 removes this safeguard, potentially creating a limitless delay on the exercise of a fundamental right.  This legislation is extremely dangerous if someone is trying to buy a firearm for self-defense and bureaucratic hurdles get in the way of their ability to protect themselves and their families.