May 05 2021
Final bill combines requirements for locks and safe storage with a ban on firearms in some public places.
.Gov. Kate Brown is the final stop for the Oregon Legislature s major gun legislation of 2021.
The Senate voted Wednesday, May 5, to accept the House version of a bill that combines requirements for locks and safe storage of firearms with a narrowed ban on concealed-handgun license holders bringing firearms into some public places.
The vote was 17-7. Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose was the lone Democrat to join six Republicans in opposition to the revised Senate Bill 554. Five Republicans and one independent were recorded as excused or absent.
The Senate approved Senate Bill 554 Wednesday.
Proponents called SB 554 a meaningful step toward reducing gun violence.
Additionally, they said, the storage regulations would impact the minority of gun-owning Oregonians who do not already secure their guns.
“Passing a safe storage policy for firearms and improving safety in our public buildings and our state Capitol is overdue, Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, said in a statement.
Opponents said the bill infringes upon the rights of Oregonians to defend themselves with firearms and would only harm law-abiding citizens.
Moreover, several Senate Republicans said the process the bill took to get to the floor was among the worst they ve seen.
Gov. Kate Brown is the final stop for the Oregon Legislature s major gun legislation of 2021.
The Senate voted Wednesday to accept the House version of a bill that combines requirements for locks and safe storage of firearms with a narrowed ban on concealed-handgun license holders bringing firearms into some public places, notably the Capitol and the Portland airport.
The vote was 17-7. Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose was the lone Democrat to join six Republicans in opposition to the revised Senate Bill 554. Five Republicans and one independent were recorded as excused or absent.
Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a Democrat from Eugene and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the bill follows the principles laid out by a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision. The court for the first time concluded there was an individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but that right can be regulated.
Pamplin Media Group - Rep Nearman faces two criminal charges in Capitol breach pamplinmedia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pamplinmedia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Gov. Kate Brown defended her decision Friday to implement further restrictions in one-third of Oregon’s counties, saying for the second week in a row the state leads the nation with the fastest-growing infection rate and that she is "gravely concerned" about hospital capacity.