What Will Happen Next in Oregon on Gun Control?
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Jack Rushall, GoLocalPDX Contributor
 |
| The Oregon Capitol. |
In the aftermath of the mass murder on the UCC campus, will there be new efforts to restrict guns in Oregon?
Oregon politicians have been mostly mum on the subject. It appears that many public officials are still in shock after yesterday’s tragic events and are not inclined to comment on legislative additions to state gun reform.
GoLocalPDX spoke with Republican House member Sherrie Sprenger, who spoke on the tragedy and admitted, “This is a premature question. We don’t even know what happened yet, and we don’t have the facts surrounding the event or a completed investigation. We have a grieving community; a devastated community.”
Still, the question of the future of Oregon’s gun laws is a ripe topic for conversation. The mass shooting in Roseburg is relevant as new statistics show that the U.S. has averaged more than one mass shooting a day in 2015.
Indeed, just last month, new changes to Oregon’s gun laws went into effect and met swift backlash.
Despite the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, some gun dealers in Oregon believe that the new laws are already too much.
Recent Change in Laws
Last month, a new Oregon law entitled the “Oregon Firearms Safety Act” came into effect. The law enforces a background check for firearm transfers between private parties.
It appears that the timing of the Umpqua Community College shooting may further complicate current discussions over implementing current gun laws.
GoLocalPDX spoke with local gun dealer Warren Laschee from Gun Room Inc. for his perspective on the new gun laws and their implementation.
“The new gun laws in Oregon are thorough,” Laschee said. “In the new system, you are guilty until proven innocent. It’s ironic that we have all of these marijuana shops opening in Oregon. Can our legislature legislate morality -- or ethics? No.”
"The problem here is a toxic legislative system,” Laschee said.
Some Gun dealers like Laschee are upset, though they don’t think the legislature will plan further tweaks to gun laws in the near future in light of issues arising from the most recent changes.
“I think politicians are smart enough not to make changes,” Laschee said.
Still, is there any immediate action that the legislature has proposed after the mass shooting?
Immediate Action
Currently, the Oregon Legislature is mostly committed to finding answers behind the Umpqua shooting as well as healing.
“Right now, we want to reach out and offer any support we can and stand with the families,” House Representative Sherrie Sprenger said.
Like Sprenger, House Representative Dallas Heard also spoke out on the shootings. It seems that Heard is open to changes to gun law.
“This senseless act of violence has devastated our community and shocked the conscience of our state,” Heard said. “I stand together with my friends and neighbors who have been impacted by this horrific event and will do everything possible in the days and weeks ahead to bring peace and healing to our community.”
Republican Senator Mike McLane also spoke on the tragedy and committed himself politically to the healing process. In an official statement, McLane said, “Oregonians across the state are united in grief with the Roseburg community and resolved to bring help and healing to those impacted by today’s horrible events.”
However, some representatives like Democratic Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson believes that further action will have to be taken. Anderson was the lead sponsor behind Senate Bill 525, which decreased the ease from which someone who was convicted of domestic violence could attain a gun.
Are there any immediate motions to propose changes to Oregon gun laws? The Oregon Legislature looks committed to finding answers and healing.
On the future of Oregon gun laws, Anderson said, “I feel above all else that it should be bipartisan and it needs to start at the federal level. I think in the state legislature we can keep passing bills.”
“I am definitely in favor of having the stakeholders getting together and meeting,” Anderson said.
While current proposals to change gun laws are scarce, it looks like some members of the Oregon Legislature are interested in seeing more solutions.
-
1. Mental Health Issues
In Oregon, people who've lost their gun rights because of mental health issues can petition to get them back. After the 2007 Virginia Tech Shooting, Congress passed legislation that changed how background checks are conducted. It also contained a provision that required states to have a mechanism to allow people who had been barred from firearm ownership because of a mental health issue to petition to have this right restored.
In Oregon, the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB)conducts relief hearings to determine if someone should again be permitted to own guns.
However, the number of people who've had their rights restored is pretty small.
Juliet Follansbee, the executive director of the PSRB, says only three people have applied to have their gun rights restored, all of which were successful.
Penny Okamoto, a board member and spokesperson for gun-control advocate Ceasefire Oregon, says this is a sensible and fair process.
“I think it's a terrible mechanism,” says Kevin Starrett, director of the Oregon Firearms Federation. Starrett says diagnoses of mental illness are too broadly applied and cover individuals who've recovered from drug problems.
Photo Credit: Helga Weber via Compfight cc
-
2. Background Checks
If you want to buy a gun from a friend or relative, you don't need to undergo a background check. The same applies if you want to buy a gun from your neighbor down the block or even someone you encounter randomly on the street. Once you have that gun, you don't need to get a permit or register it.
Photo Credit: Svadilfari via Compfight cc
-
3. Concealed Carry
If you want a concealed handgun, you apply at your local sheriff's office, pass a background check, prove you're at least 21, demonstrate that you're competent with the weapon and you're good to walk around strapped. Oregon is a “shall-issue” state, meaning that if you pass these requirements, your local sheriff shall issue you a permit. “May-issue” states, like California, are different in that applicants need to provide a compelling reason to have a permit.
However, if you're wondering if someone you know owns a concealed weapon permit, there's no way to find out. In 2011, the Oregon Legislature passed a law with bipartisan support that exempted concealed weapon permits from Oregon's public records law.
Photo Credit: Mojave Desert via Compfight cc
-
4. Loaded Guns in Public
Earlier this year, Georgia lawmakers passed legislation, referred to as the “guns everywhere” bill, that allowed guns just about everywhere, including bars and churches. Oregon has been way ahead of Georgia on this for years. In Oregon, it was already totally legal to take a gun into a bar or a church (if the property owner didn't object).
According to a description of Oregon gun laws on the National Rifle Association's (NRA) website, it is unlawful to possess a loaded firearm in a public building, which includes hospitals, capitol buildings, schools, colleges, courthouses or city hall. Exceptions are made if you have a concealed carry permit.
“The irony is that you can't carry a sign into the Oregon State Capitol building, but you can carry a loaded AR-15,” says Okamoto, who notes that having a concealed carry permit also allows people to openly carry large, loaded weapons.
Portland, however, differs from the rest of the state. Last year, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld a Portland ordinance that banned loaded weapons in public, except for police officers and those with concealed weapons permits.
“In lots of places no one would give it a second glance,” says Starrett, noting that guns are openly carried in Switzerland and Israel. “It's all a matter of perceptions, and open carry has really offended people in Portland, but in Portland a lot of fat ugly people can ride around on bicycles.”
Photo Credit: Ewan-M via Compfight cc
-
5. Guns and Suicide
If you own a gun, you're more likely to kill yourself than someone else. According to Ceasefire Oregon, which cited data from the Oregon Health Authority, 417 Oregonians were killed by guns in 2011, slightly down from 458 in 2010 and up from 413 in 2009. For each of those years, more than 80 percent of those individuals killed by a gun committed suicide.
“When people decide to commit suicide, it's an impulsive act,” says Okamoto. She says that having more background checks in place could save lives because someone considering suicide might have second thoughts while going through the process.
Photo Credit: ~Steve Z~ via Compfight cc
