Oregon Anti-Second Amendment Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature

[Charlie T Waite]

An overreaching, anti-Second Amendment bill in Oregon is just a stroke of the governor’s pen away from being signed into law. 

S.B. 554, if signed into law, would allow more than 1,200 public school campuses to prohibit concealed handgun licenses (CHL) on their grounds, ban CHL holders from the state capitol and airports, mandate a one-size-fits-all firearms storage requirement, and more, as reported by the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA).

The bill, which moved swiftly through both legislative chambers of a closed Capitol, is receiving overwhelming opposition from both Oregonians and the NRA.

“The bill is not about solving gun violence, but a generalized fear of guns at a time when more and more people need to defend themselves,” said state Sen. Lynn Findley (R) to local media. “People were not given a fair chance to be heard with public hearings wrought with technical difficulties and scheduled at laser speed.”

In its initial iteration, the bill would have gutted Oregon’s preemption statute by allowing localities to dictate how law-abiding gun owners can exercise their rights. Without preemption, these localities could then create a patchwork of confusing and inconsistent firearms laws that would criminalize law-abiding gun owners, and would make the exercise of citizens’ constitutional rights functionally infeasible.

This overreaching bill is now awaiting Gov. Kate Brown’s (D) signature. To join NRA-ILA’s calls for Gov. Brown to veto this legislation, click here.

It’s more important than ever for Second Amendment-supporters and NRA members across the country to voice their opposition to egregious pieces of legislation that seek to infringe upon and stifle the right to keep and bear arms.