Measure 114
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON MEASURE 114: OREGONIANS VOTE TO CREATE SAFER COMMUNITIES
Safety is essential for a thriving community. Schools, grocery stores, workplaces and houses of worship should be safe spaces to learn, work and gather. But every year, there are more mass shootings, more lives lost to suicide, and other gun-related violence in our communities. We are losing children, elders, family members, friends – dearly loved members of our communities – to preventable gun violence.
In November, Oregonians voted to make our communities safer by passing Measure 114.
Measure 114 was a 2022 Ballot Measure brought by Lift Every Voice Oregon, and approved by Oregon voters. The new gun law was designed to prevent gun-related violence, while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners. Researchers from John Hopkins and other leading experts have found permit-to-purchase laws reduce homicides, mass shootings, and firearm suicides.
Measure 114 included the following evidence-based policies:
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Requires that a background check must be completed before purchasing a firearm. This closes a dangerous loophole that allows some gun sales before a background check is completed.
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People who want to purchase a firearm must first complete firearm safety training, get fingerprinted and receive a permit to purchase. This has been proven to reduce shootings, gun homicides, and gun suicides.
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Limits the sale and use of military-style high capacity magazines that can fire 20, 30 or even 50 bullets without needing to reload. This has been shown to reduce fatalities and injuries in the event of a mass shooting.
Immediately after the ballot passed at the polls, the gun lobby filed multiple lawsuits to silence Oregonians’ votes in both federal and state court. The Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety joined the Department of Justice in defending Measure 114.
Where can I see the studies and statistics supporting the need to pass Measure 114?
Johns Hopkins: Oregon Fact Sheet
Johns Hopkins: Firearm Purchaser Licensing
