Three years ago, by the narrowest of margins and with virtually zero rural support, big-city voters in Oregon approved Measure 114. The final tally was 50.65% to 49.35% in favor of a proposal intended to strip constitutional rights from law-abiding citizens.
Oral arguments in this ongoing battle began this week before the Oregon Supreme Court, highlighting the deep divide over the Second Amendment.
Oregon lawmakers seek to render gun rights virtually unattainable
One controversial provision created a permit-to-purchase scheme. This is a now-familiar series of barriers erected between the people and the right to keep and bear arms, and it contains a startling caveat.
The measure reads: “A permit-to-purchase issued under this section does not create any right of the permit holder to receive a firearm.”
No, that’s what the Second Amendment is for. But for Oregon’s shooting community, the constitutional guarantee will lie in tatters if this law is allowed to take effect by the state Supreme Court.
Three-year legal tussle is now before the Oregon Supreme Court
Then there’s the problematic ban on gun magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. These are quite standard parts of perfectly legal weapons and are owned by tens of millions of Americans, but anti-gun lawmakers want them melted down for scrap.
Just before the law was to take effect in December of 2022, a district court judge ruled that it was unconstitutional.
At that point, the Oregon Supreme Court rejected a request from the state to overturn the lower court’s ruling. But in March of this year, the Oregon Court of Appeals rejected the lower court’s position.
This led to the state’s highest court hearing arguments over gun rights this week. These skirmishes are being played out in anti-Second Amendment states nationwide, and nothing less than fundamental freedoms are at stake.
As for Oregon, Measure 114 remains in limbo as the legal battle continues.
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