I'm an Oregon resident again as of last year, after prior 8 years in WA, 2 in ID before that, and almost 40 in Oregon before that.
The writing was on the wall as soon as the measure was approved to be placed on the ballot. So I began stocking up on guns and magazines all summer and fall. I'm shocked the measure only passed by 32,000 votes. And even more shocked when looking at vote tallies that over a quarter of a million Republicans in rural Oregon didn't even vote this year. It's a mail in vote, and is ridiculously easy to do. It is so frustrating.
The NRA pointed out to the Secretary of State back in June that the specific statute listed in the bill for enforcement on the 10 magazine limit doesn't actually exist in Oregon law. The response is the legislature will have to fix it after it becomes law....they had months to fix it prior to ballots being printed. So frustrating the SoS allowed voters to view a ballot measure that can't even be enforced with it's current wording.
The gun buying began en masse in the weeks leading up to election day. And then increased dramatically after the law passed. As of last Friday there were over 32,000 people in the backlog check queue. There are guys in the queue that bought their guns two weeks before election day that wouldn't even get their guns due to a law that hadn't even been voted on. People are going backwards in the queue every time a CHL holder applies to buy a new gun. Thankfully I'm one of the rare instant approval guys, so was able to keep amassing guns without having to get stuck in the queue. I sat down and decided what all firearms I would want some day, as I have no plan to ever apply for a permit to exercise my constitutional right, and bought what I could find off my list. The upside is I have a really nice arsenal now.
The Oregon AG argued in front of the federal judge that the permit process would be in place on December 8th. The OSP and Sherrif's association filed a complaint with the judge that wasn't truthful, which required the AG's office to amend their statement in writing to the judge. So the permit process has a stay issued by the federal judge for 30 days. But she wouldn't stay the magazine limit, even though the enforcement statute referenced in the ballot measure doesn't actually exist. She was ready for the attorneys, and frankly the attorneys arguing to overturn the bill are not very good attorneys. The judge stumped them at every turn.
A state judge in Harney County has staid the entire bill citing the Oregon constitution. But the Oregon AG is doing an emergency appeal to the voter-elected supreme court of Oregon. They are likely to overrule the county judge. But we shall see.
For now everything is frozen. Online retailers stopped all magazine shipments last week. FFLs had stated before the stay order that they won't sell guns to anybody except the instant approval folks. Now that the stay order on the permit process is in place, the OSP should be resuming clearing all the background checks. I don't know if FFLs have resumed selling firearms again or not, I'm talking to my FFL this afternoon on another matter so will see. It's such a poorly written law, even the people that wrote it want it modified so their precious law can withstand court challenges.....
Oregon is home and is where my family is so am not moving again. I've bought enough guns and magazines for my lifetime. So am good. It will take years for this ballot measure to get appealed to the Supreme Court. Hopefully the folks trying to overturn it hire better attorneys.....
