Oregon’s New Gun Law Temporary Blocked As Firearm Background Checks Erupt

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) in Oregon state court earlier this week, preventing a new law that requires a permit to purchase firearms and bans high-capacity magazines from being enforced. In recent weeks, the threat of more gun control has led to a state-wide scramble for gun enthusiasts to panic buy firearms and magazines.

BREAKING: A Circuit Court Judge in Oregon GRANTS GOA’s and @GunFoundation‘s request for a Temporary Restraining Order against measure 114!

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) December 6, 2022

Ballot Measure 114, which Oregon voters passed on Nov. 8, was scheduled to take effect on Thursday. It would:

• Ban magazines over ten rounds
• Require a permit to purchase any firearm
• Require a training course, application fee, fingerprinting, and a duplicative background check to obtain the permit-to-purchase

The TRO was a win for GOA and GOF, which filed the suit against Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Gov. Kate Brown, and Police Superintendent Terri.

“Oregon’s measure 114 is a joke. Since when do criminals wait in line to get permits or to register their guns? They don’t. This unconstitutional law will only keep decent Oregonians from exercising their Second Amendment rights. And for this reason, we’re very glad that Judge Robert Raschio responded to our arguments by imposing a temporary restraining order that prevents the law from being enforced,” Erich Pratt, senior vice president of GOA, told us. 

This draconian and unconstitutional measure will NOT stand. This is the first step to victory for GOA, @GunFoundation, and every law-abiding gun owner in Oregon. https://t.co/U7sFIJ4Gsd

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) December 6, 2022

So the fear of not owning a gun because of the possibility of more gun control measures led to a surge in background checks in recent weeks, Karl Durkheimer, owner of Oregon’s Northwest Armory gun store, told Fox News. He said more than 36,000 Oregon residents are backlogged in the background check system.

“Two things are happening. There’s fear they won’t be able to get a gun, but there’s the actual logistics that they won’t be able to do the background check,” Durkheimer said. “It’s going to take a year before an Oregonian has a permit.”

GOA and GOF have a hearing next Tuesday to see if the TRO can be permanent.