Leupold headquarters
Dan Z. for TTAG

Oregon’s recently passed gun control Measure 114 is set to go into effect on December 8. As the days tick by, Oregon gun stores have been deluged with buyers and the state police can’t keep up with the demand for background checks.

Never mind the fact that no one has really drawn up specifics of what the citizen-initiated law will actually look like, how it will work or be implemented, or who’s going to pay for it.

Then there’s the little matter of the law’s constitutionality. At least one lawsuit has already been filed to block enforcement of the restrictions, with more on the way. Looking at the legal landscape, particularly under the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling, a Wilamette University law prof predicts that given the legal challenges and the questionable nature of the restrictions imposed on lawful gun owners under Measure 114, it could be years before any of it is implemented. If at all.

Meanwhile, Oregon-based firearm-related firms are looking at navigating the new, uncertain legal landscape. Beaverton-based Leupold has been in Oregon for over a century and has issued the following statement condemning Measure 114 and the chaos it’s creating for the Beaver State’s lawful gun owners . . .

Leupold & Stevens, Inc., provider of the world’s most rugged, lightweight, and clear sport optics, denounces recently passed Oregon Ballot Measure 114 and has announced full support for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) upcoming legal challenge to the misguided measure.

Ballot Measure 114, which narrowly passed a general vote on Nov. 8, 2022, is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that will amend state statute. It mandates that a non-existent permit-for-purchase system be put in place in Oregon for every firearm sale. The permit system will require an application, photographs, fingerprints, FBI background check and a new undefined mandatory state firearms class. Measure 114 also requires a ban on magazines or firearms holding more than 10 rounds, which will include many hunting rifles and shotguns.

“Oregon leaders have failed to explain how Measure 114 will be implemented and what exactly passage means for law-abiding firearm retailers, ranges and manufacturers,” the NSSF said in an official announcement, “Your trade association will not abandon the fight now and has filed a lawsuit to invalidate this egregious Ballot Measure. We’re also evaluating legislative options to implore the Oregon Legislature to delay implementation of the law until it is rightfully struck down as unconstitutional by the courts.”

The ballot measure will go into effect at 12 a.m. on Dec. 8, 2022. With no framework or plans for implementation in place, the legal sale of firearms in Oregon will indefinitely cease at that time.

“Ballot Measure 114 is misguided and must be defeated,” said Larry Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the NSSF. “We have opposed it since its inception and will continue to fight it in the courts. We’re grateful to our partners at Leupold for both their leadership in the firearms industry and their relentless support in fighting Measure 114.”

Prior to election day, the NSSF helped to organize the primary opposition to the ballot measure through the creation of “Sportsmen Opposed to Gun Violence: Vote No on 114,” of which Leupold was a significant contributing member, and raised more than $100,000. The group’s new legal challenge hopes to delay implementation of Ballot Measure 114 until it can be defeated through the legal system.

“As the NSSF and others have shown, Ballot Measure 114 does nothing to curb violence and instead simply threatens the rights of law-abiding gun owners and hunters throughout Oregon,” said Bruce Pettet, President and Chief Executive Officer for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “It is universally opposed by law enforcement agencies and conservation groups alike and is a violation of the Second Amendment rights that all hunters and gun owners hold dear. We stand with the NSSF and are ready to do everything we can to support the cause.”

For more information on Leupold products, please visit us at Leupold.com.

43 COMMENTS

  1. “Oregon’s Firearm Industry Firms Try to Navigate Measure 114 as the State Tries to Figure Out How it Will Work”

    Its easy to navigate. You get on the interstate and head to the free states that welcomes the firearms industry. There ya go, navigation plan laid out now go hit the road.

    • “…as the State Tries to Figure Out How it Will Work”

      The Democrat way. Shove legislation through based on feelz, and worry about logic later.

      “We have to pass this bill to find out what’s in it…” – The Pelosi Mafiosa

      • The Left are pretty good at filing legal injunctions on laws they don’t like, why haven’t we done the same on that (obviously unconstitutional) crap law?

