Global Courant 2023-04-13 20:39:10
An Oregon bill would raise the purchase age for AR-15s and similar types of weapons to 21. Portland has already experienced 268 shootings this year, compared to 392 in all of 2022. Democrats argue that conservatives concerned about losing the “rite of passage” of taking a teen hunt are missing the point.
An emotionally charged debate over Oregon’s gun-related legislation recently brought lawmakers on different sides of the issue to tears, reflecting a passionate division over gun rights that is also playing out across the country.
One of the most sweeping bills proposed in the politically diverse state — the one that sparked very personal speeches from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers at a committee hearing last week — would raise the purchase age to 21 for AR-15s and similar types of firearms. impose penalties for possession of undetectable firearms and allow more limited concealed carry rights.
Republican lawmakers in Oregon said community safety depends on access to firearms, while Democrats called for more restrictions in the name of safety.
The debate at the Oregon State Capitol comes as Democrats and Republicans across the country spar over gun rights, and as the number of deaths from gun violence nationwide has risen to 11,767 so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
OREGON STATE POLICE TROOPER CREATE DEATH SUSPECTED KEEPING TRAILER DRIVER UNDER UNDERCOVER SHOOTING
“I have a beautiful 19-year-old daughter and I want to know what she did wrong to have her put on this?” Republican Representative Greg Smith, his voice bursting with emotion, commented on the proposed restrictions. “I want to know, what did my beautiful daughter do wrong that she can’t protect herself? I don’t get it.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Lew Frederick, a Democrat from Portland, when he sees someone in his neighborhood with a long rifle slung over his shoulder, “I wonder who they’re hunting.” Portland has experienced 268 shootings this year, compared to 392 in all of 2022, according to the Portland Police Department.
Legislation in state capitals across the country this week similarly highlights the red-blue divide on guns:
__ In Washington state, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign legislation as early as this week passing through the Democratic majority legislature that will ban many semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15s and other single-round rifles per trigger pull and automatic reload. The bill has passed both the state House and Senate, but needs an additional vote in the House.
Firearms go on display at a gun store in Salem, Oregon, on Feb. 19, 2021. Heated debates have been held in Oregon over gun-related legislation in the state. The debates highlight national divisions over gun rights in the United States. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File)
__ In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will sign into law Thursday that will introduce stricter background checks and safe storage requirements for firearms. The legislation is part of an 11-bill gun safety package introduced after a gunman killed three students at Michigan State University on Feb. 13 — the state’s second mass shooting in 15 months.
__ In Florida, a law passed by the Republican-dominated state House allows people to carry concealed firearms without a license and without training or background checks. Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis this month, it takes effect July 1.
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__ In Kentucky and Tennessee, which have each experienced mass shootings in the past two weeks, GOP legislators dominating both state houses have long resisted restricting access to guns. However, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee asked lawmakers on Tuesday to pass legislation that would keep firearms out of the hands of people who could harm themselves or others. One of those killed in the March 27 school shooting in Nashville was a close friend of Lee’s wife.
In Oregon, the Joint Ways and Means Committee sent the broad gun safety bill to the House floor for a vote last week after heartbreaking debate. An extraordinary number of Oregonians — about 1,000 — submitted written testimony for or against the 17-page measure.
In a nod to hunters, the bill does not prohibit a person at least 18 years old from owning a single-shot rifle; various types of shotguns; a repeating rifle with a bolt, lever, pump, or twisting action; a rifle with an attached magazine for .22 caliber rounds; or a muzzleloader rifle.
“Those are your weapons traditionally made for hunting,” Representative Jason Kropf, a Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, said in an interview Wednesday. “In my mind, there are guns that are made for hunting. And if you’re under 21, you can have them. There are guns that are made to shoot people, and we’re going to restrict access to those guns.”
Democrats say Republicans who expressed concern about losing the “rite of passage” of chasing a teen are missing the point.
“The rite of passage that drives me crazy is the ‘rite of passage’ that my neighbors have to go to the funeral after a goddamn funeral,” Frederick said, banging his fist on the table.
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Oregon’s bill would also make the manufacture or importation into the state of an undetectable firearm a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. Possession of a so-called ghost gun, such as one made with a 3D printer, would be a felony punishable by up to 364 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $6,250.
In 2021, the legislature gave local school districts the authority to ban firearms on school grounds. The new bill would expand that, giving locally elected governments the ability to pass rules restricting firearms and concealed carry in their facilities and adjacent grounds.
The measure was scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. But bills are piling up as Republican minorities have insisted that they all be read in full, to stall the Democrats’ agenda. A machine is used to read the bills quickly.
Passage through the House would send it to the Senate for consideration.
