Volunteers Spend Day at Capitol Urging Lawmakers to Support Senate Bill 797, Legislation That Would Help Protect Oregon’s Women and Children by Closing the “Boyfriend Loophole” and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Convicted Stalkers
SB 797 Would Also Strengthen Oregon’s Background Check System by Closing the “Charleston Loophole” and Alerting Law Enforcement When Dangerous People Try to Buy Guns and Fail Background Checks
SALEM, Ore. – More than 130 members of the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and members of the Everytown Survivor Network, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today stood with Governor Kate Brown, Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, Senator Floyd Prozanski, law enforcement, and other gun safety advocates at the capitol to support Senate Bill 797 – legislation that contains four different gun safety policies that would help protect Oregonians from gun violence.
Gun safety advocates also met with legislators to discuss their support of SB 797.
If passed and signed into law, SB 797 would address the following loopholes in Oregon’s state gun laws:
- Closing the “Boyfriend Loophole,” by prohibiting abusive dating partners from having guns, an important measure that will protect women and children;
- Prohibiting convicted stalkers from buying or possessing guns;
- Requiring state officials to alert law enforcement when an individual who is prohibited from purchasing a firearm attempts to buy one illegally and fails a background check. This provision would provide law enforcement with the information to stop dangerous people before they can obtain a gun through other routes; and
- Closing the “Charleston Loophole,” which allows a gun sale to proceed after three business days, even if the background check is incomplete.
STATEMENT FROM OREGON GOVERNOR KATE BROWN:
“As a community, we all agree that we must keep our families safe from violence. And by working together, we’ve made Oregon a national leader when it comes to ensuring gun safety. Now, with Senate Bill 797 we must continue the good progress we’ve made to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them.”
STATEMENT FROM MAJORITY LEADER JENNIFER WILLIAMSON:
“Today, we stand in support of legislation that addresses dangerous gaps in our current gun laws. We know that background checks save lives, and these common-sense policies will close existing loopholes that put women’s lives at risk. I’ve heard from my constituents, and there’s strong support for legislation that keeps guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, stalkers, and violent criminals. I look forward to working with my colleagues to bring this legislation to Governor Brown’s desk.”
STATEMENT FROM SENATOR FLOYD PROZANSKI:
“I’m proud to sponsor another bill that will close dangerous loopholes in our laws and help save lives from gun violence. Year after year, my constituents tell me that more can and should be done to save some of the more than 90 Americans killed by gun violence every day – and the hundreds more who are injured. I couldn’t agree more. I am committed to this issue and look forward to seeing Senate Bill 797 on Governor Brown’s desk.”
STATEMENT FROM MADELEINE GARCELON, A MEMBER OF THE EVERYTOWN SURVIVOR NETWORK WHOSE 46-YEAR-OLD DAUGTHER WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY HER EX-HUSBAND:
“We know that the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of the woman being shot and killed by five times. That is why we should make it harder for domestic abusers to get their hands on a gun. Closing the “Boyfriend Loophole,” to prohibit abusive dating partners from having guns and also prohibiting convicted stalkers from buying and possessing guns will make Oregon women and children safer – full stop.”
STATEMENT FROM ANDREA PLATT, VOLUNTEER WITH THE OREGON CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“While we can’t prevent every single tragedy, we can help prevent some. Senate Bill 797 addresses major loopholes in our laws to better protect women and children from stalkers and domestic abusers. It also gives law enforcement the time they need to conduct background checks correctly and the information when a prohibited purchaser fails a background check. We cannot let our children think of gun violence as normal, and passing SB 797 is the best next step to tackling this issue.”
STATEMENT FROM PAUL KEMP, A MEMBER OF THE EVERYTOWN SURVIVOR NETWORK WHOSE BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS SHOT AND KILLED DURING THE CLACKAMAS TOWN CENTER SHOOTING:
“Senate Bill 797 will take a number of important steps to help make Oregon safer. Among those steps, this bill will close the “Charleston loophole,” which allows a gun sale to proceed without a completed background check if three business days pass before the check can be finished. That’s exactly how the Charleston shooter got his gun and used it to take the lives of nine innocent church-goers in the summer of 2015. I ask that legislators think of the lives taken and forever altered by gun violence when they consider this bill. Please stand with us and support SB 797.”
STATEMENT FROM MULTNOMAH COUNTY SHERIFF MIKE REESE:
“As a law enforcement professional with more than 25 years of experience, including four years as the Portland chief of police, I have seen firsthand the incredible damage gun violence does to our communities. The proliferation of guns in the hands of dangerous people is the number one threat law enforcement professionals face daily. As a gun owner myself, I support the rights of responsible owners. There must be a balance between protecting our rights and taking every step necessary to protect our communities from gun violence. SB 797 strikes that balance and represents a reasonable and necessary step forward.”