Oregon Senate Republicans are pushing back against the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 243, arguing it does nothing to address the real drivers of gun deaths while attacking the constitutionally protected rights of responsible gun owners.

“Gut and Stuff” is a common end-game play Democrats have increasingly used as a chest board move. A typical bill for gut and stuff are bills written to do a simple study on a subject that has to match the area for the gut-and-stuff amendment. This move bypasses a true public hearing since amendment are not adopted until the work session.

The response to the bill intended to implement Measure 114, HB 3075 has 2,870 testimonies in opposition and 794 in support. That’s 72% in opposition they cannot overcome. The date of this writing, SB 243 has 90% opposition.

SB 243 is an omnibus gun ban bill combining the Democrat’s agenda for gun restrictions into one bill. These are the areas it covers and the bills it incorporates with the percentage in opposition.

• (HB 3076 62%/SB 429 98%) Imposes a punitive three-day waiting period on firearm purchases, stalling law-abiding citizens desperate for protection—especially victims of abuse or stalking—while piling pointless delays on those already vetted by Oregon’s strict background checks.
• (SB 696 99%) Prohibits anyone to possess, purchase, receive, transport, manufacture, sell, offer to sell, or transfer a rapid fire activator – Class B felony, possession is Class A misdemeanor, exemption if registered with federal law machine gun.
• (SB 697 98%) Russell Paul Evans Act prohibits possession or owning under 18 of a firearm for any reason, except temporarily transfer by a parent. Strips 18-to-20-year-olds of their constitutional right to buy firearms, relegating them to a short list of outdated long guns while banning handguns entirely, leaving young adults defenseless and shattering rural traditions. Prohibits under 21 from selling, deliver or transferring any firearm.
• (SB 698 98%) Ban unloaded firearms from vast swathes of public buildings, and vague “adjacent grounds”, such as hospitals, public building, schools, residence of any state official, and anywhere a sign is posted, except if there is an adopted policy for concealed carry and post on their website. Disarming permit holders creates soft targets for shooters, and sowing confusion with unclear boundaries.

Even though the amendment has not been introduced, the hearing was planted with unrelated stories meant to move emotions, but lacked intelligent reasoning. How can legislators care about safety when they want to disarm citizens while at the same time, they want to let more criminals go free (HB 2640) and extend sanctuary to sex offenders (SB 820 and SB 821).

Between 2019 and 2023, Oregon recorded 3,125 firearm-related deaths, 77% of which were suicides. At the same time, Oregon ranks among the worst states for mental health treatment access despite having one of the highest rates of mental illness. Rather than tackling these core issues, SB 243 imposes more restrictions that will do little to stop crime or reduce suicides.

Adding to the concerns, the process has been an abuse of power. A 23-page amendment with sweeping new gun control measures was dropped just one day before the public hearing, replacing what was originally a half-page study bill. This last-minute maneuver denies Oregonians the transparency and input they deserve, and it’s a growing problem.

“This is no way to govern. Dropping a massive gun control amendment at the last minute, without public scrutiny, is an insult to Oregonians,” said Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles). “On top of that, this bill punishes law-abiding citizens while ignoring the reality that most gun deaths in Oregon are suicides, not homicides. Instead of ineffective restrictions, we should be addressing the root causes—mental health and violent crime.”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

“Oregon already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, yet gun deaths continue to rise,” said Senator Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer), vice-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Meanwhile, states like New Hampshire, with far fewer gun restrictions, experience lower firearm deaths per capita. The data is clear: this bill won’t make Oregon safer.”

“This is yet another example of urban legislators forcing restrictions on law-abiding gun owners in rural Oregon while ignoring the real problems behind gun deaths,” said Senator David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford), a member of the Joint Ways and Means Public Safety Subcommittee. “Oregon’s mental health crisis is being ignored in favor of ineffective gun control policies that won’t stop criminals or reduce suicides.”

Track this bill at Oregon Citizens Lobby Alerts. Testimony can be submitted until March 29 at 3pm.




--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-03-27 13:11:26

Last Update: 2025-03-27 22:58:59