A portion of a gun-control measure that was approved earlier in 2021 by the Oregon Legislature went into effect over the weekend.
Oregon joined about a dozen other states this week in requiring gun owners to store their guns in a gun room or safe or use a trigger lock when it isn’t being carried under an individual’s control.
The measure also “authorizes city, county, metropolitan service district, port operating commercial airport, school district, college or university to adopt ordinance or policy limiting or precluding affirmative defense for possession of firearms in public buildings by concealed handgun licensees,” according to the text of the legislation.
The measure also stipulates that a firearm isn’t considered secure if a key or the combination code to a cable lock, trigger lock, or storage container is easily accessible or available to a person that the gun’s owner hasn’t authorized to control the firearm. The measure also criminalizes leaving a handgun unattended in a vehicle and it’s within view of people outside the vehicle.
According to the Statesman Journal, the safe-storage mandate doesn’t apply if the owner of the gun is alone in their home or with other individuals who are allowed to use the firearm.
Those who violate the law can face civil infractions of up to $500. However, if a minor gains access to the firearm due to improper storage under the new law, the penalty increases to $2,000.
Gun dealers in Oregon also must post a notice that tells customers: “The purchaser of a firearm has an obligation to store firearms in a safe manner and to prevent unsupervised access to a firearm by a minor. If a minor or unauthorized person obtains access to a firearm and the owner failed to store the firearm in a safe manner, the owner may be in violation of the law.”
