Gov. Kate Brown will sign a bill the Legislature sent her Thursday to ban convicted domestic abusers and stalkers from buying or owning guns.
Brown praised lawmakers for passing the bill, saying it will keep guns from dangerous people. She said bipartisan support for the proposal reflects many Americans' desire for more restrictions on owning guns.
In this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., evacuate the school following a shooting there on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (WPLG-TV via AP)
Thursday's final approval by the Legislature marked the first time since the deadly school shooting last week in Parkland, Florida, that a state legislature has passed a gun-control measure, Anne S. Teigen, a criminal justice expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures, told The Associated Press.
In a reference to Parkland, Brown noted her disappointment that Oregon lawmakers had not done more sooner, saying it took "the voices and outrage of youth devastated by gun violence" to bring the issue to the fore. Students in Oregon, Florida and elsewhere have held marches since 17 students and educators were shot to death at the Florida school to demand new gun restrictions.
The bill that the Oregon Senate approved Thursday, House Bill 4145, would close a loophole in Oregon's gun laws that allow convicted domestic abusers and stalkers to legally buy and own firearms if they aren't married to or living with the victim and they don't have children together.
Supporters say that flaw, which they have dubbed the "boyfriend loophole," puts women and law enforcement officials in danger of being shot during a domestic dispute. Several members of Congress have said they may consider a similar national policy in light of the Parkland shooting, where a lone gunman – who had allegedly abused a former girlfriend – was able to legally purchase the gun used to massacre 17 on school grounds.
State senators undertook a lengthy, emotional debate Thursday before passing the bill on a near party-line vote. It eventually passed 16-13 with support from all Democrats but one, Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose. Every Senate Republican voted against it.
The chamber's Republicans, led by Sen. Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Sen. Herman Baertschiger Jr. of Grants Pass, attempted to stop passage of the bill by asking that it be moved back to committee for amendments.
Baertschiger described the bill as "unjust" and unfinished and said senators should consider it further before making it law. He expressed dissatisfaction with Democrats, saying "My colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't seem to want to have any compromise." The Republicans' motions failed.
In a speech supporting the bill, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a Eugene Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the policy is a common-sense step to addressing gun-related deaths by domestic abusers.
Holding back tears, Prozanski recalled that his sister, his only sibling, was shot to death by her boyfriend in the 1970s. "Her murderer was her domestic abuser. Her murderer killed her with a handgun," he said.
Republicans and Johnson, the Scappoose senator, voiced concerns that the bill is too vague in its definition of "intimate partner" – the updated phrase used instead of spouse.
Johnson said it could allow disgruntled exes to seek retribution against former partners in court. "It would be so easy to vote yes on this bill, especially after the events of last week. But this is no time for a largely emotional response," Johnson said.
In a speech explaining her "no" vote, Senate Republican Leader Jackie Winters said she wants to support policies that will curb domestic violence, but believes the bill passed Thursday is not well-written.
"I worked across the aisle to get us here and would have loved to have supported this," said Winters, of Salem. "But there's too many questions remaining."
Prozanski, the Eugene senator, acknowledged that the bill may not be perfect, and said policy can be amended in the future. "The bottom line is we are taking steps as we see them," he said.
House lawmakers sent senators the bill last week after passing it following their own tense debate. All House Democrats but one, Rep. Caddy McKeown of Coos Bay, voted for the bill. Three House Republicans also voted in favor of the bill, an extraordinarily rare move in light of intense pressure Republicans face to oppose any form of gun control.
-- Gordon R. Friedman
503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman