Proposed Oregon Mandatory Gun Lock Measure Gets Ballot Title

A new Oregon gun control measure requiring owners to lock up their guns when not in use now has a ballot title and must collect more than 112,000 signatures to qualify for the 2020 ballot. (Dave Workman photo)

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- Oregon gun control advocates have taken another step toward forcing Beaver State firearms owners to lock up their guns when not in use by obtaining a ballot title for their petition from the Oregon Secretary of State.

The measure is titled “Oregonians for Safe Gun Storage and Reporting Lost/Stolen Firearm.”

Ballot Measure 40 must obtain 112,020 signatures for validation to appear on the November 2020 ballot, and the Oregon Firearms Federation is already swinging into action, alerting its members.

In a bulletin emailed to gun owners, OFF asserts, “Ballot Measure 40 creates a quagmire of incomprehensible mandates and dangerous restrictions designed to create a legal minefield for gun owners.”

There are three “chief petitioners” identified by the Secretary of State’s Election Division. They are Henry W. Wessinger and Lisa A. Reynolds, both of Portland and Paul Kemp, a Happy Valley resident. The prospective petition was filed in mid-July with 1,928 sponsorship signatures, more than enough to pass the first hurdle.

Under provisions of this new gun control measure, “A person who owns or possesses a firearm shall, at all times that the firearm is not carried by or under the control of the person or an authorized person, secure the firearm:

(A) With an engaged trigger lock or cable lock that meets or exceeds the minimum specifications established by the Oregon Health Authority…

(B) In a locked container, equipped with a tamper-resistant lock, that meets or exceeds the same “minimum specifications.”

The immediate question Oregon gun owners might ask is, when did the Oregon Health Authority become an expert source on firearms safety?

Other provisions of the measure might also raise some concerns. In the event of a firearm transfer, it must have an engaged trigger lock or cable lock meeting the same Health Authority specifications.

Similar to other gun control ballot measures relating to safe storage and reporting, “A person who owns, possesses or controls a firearm shall report the loss or theft of the firearm to a law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction in which the loss or theft occurred not later than 24 hours of the time the person knew or reasonably should have known of the loss or theft.”
Violation of this section is a Class B violation.

In recent years, the entire Pacific Northwest has become a hotbed of gun control activity. In neighboring Washington, the billionaire-backed Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility has pushed through a trio of anti-gun-rights measures against resistance from gun rights organizations that were simply out-spent. There are concerns among Evergreen State rights activists that this group will next target Washington’s model preemption law that dates back more than 35 years. That statute prevents local cities, towns and counties from adopting their own gun control ordinances which could conflict with one another. It was this patchwork of contradictory laws that prompted the State Legislature in 1983 and again in 1985 to assume sole authority for firearms regulation within the state.

Seattle and other municipalities have attempted to erase that law since its inception.

That subject came up during a recent public meeting with Kirkland City Council hopefuls when candidate Neal Black, an attorney and former board member of Washington Ceasefire said the preemption law should be “lifted” and candidate David Schwartz, a former Microsoft employee, advocated for repeal of the Second Amendment. Their remarks can be heard about 47 minutes into this video posted on Facebook by the Kirkland Reporter.

South of the Columbia River, the State Legislature is now firmly in control of liberal Democrats. They adopted some gun control laws but were thwarted earlier this year from passing more onerous restrictions when Senate Republicans walked out and stayed out until Democrats folded on two key issues, one of which was gun control.

According to the OFF bulletin, “We have until Oct. 24 to file comments on the accuracy of the Ballot Title. That means the Caption, the Result of a Yes and No vote and the Summary, and suggest alternatives. This does NOT mean comments on the ballot measure language itself. Just the accuracy of the Ballot Title.”

The bulletin also challenged gun owners: “If you are inclined to deal with the minutia of this poorly written attack on your safety, we encourage you to read the measure itself and help us point out its obvious flaws.”


About Dave WorkmanDave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

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Gdubb

Will Kate “shitstain” Brown come to my house looking for gun locks? Nope. Nobody would follow this bullshit. Not enforceable. Just another commie smear on the face of Freedom. The bill will fail anyway, just like their last attempt to remove liberty from Oregon gun owners in 2016. I’m more concerned with what the libtarded State legislature has up their sleeve for their next “legislative” session. These people are sick and should seek therapy.

RayJN

If some one breaks in and you immediately shoot them, it will be proof you did not have YOUR gun properly locked up. The criminal was carrying his so that law would not apply to him.

Get Out

@RayJN, No, it would indicate you had the weapon carried by and under the direct control of the person or an authorized person when needed. They’d have to prove otherwise.

“Under provisions of this new gun control measure, “A person who owns or possesses a firearm shall, at all times that the firearm is not carried by or under the control of the person or an authorized person, secure the firearm:”

Wild Bill

@White_Collar, How many people are present in your hypothetical? There is you and the criminal. If you shoot the criminal dead, then …. Oh, let me rephrase … how many living witnesses are in your hypothetical?

MICHAEL J

Always a stupid democrat and always anti-Constitutional. The only thing that should be locked up are these treasonous politicians and bureaucrats who continue to infringe on “We the
People “. And throw away the key.

Jonesy

Why is it that democrats always use improper labeling to push their legislation. Around that pistol is not a “life jacket” but instead a Death Jacket for the owner.

Rock

Better double or triple your life insurance if you use one, cause there is ZERO chance of using that locked up weapon to protect yourself in an emergency… At least leave your family some cash. Criminals will be THRILLED to sign the petition !

Demosthenes Locke

These “safe storage” measures are at best a “feel good” thing that doesn’t actually provide any safety, and at worst are security kabuki theater that can actually make things worse due to a false sense of security. Anyone considering any mechanism for securing a firearm should watch the videos posted on Youtube by The Lockpicking Lawyer. He’s a sport lockpicker (and a lawyer) who demonstrates the weaknesses of various types of locking devices and secure storage products. Many of his videos pertain directly to gun storage and securing devices. You will be utterly shocked and mortified at how ridiculously easy… Read more »

Tionico

much like the widely ballyhooed bicycle lock, the huge heavy U shaped clamp monstrosity, that became wildly popular when it first came out…. until some videos demonstrating how the cap from any BIC pen can be used to open them in less than three seconds…… sales dropped like the stock market did in November of 1929………. until they woke up and redesigned the key lock part of it.

WHat looks good on paper, or inside someone’s cranium, may not look so good out there in the nasty now and now.

Dave

Wouldn’t the trigger lock requirement be in direct violation of the Heller decision?

Ryben Flynn

That is what happens when citizens can file a ballot measure, duped by the anti-gun likes of Bloomy. Good thing my State does not allow that, only the South Carolina Legislature can put something on the ballot for a vote. Bloomy has no way to force his disarmament agenda on us.