Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Call on Lawmakers Implement Measure 114, Ban Rapid Fire Devices, and Crack Down on Gun Dealers that Fail to Keep us Safe
SALEM, Oregon — Today, the Oregon chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements following a day of action at the State Capitol. Volunteers were joined by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Senators Reynolds and Sollman, and community partners including Love is Stronger. Volunteers gathered to advocate for gun violence prevention, including advocating for the implementation of measure 114, ban rapid fire devices, and crack down on gun dealers that fail to keep us safe.
“We are at the statehouse today to show the Oregon legislature we will not back down in our fight to end gun violence in our beloved state,” said Amy Long, volunteer legislative lead with the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action. “As communities across our state continue to be devastated by gun violence, our movement will not stop fighting for the values we aspire to for Oregon and our country: freedom and equality for all, but true freedom eludes us as long as we live in fear of gun violence.”
“When gun violence is the leading cause of death for our generation in Oregon, there’s no denying that this issue is a public health crisis,” said Mario Welliver, a volunteer leader with the Lake Oswego Senior High School Students Demand Action chapter. “Our safety is the cost of politicians prioritizing power over people, but this isn’t about politics. It’s about protecting our communities and ensuring Oregon enforces responsible gun ownership through common-sense gun safety laws.”
Here’s a snapshot of the gun violence prevention measures Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action are Advocating for this year:
- HB 3075 (Rep. Kropf), legislation to implement the state’s permit requirement to purchase firearms, enacted through Ballot Measure 114 in 2022. This legislation would ensure that the system can get up and running smoothly by passing a number of technical fixes to allow law enforcement to efficiently process permits;
- SB 696 (Sen. Reynolds), legislation to ban the sale and possession of rapid fire devices like bump stocks and Glock switches. Fully automatic machine guns are exceptionally lethal weapons that have been prohibited by federal and state law for decades, and
- HB 3076 (Rep. Kropf), legislation to create a state firearm dealer licensing and inspection program, to ensure dealers are securing their inventory against theft, maintaining sales records to aid investigations of gun crimes, and training their employees to look for signs of straw purchasing.
In an average year, 625 people die and 719 are wounded by guns in Oregon. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Oregon, and an average of 34 children and teens die by guns every year. Gun violence costs Oregon $8.1 billion each year, of which $89.1 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Oregon is available here.