Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

Banning Guns with the Ballot Box

Friday, March 23, 2018

Banning Guns with the Ballot Box

Anti-gun extremists continually try to paint themselves as “reasonable,” and only want to present the image of seeking to promote “common sense” ideas that will serve to protect our citizens, while not infringing on the right to personal protection.  That, however, is rarely what they seek to actually implement.  As an example, we present Oregon’s Initiative Petition 43 (formerly Initiative Petition 42).

In Oregon, citizens are allowed to petition to place an initiative on the ballot that would let voters establish state law.  Within this process, it also allows for anti-gun organizations to pay others to circulate petitions and obtain signatures.  In other words, people who don’t even live in Oregon can work towards restricting your rights as a law-abiding gun owner. 

In the case of Oregon’s Initiative Petition 43, what the proponents want to establish is a ban on some of the most commonly-owned rifles, handguns, and shotguns in America.  The firearms being targeted are those that most gun owners consider to be the best option for personal protection.  

Should this proposal become law, and a law-abiding citizen who possesses one of these newly restricted items wishes to remain law-abiding, he or she will be required to either surrender it within 120 days, or register it and commit to storing it according to Oregon’s “safe storage” requirements.  Anyone who moves into Oregon with an affected item (magazine or firearm) would be required to dispose of it.

This initiative seeks to ban all semi-automatic rifles that fall under its version of the “Assault Weapon” category.  In this case, it considers any semi-automatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine, and also having one arbitrarily determined cosmetic feature, to be subject to the ban.  Such cosmetic features include certain stock configurations that have no relationship to how the firearm operates, as well as other attachments that have no impact on the firearm’s actual function.  By comparison, when the failed federal “Assault Weapons” ban of 1994 was passed, it required two of these features to be banned.

In addition, proponents of this attack on law-abiding gun owners want to target those who use virtually any semi-automatic handgun for personal protection. As with rifles, Initiative Petition 43 changes the old federal ban threshold from having two features to having only one.  It also bans any semi-automatic handgun with a magazine capacity over ten rounds.  That means most modern semi-automatic handguns.

Semi-automatic shotguns would also be banned based on the new one-feature test.

Beyond the firearms themselves, this proposal also seeks to outlaw countless magazines, including those that are commonly sold with any number of rifles, handguns, and shotguns.  At this point, proponents of Oregon Initiative Petition 43 have drawn the line at magazines capable of handling more than 10 rounds, but similar proposal throughout the country have ranged widely in their limits.  At least one restriction “allows” only five rounds.  In the end, anti-gun extremists will always seek to impose whatever magazine limitations they feel they can achieve.  Today, in Oregon, that limit is ten rounds.

Should this proposal become law, and a law-abiding citizen who possesses one of these newly restricted items wishes to remain law-abiding, he or she will be required to either surrender it within 120 days, or register it and commit to storing it according to Oregon’s “safe storage” requirements.  Anyone who moves into Oregon with an affected item (magazine or firearm) would be required to dispose of it.

Ultimately, whether it is one or two cosmetic features, or whether it is magazines that can accommodate five rounds, ten rounds, or 20, promoting the banning of firearms and their accessories based solely on randomly determined features or ammunition capacities is nothing more that appealing to the emotional response of those who simply do not like firearms, do not understand them, and would like to ban all firearms. 

In perhaps the most candid article describing the federal “assault weapon” ban, anti-gun columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote, “Passing a law like the assault weapons ban is a symbolic -- purely symbolic -- move in that direction. Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation.” This is the goal of Oregon’s Initiative Petition 43.

 

 

TRENDING NOW
Due Process: The Backbone of Legal Legitimacy

News  

Monday, September 8, 2025

Due Process: The Backbone of Legal Legitimacy

Close observers of the gun debate often see references to due process.

Gun Control “Journalist” Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

News  

Monday, September 8, 2025

Gun Control “Journalist” Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Pure gun control. As in disarmament and banning of firearms. It’s rare that anti-gunners get straight to the exact point that we have been warning of for decades. 

Third Circuit Strikes Some New Jersey Carry Restrictions in NRA Case

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Third Circuit Strikes Some New Jersey Carry Restrictions in NRA Case

Yesterday, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Siegel v. Platkin, striking some of the carry restrictions New Jersey enacted in response to the NRA’s landmark Supreme Court victory, New York State Rifle & ...

The Desperate Deflection to the “Red State Murder Problem”

News  

Monday, September 8, 2025

The Desperate Deflection to the “Red State Murder Problem”

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) may have thought he had scored against President Donald Trump in a recent war of words over rampant crime and the deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-led cities

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Challenge to Washington’s Magazine Ban

Monday, September 8, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Challenge to Washington’s Magazine Ban

Today, the National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in a case challenging Washington State’s ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Earlier this month, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 8 into law. This legislation imposes new mandatory firearm storage requirements on law-abiding gun owners.  

California: Legislature Adjourns with Anti-Gun Bills Headed to the Governor's Desk

Monday, September 15, 2025

California: Legislature Adjourns with Anti-Gun Bills Headed to the Governor's Desk

On Friday the California State Legislature adjourned the 2025 legislative session in typical California fashion, advancing anti-gun legislation to Governor Newsom's desk. Contact Governor Newsome today and urge his veto of AB 1078, AB 1127, AB ...

Minnesota: Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group Meeting on Monday

Friday, September 12, 2025

Minnesota: Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group Meeting on Monday

On Monday, September 15th, the Minnesota Senate will hold a special working group on "gun violence prevention."

New York Law Imperils U.S. Olympic Target Shooting, Favors China’s Dominance

News  

Monday, September 15, 2025

New York Law Imperils U.S. Olympic Target Shooting, Favors China’s Dominance

As U.S. shooting sports athletes prepare for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, New York law is burdening target shooters in the Empire State.

Supreme Court Review Sought in NRA-Backed Challenge to California’s Magazine Ban

Friday, August 15, 2025

Supreme Court Review Sought in NRA-Backed Challenge to California’s Magazine Ban

Today, a Petition for Certiorari was filed asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Duncan v. Bonta, a case—backed by the National Rifle Association and California Rifle & Pistol Association—challenging California’s prohibition on magazines capable of holding ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.