        • Here in CA, many of the gun control laws enacted over the past dozen years have been successfully challenged and ruled unconstitutional. The problem is how Sacramento knows how to play the long game and mire it all down in appellate purgatory. Just look at our Duncan v. Bonta (formerly v. Becerra) regarding our ban on magazine limits. It’s been ruled unconstitutional three times through three court hoops, not to mention the addition of Bruen as the death knell, yet it’s still alive and kicking. Not yet ruled unconstitutional under Bruen (which would make it the fourth time), so it’s progressing back through the court at a snail’s pace. Could be another couple of years to go. Meanwhile, it’s technically still the law, so we can’t buy them.

          And that’s just one. There’s Rhodes (ammo BGC), Miller (AWB), the infamous Unsafe Handgun Roster, and much more…

    • Letters to oregan Gun Control zealots should begin and end with how History Confirms Gun Control in any shape, matter or form is an agenda rooted in racist and genocide.

      With the aforementioned chiseled…Common sense says anyone wallowing around in Gun Control carries around the water belonging to racists, nazis, tyrants, murderers, perverts, kidnappers, child molesters and those whose guaranteed success relies on defenseless citizens.

      Singing the same old sad song to Gun Control democRats about some huntin’ rifles holding more than 10 rounds and shucks 114 ain’t been explained how it’s going to work is as lame as lame can get…It’s the kind of song one expects diaper wads like neiowa to sing in two part harmony.

  2. Oregon may intentionally be following the Cali state supreme court: a law that cannot be physically complied with is still a valid law. And there are no federal or state (Oregano) laws providing a deadline for legislation to be implemented, executed, fulfilled; it is purely a legislative matter.

    Gun-grabbers may be mentally unhinged, but they are not stupid.

    “The Law” is such an entertaining playground.

      • “The Soros owned AGs revel in “Law” since it is “Law” until finally struck down by SCOTUS.”

        SCOTUS rulings affect nothing, as we are seeing.

        Once upon a midnight dreary, SCOTUS rulings could result in states and local governments altering their laws to comply with the latest SC ruling; it was just the way things were done. Now, an adverse SC ruling results in state, local and federal government agencies crying out, “MAKE ME !”.

        • “SCOTUS rulings affect nothing, as we are seeing.”

          enacting a law or ruling has never stopped criminals. Ya still have to drag them screaming and kicking into court.

          and 114 is down right criminal plain and simple to be so blatantly unconstitutional

        • FWIW 114 was written and I believe already on the ballot by the time Bruen was decided. There was no realistic opportunity for anybody on either side to modify it or remove it from the ballot.

          Bruen *should* make it easy to put the nail in 114 though. For now all we can do is hope for the best.

    • Nope OREGON SUPREME COURT has AFFIRMED in previous cases that if there “NO FUNDING” or if a Law is “UNENFORCEABLE” it is therefore “UNCONSTITUTIONAL”!!!

      State stipulates funding must be allocated for any law passed in the state, that’s where the Oregon Supreme Court has struck down legislation passed by the legislator!!!

      This law is the same!!!

      • “Nope OREGON SUPREME COURT has AFFIRMED in previous cases that if there “NO FUNDING” or if a Law is “UNENFORCEABLE” it is therefore “UNCONSTITUTIONAL”!!!”

        As noted before, court rulings do not prevent legislatures from doing what they please.

        Under your explanation, it should be relatively easy to shut down the law. It would be very entertaining to watch the exercise.

    • “And there are no federal or state (Oregano) laws providing a deadline for legislation to be implemented, executed, fulfilled; it is purely a legislative matter.”

      A federal court can “press the pause button” on a law, stopping it’s implementation until things get sorted out. (Is temporary injunction the right term?)

      So, why isn’t that happening?

    • The “people” voted on the 5-second-soundbite version of the proposal. I doubt more than a few percent checked the full details.

      • “The “people” voted on the 5-second-soundbite version of the proposal.”

        Cunning tactic by the puppet masters. They ain’t stupid.

        The mob may be idiots, but the manipulators definitely are not.

    • With his grandmother’s cast-iron frying pan she hopefully left him … 🙂

      • “A court can say “Hold on a second here…” “.

        Yes, but Thomas can do nothing.

        First, the law suit, then the injunction, then the stay of injunction until appeals are exhausted, then an appeal to the SC, then a grant of cert, then a hearing, then assignment of the case to an associate justice, then a decision rendered, then the dance begins again.

        But Thomas can do nothing individually, no matter how widespread the disregard of “Bruen” (or any other decision).

  3. Now I understand why it didn’t work out for me and Cheryl. The only wave I tried to date when I was in the navy. Whore was dating quite a few of us. Guess I dodged a bullet, could be married living in Oregon.

  4. The first thing we need to do is get that injunction in place.
    That will allow the businesses etc to breath.
    Next based on merits, a judge could give summary judgement that the law is unconstitutional, and then that places the battle on the state to prove otherwise.
    Yes a law that is not defined is still a law, but it can’t be enforced without a path to compliance either. A summary judgement in this case would be warranted as a lot of said law would not stand up to the Bruen test.

    • Then again, California’s microstamping law went into effect even though there is no actual manufacturing method to produce firearms complying with the law as written, nor firearms made that comply with the law. Just sayin.’ These laws have to be struck down by recognizing that what they are in effect are total gun bans, bans that thus violate the 2A.

      • Yup.. I am in CA, and it sucks ass.
        Current guns on the register are allowed to be grandfathered in, but no new items. We hope to get the whole dang thing tossed. With Bruen we have a good chance.

    • Judge has given the state Dec 2 to respond to the lawsuit!!!

      I expect the court to quickly order an injunction!!!

  5. I guess liberal white women turned out in force. Stupid bitch’s. Along with the man bun “dudes”.

  6. Crowd-sourced tyranny.
    You’d think as IQ’s keep dropping and drug use keeps rising somebody would suggest we take another look at the whole “democracy” thing. I sure don’t relish the notion that the parameters of my life are set forth by the lowest common denominator.

  7. It may be worse than we think, the law seems to imply magazines that can be modified to hold more than 10 rounds would also be prohibited, so even a blocked and riveted mag would be illegal.

  8. Oregon is the State where judges will give a marijuana bootlegger a free pass for shooting at their landlords’ children with a 12 gauge shotgun because our judges are to abysmally stupid to understand that marijuana remains illegal under Federal law and that a shotgun is a deadly weapon.

  9. @.40 cal Booger
    “Ya still have to drag them screaming and kicking into court.”

    To what end?

    There has been no change to the NYS concealed carry law that declared the entire state a “sensitive” place.

    9th Circus refused SC instruction to re-examine Cali laws, and sent four cases back to trial court, then once more to climb the appeals ladder. Meanwhile, Cali law stands.

    The intent is to exhaust the SC into refusing to accept any 2A cases.

  10. Oregon failed to implement a system to facilitate their law.

    In effect, no firearms can be sold.

    Is there a legal remedy that the Courts will entertain to allow a civil right to continue?

    If the courts do not offer remedy, the only solution is to ignore the law. It worked for the Antfa and BLms to ignore laws, and Oregon has far more firearm owners than the politicians have jails. Mass civil disobedience to a faulty and unconstitutional law is the only answer.

    • Worse, being in a diseased beaver’s Oregon.

      It can seem nice at the time, but later, you regret it.

      (Wasn’t there a movie they showed us in health class, “Hansel and Re-Gretel”? 🙂 )

  11. in many “states” law is whatever a grobiden/clit-on/grobama (biden/clinton/obama) robe-dindu pulls out of its ass

  12. And so goes the most recent example of the tyranny of the majority, and why it’s great that our founding fathers set up the country the way they did rather than as a straight democracy.
    Oregon: Sure, we have a constitution – but if we can lie enough to get 51% of the people to go against it, we can ignore it and oppress 100% of the people.
    no bueno.
    This is why the filibuster stands in the way of the left and why they want to get rid of it. They think long-term, but act short term. They then cry foul when the right uses the processes they established after being warned about the after-effects.

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