As Oregon gun owners and anti-gunners crowded into a public hearing on House Bill 3075, Beaver State news agencies were acknowledging the majority of people who submitted written testimony oppose the measure, and twice as many signed up to testify against it over those testifying in support.
The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Jason Kropf (D-Bend) is essentially designed to get the restrictive gun control process, created by Measure 114, moving. The Salem Statesman Journal is reporting HB 3075 “would alter” the measure requiring Oregon residents to get a permit-to-purchase a firearm. It would also ban so-called “large-capacity” magazines capable of holding more than 10 cartridges.
The massive bill spans 34 pages. Included is a requirement that a person applying for a purchase permit show “Proof of completion of any firearms training course or class available to the general public that is offered by law enforcement, a community college, [or] a private or public institution or an organization or firearms training school utilizing instructors…”
According to the Portland Oregonian/Oregon Live, “Of the 135 people who signed up to testify at Monday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on amended House Bill 3705-1, 90 were opposed, 43 were in support and two were neutral.”
The Statesman Journal reported “Most of the thousands of people who have submitted written testimony on House Bill 3075 are opposed.”
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled last week that Measure 114 is constitutional in all aspects, but plaintiffs in a challenge of the legislation are asking the state Supreme Court for review. The measure passed by an extremely thin margin in November 2022 and was immediately challenged by multiple lawsuits in both state and federal courts. Those legal actions were brought by virtually every gun rights organization in the country.
A federal judge in Portland ruled Measure 114 did not violate the Second Amendment, while Circuit Judge Robert Raschio in Oregon’s Harney County said it was unconstitutional under the state constitution. The federal cases have been appealed to the Ninth U.S. District Court of Appeals in San Francisco, where they appear stalled pending Supreme Court action on different gun rights cases.
Representatives from gun prohibition lobbying groups testified Tuesday in support of the legislation. Spokeswomen appeared on behalf of Lift Every Voice Oregon and the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action, which advocate for strict regulation of the right to keep and bear arms.
On the other side, however, came testimony from Aoibheann Cline, representing the National Rifle Association, and Taren Darr with Women for Gun Rights.
Also, according to the Statesman-Journal, State Rep. Alek Skarlatos (R-Roseburg) spoke against the legislation. Skarlatos became internationally famous ‘after stopping a gunman on a train en route to Paris” in 2015 while serving in the Army National Guard, the newspaper noted. Skarlatos and others on the train prevented a tragedy, and all were recognized with various awards and honors. Clint Eastwood made a film about the attempted terror act featuring the men.
Democrats in control of the legislature in Salem appear determined to impose more restrictions on Beaver State residents even while the ultimate fate of Measure 114 is yet to be decided in court.
