Oregon Gun Law Banning Rapid Fire Devices Goes to Governor’s Desk

The Oregon Legislature has sent to the governor’s desk a bill that would ban devices that enable guns to fire rapidly, such as bump stocks and auto sears.

The legislation, passed by state lawmakers on June 27, would also give local governments the authority to prohibit people from carrying a concealed handgun into designated public buildings and set a date for the implementation of the state’s Measure 114 gun law, which has been in litigation since 2022.

Oregon joins 17 other states that have banned rapid-fire activators, which enable a shooter to repeatedly operate the trigger, and more than two dozen that prohibit auto sears, which can allow an operator to shoot continuously by a single function of the trigger.

Senate Bill 243, the Community Safety Firearms Act, passed both legislative chambers along strict party lines.

Democrats, who hold a supermajority in the chamber, argued that rapid-fire devices ultimately make semiautomatic weapons into machine guns, enabling mass shooters.

So far this year, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office reports the use of rapid-fire activators in crimes multiple times each month, according to testimony by prosecutor Nathan Vasquez.

“These are tools of mass destruction,” testified Democrat state Sen. Floyd Prozanski. “The only purpose of those weapons and accessories are to kill people.”

Republicans largely opposed the bill as an attack on law-abiding, gun-carrying Oregonians.

“This bill does not make people safer,” said Republican Rep. Jeff Helfrich. “It punishes law-abiding citizens.”

The bill went to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk for her consideration on June 27. She is expected to sign it into law this month.

The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action urged Kotek to veto the bill.

Possessing a rapid-fire or auto sear device will be a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. Transporting or manufacturing one would be a Class B felony, which can carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Gun-Free Zones

Senate Bill 243 also allows local governments to decide whether to bar people from bringing guns into public buildings, regardless of whether the person has a concealed carry permit.

State law already prohibits carrying guns in public buildings, with some exceptions for those with a permit.

Republicans argued that the bill does nothing to keep guns from criminals or address the mental health problems that often lead to shootings and suicides, the leading causes of firearm-related fatalities.

Pending Litigation

Meanwhile, the Oregon Supreme Court has agreed to review a state appellate court ruling that found Oregon’s voter-approved gun control measure constitutional under state law.

Passed in 2022, Measure 114 has been on hold pending litigation.

The measure, which gun rights advocates have called “one of the most extreme gun laws in the country,” requires Oregonians to undergo an FBI background check and take a police-sponsored firearms class to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm.

It also bans magazines that are “capable of holding or being modified to hold” more than 10 rounds.

Opponents of Ballot Measure 114 argue that legal gun sales would end in Oregon should it survive ongoing court challenges.

“Oregon firearm owners should take heart [now] that the state’s highest Court has agreed to review the lower court’s opinion, which effectively erased Oregonians’ right to bear arms,” Tony Aiello Jr., attorney for the plaintiffs, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

“We look forward to briefing and arguing this matter to Oregon’s Supreme Court Justices.”

Oral arguments are scheduled for Nov. 6.

Barring further legal challenges, SB 243 sets an implementation date of March 15, 2026, for the measure.

Oregon’s Recent Gun Laws

Oregon has enacted a range of gun laws in recent years, including a requirement that guns be securely stored whenever they are not in their owner’s immediate control, a prohibition on guns at the state Capitol, and giving colleges and universities the authority to prohibit guns on their campuses.

In 2023, the state enacted a prohibition on untraceable ghost guns and 3D-printed guns.

Earlier in the legislative session, Republicans effectively killed another Democrat-proposed gun measure, House Bill 3076.

That bill would have initiated a state licensing program for gun dealers within the Oregon Department of Justice. It would also have required dealers to undergo onsite inspections of their businesses every four years and follow Justice Department-established rules governing where and how guns must be stored.

Republicans said the bill would have hurt responsible firearms dealers by adding a new state licensing program, even though they are already highly regulated by the federal government, essentially shuttering small businesses that sell firearms.

”This was not a bill about safety,” House Republican Leader Christine Drazan wrote in a press release. “It was about control.”

HB 3076 would have harmed small businesses in rural communities, low-income communities, and communities of color the most, she added.