The Bill was Sponsored and Championed by Former Moms Demand Action Volunteers, Reps. Rachel Prusak, Dacia Grayber, and Lisa Reynolds
For the Last Three Years, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Have Advocated and Testified in Support of Gun Safety Legislation
SALEM, Ore. —The Oregon chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement applauding the governor’s signing of SB 554, legislation to allow the state capitol, airports, schools and universities to prohibit firearms in their buildings and require firearms be securely stored when not in use. This is the first gun safety legislation to be signed in three years.
“This is a landmark gun safety law in Oregon,” said Paul Kemp, a volunteer with Oregon Moms Demand Action and Everytown Survivor Fellow whose brother in law, Steve Forsyth, shot and killed in a shooting at Clackamas Town Center in 2012 by someone who stole an unsecured, loaded AR-15 from a friend’s coffee table. “For the past three years, we have testified, tweeted, emailed, called, and more in support of this life-saving legislation. This is a win for families of the 522 people taken by gun violence each year.”
“It’s been three long years since gun safety legislation has been signed in our state,” said Mollie Chehab, a volunteer with Oregon Students Demand Action. “It was three years of gun violence with no answers, no action, and no reprieve. This law can prevent gun violence, and we’re grateful to gun sense champions in the state legislature and Governor Brown for prioritizing it.”
The Oregon chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action have fought for common-sense gun safety laws in the state for years, yet the last two legislative sessions have ended with Republicans in the legislature walking out and leaving life-saving legislation on the table. SB 554 was sponsored and championed by three gun sense champions and former Moms Demand Action volunteers, Reps. Rachel Prusak, Dacia Grayber, and Lisa Reynolds.
This session, volunteers and supporters attended an annual virtual advocacy day in March and took 8,750 digital actions, including 8,542 emails and 208 calls, supporting gun safety legislation.
Additional information on gun violence in Oregon is available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator — which shows how Oregon’s gun laws compare to those of other states — is available here.
