Oregon’s new gun law will have a little less firepower in some counties in the state. During last week’s election, Beaver state voters passed Measure 114, which has been heralded as one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. According to The Oregonian, the law will require people to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm, after successfully completing a firearms safety course at their own expense and paying a $65 fee. It also bans the sale or transfer of magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. State police will conduct a background check on permitted buyers prior to any gun sale. Purchasers will need to submit a photo ID and their fingerprints. No word yet on how this law will affect the rioters in Portland. I didn’t see anything about flamethrowers, which I understand have become popular in mostly peaceful demonstrations over the years. I guess protestors will have to content themselves with using plain old guns, just as long as they don’t have more than ten rounds, in which case they should feel free to shoot up downtown, I suppose.
Related: Canada Bans Handgun Sales in Bid to ‘Reduce Gun Violence’ in the Country
But some Oregon sheriffs are saying that they do not intend to enforce the new law. The Willamette Week reported that Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan posted on Facebook: “The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is NOT going to be enforcing magazine capacity limits.” Union County Sheriff Cody Bowen stated, “I agree 100% with Sheriff Duncan. This is an infringement on our constitutional rights and will not be enforced by my office!” The paper received an email from Sherman County Undersheriff James Burgett confirming that Sheriff Brad Lohrey would not be enforcing the law. The Mercury News said that Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe had stated he would not enforce the law, even as the votes were still being tabulated. Fox News quoted Jefferson County Sheriff Jason Pollock in a Sunday letter to County residents, calling the measure “pure anti-gun politics.” He added, “Oregon faces a crisis in its criminal justice system because the leftists elements in Salem have refused to hold criminal[s] accountable for their behavior. Banning large capacity magazines will only turn law-abiding citizens into criminals. Assuming that restricting magazines to 10 rounds will make you safe is one of the most ignorant statements ever made.”
The news outlet had more thoughts from the other sheriffs. Duncan said that the law was poorly written and that there would be a great deal of work to do in training and the permitting process. She also allowed that she hoped the law would face a legal challenge. Wolfe stated that his deputies have their hands full with a spike in drug-related crimes since the state has decriminalized hard drugs. He added, “It would take away from the things that we’re doing every day to try to keep people safe. Restricting people from ownership of guns in my opinion, is not going to help anything. We’re going to make it harder for people to purchase guns for self-defense.”
Oddly enough, Fox reports that while the measure passed, only six of the state’s 36 counties voted for it. This demonstrates just how the people in the population centers in Oregon can make decisions for the rest of the state. And this is why the founding fathers made the nation a republic and not, Not, NOT, a democracy. In theory, a republic will keep not only tyrants in check but also the people who would manage the lives of others “for their own good.” And the sheriffs have made a stand against a bureaucracy that is in love with the concept of rules and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems its policies have created.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member