Oregon’s new, strict gun law has been put on hold after the state’s highest court said it would not entertain an emergency petition to overturn a lower court ruling.
Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters issued a ruling Wednesday denying Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s request to reinstate the law, known as Measure 114. The law was supposed to take effect on Thursday.
“Magazine capacity limits and clearance requirements have a proven track record: they save lives!” Rosenblum said in a statement. “We believe that the Oregon Constitution — like the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — allows for these reasonable provisions.”
The law, approved by Oregon voters in the November election, is one of the toughest in the country. It bans large-capacity magazines of more than 10 rounds — except for current owners, law enforcement and the military — and requires a permit for any gun purchase. An applicant for a permit must complete an approved firearms safety course, which includes review of state and federal laws, and certify that the applicant can properly lock, load, unload, fire, and store the firearm. must demonstrate in front of the teacher.
NEW OREGON LAW ‘CUTS’ SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS, PUTS POLICE IN IMPOSSIBLE POSITION: Gun store owner
FILE – Firearms are displayed at a gun store in Salem, Ore., Feb. 19, 2021. A federal judge in Portland ruled Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, that voters should approve the new ban. capacity gun magazines could go into effect on Thursday, Dec. 8, but local and state law enforcement agencies have suspended the permit requirement for purchases for 30 days after saying they could not prepare the permit system in time . (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File)
(Associated Press)
Applicants are also subject to a fee of up to $65, must undergo a criminal background check and be determined by a permitting agent not to pose a danger to themselves or others based on their mental state or past conduct. need
According to the law, those who want to get permission can get it from the official website local police chief, the county sheriff or their designees. It also creates a firearms database to be maintained by state police and requires applicants to be fingerprinted and photographed.
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Customers line up at the Northwest Armory on December 6, 2022 in Milwaukee, Oregon.
(Hannah Rae Lambert/)
The measure passed narrowly, with 50.6 percent of voters supporting it and 49.4 percent opposing it, according to Thursday’s state election data.
The passage of the law quickly led to legal problems. Judge Walters’ stay in place was issued Tuesday when Harney County Circuit Judge Robert Raschio blocked the law from taking effect.
Raschio’s ruling came hours after a federal judge in a separate case agreed to leave the law in place.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.