Initiative 114: Does Oregon Need More Gun Control Laws?
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: First United Methodist Church
1376 Olive Street
Eugene, Oregon
97401
Topic:
Portland had a 144% increase in homicides from January 2019 to June 2021, and non-fatal shootings increased by 241% from January 2019 to December 2021. Last month, Oregon was shocked when a 20-year-old male used a AR15 type rifle to kill two shoppers in a Bend grocery store and then killed himself. This is the background for Oregonians when we consider in November whether to pass Initiative 114, a citizen-initiated ballot measure that will:
- Require a permit issued by local law enforcement to buy a firearm;
- Require photo ID, fingerprints, safety training, criminal background check, and fee payment to apply for that permit; and
- Criminalize the manufacture, importation, possession, use, purchase, sale, or transfer of ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
Oregon already has laws requiring guns to be locked and/or securely stored when in the home. Permits are required for concealed carry, but open carry is allowed. Background checks are required when purchasing a gun from any source, including private firearm sales and transfers. Convicted felons, youth under 18, and people with mental illness cannot purchase a firearm.
The measure is opposed by organizations such as the NRA and supported by groups such as the League of Women Voters of Oregon.
Will passing the initiative make Oregon a safer place or merely deny people their constitutional right to bear arms? Or will it do both?
Speakers
Title: Executive Board Member
Organization: Oregon Hunters Association
Website: https://oregonhunters.org/
Biography:
Paul Donheffner is an elected volunteer member of the Executive Board for the Oregon Hunters Association. He currently serves as the Legislative Committee Chairman. He worked for the State of Oregon as Director of the Oregon State Marine Board, the state’s boating agency. In that capacity he worked extensively with the Oregon Legislature on a variety of laws and administrative rules. He is a lifetime member of OHA and the Rocky Mt. Elk Foundation and a long-time sponsor for Ducks Unlimited.
Title: Minister/Chief Petitioner
Organization:
Website:
Biography:
Rev. Mark Knutson is the pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland and Chief Petitioner for Measure 114. He was named one of the 50 most influential Portlanders by Portland Magazine in 2012. Among the organizations that have honored him for his work in the community are Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (2015); Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (2009); Lutheran Theological Seminary in (2009); the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (2014) and AMA Police Reform Steering Committee (2015). Prior to coming to Augustana, he served as the National Director of Youth Ministries in Chicago for the 5.3 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon, a master of divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, and a doctorate in church leadership from Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC.
