A new law took effect in Oregon Saturday requiring guns to be locked and/or securely stored when in the home.
On April 19, 2021, the Associated Press reported the Oregon legislature was considering the gun lock bill and noted it “would be among the toughest in the U.S.”
As the bill was being considered, opponents of gun lock requirements testified of having loved one’s who had needed a gun for self-defense but who were unable to access their firearm because it was locked. They quoted Jim Mischel, of Sheridan, Oregon, who said he was wife was home alone one night, heard strange noises and went to the nightstand to retrieve a pistol from a “locked gun box.”
He said the alleged intruder found his wife before she was able to get her gun from the box.
Mischel said, “She was unable to get the box unlocked and the pistol out before he got into the bedroom and threatened her with his gun. She has never recovered.”
On June 1, 2021, the AP noted the legislation, SB 554, had been passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Kate Brown (D). The AP observed that SB 554 requires “that firearms be secured with a trigger or cable lock, in a locked container or gun room.”
KEZI explained that SB 554 took effect on Saturday.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.