Advocates push for gun storage bill in 2020 Oregon Legislature, hearing set Friday

A bill that would create a series of gun storage requirements drew hundreds of gun control activists to the Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers prepared for a public hearing on the bill later this week.

"Secure storage is a simple and common-sense way for gun owners to be responsible with their firearms,” said Hilary Uhlig, leader of the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This bill will encourage responsible behavior and make sure people are held accountable.”

House Bill 4005 would require that when a gun is not being carried, it is secured with either a trigger or cable lock or in a locked container.

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Firearms must be transferred while secured in a similar manner.

If a gun is not stored in the manner described and later stolen and used to injure a person or property within two years, the gun owner is held liable for that injury.

The measure would require that a gun owner report a lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours of when they learned or should have learned about its absence.

Kevin Starrett, director of the Oregon Firearms Federation, said the bill would: "devastate youth shooting programs, deny young Oregonians the ability to defend themselves and their families, and punish the victims of theft."

He added that the trigger locks the bill would require are "easily defeated."

The Oregon Firearms Federation describes itself as the state's only "no compromise" gun rights group.

Moms Demand Action, a nationwide gun safety advocacy group, rallied around 300 people clad in red shirts to talk with lawmakers Wednesday, mostly about HB 4005.

There is one other gun bill up for consideration this session so far. Senate Bill 1538 would grant local authorities the power to regulate firearm access in public buildings. An initial public hearing for that bill had not been scheduled as of late Wednesday.

Both provisions were a part of last year's SB 978, a multifaceted proposal that included several other gun control measures. The bill was a casualty of the deal that got Senate Republicans to end their four-day walkout over a multibillion-dollar education revenue bill.

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It's death last year disappointed gun reform proponents inside and outside of the Capitol.

As the activists made their way to the Capitol on Wednesday after a morning of trainings, Rep. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, said on the House floor that gun violence impacts all Oregonians and creating safe storage requirements would save lives.

While much concern is directed toward mass shooting incidents, Sollman said safe storage would be particularly beneficial when it came to suicides. She said adding a barrier between a firearm and a person in crisis can create enough time for them to change their mind.

Oregon's suicide rate is far above the national rate; in 2019 about 18 per 100,000 people killed themselves, whereas the national rate was 13 per 100,000.

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"We need a public health approach to this public health crisis," Sollman said. "Preventing or delaying access to a firearm saves lives."

Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio, said reducing suicides in the state is a laudable goal, but it's unclear to her that this approach is the best or only solution.

She recommended putting more money into mental health education and training, noting that there are other ways that people try to kill themselves.

She also had concerns about the strict liability the bill applies to gun owners who have their firearm stolen. Sprenger said the bill could require such a gun owner to prove that they had secured it with a trigger or cable lock, which could be difficult after the fact.

"I think sometimes we want to do something because we're emotionally compelled to fix a bad thing — people dying is a bad thing — yet we aren't careful in our approach to it that does it justice," Sprenger said.

Contact reporter Connor Radnovich at cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich