By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Oregon Democrats have pushed through legislation on a 33-19 vote with two defections, House Bill 4145, claiming it will strengthen a gun control law which hasn’t even taken effect because it is tied up in legal challenges.
The bill now goes to the State Senate.
Chief among the objectionable tenets of this legislation is that it jacks up the cost of a permit-to-purchase from $65 to $150. Republicans issued a statement, quoted by the Elkhorn Media Group, which notes, “By doubling the permit processing time from 30 to 60 days, nearly tripling the permit fee from $65 to $150, and creating a permanent registry, House Bill 4145 makes it more difficult and more expensive to exercise the constitutionally-protected right to bear arms while doing nothing to deter crime or stop illegal gun possession.”
HB 4145 is supposed to strengthen provisions of Measure 114, passed narrowly by voters in 2022, but court challenges have prevented it from actually being enacted.
One of the two Democrats who crossed over, Rep. Paul Evans of Monmouth, argued against the notion of requiring a permit to exercise a constitutionally protected fundamental right, according to The Lookout.
Another stipulation in HB 4145 is that constitutional challenges may only be filed in Marion County, prompting the Oregon Firearms Federation to observe, “This is just one more reminder to the rural parts of the state that they are serfs undeserving of equal protection.”
The organization further declares in a message on its website, “Demonstrating that Democrats have exactly zero self-awareness, they repeatedly used ‘the will of the voters’ to explain their support for HB 4145. These are the same people forcing through Kotek’s tax bill, which has overwhelming opposition from the ‘people.’”
Arguments by Democrats essentially follow the gun control script. As reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald (D-Corvallis) asserted, “Permit-to-purchase is one of the best tools we have for reducing gun tragedies.”
A report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health contends that such permits are “associated with” reductions in violent crime. The report does not appear to address concerns from critics that such mandates reduce a constitutionally-protected right to the level of government-regulated privilege. The exercise of a right, they argue, does not require permission from a government agency.
Besides, as quoted by OPR, Republican Rep. Alek Sarlatos of Canyonville observed, “If you’re willing to commit murder, you’re not going to care if you break a gun law along the way.”
Another lawmaker, quoted by the Lookout, was Republican Rep. Bobby Levy of Echo, who expressed doubts criminals would obey the law.
