Oregon lawmakers on Wednesday moved one step closer to rolling out Measure 114, the gun control law that has been locked in a court fight since voters approved it in 2022.

House lawmakers voted 33-19 to pass House Bill 4145, advancing it to the state Senate. The bill lays out how the state will implement Measure 114, which requires a permit for buying a gun and bans gun magazines with 10 or more rounds of ammunition. The law also requires a completed background check before a person gets a firearm.

The Oregon Supreme Court is currently weighing whether Measure 114 is constitutional after hearing oral arguments in November. Should the high court rule in proponents’ favor, the bill would make a number of changes to the original law.

Among other things, it would push back the law’s magazine ban to 2027 and the permit requirement to January 2028. It would raise fees for applying for a gun permit from $65 to $150, and increase permit renewal fees from $50 to $110. And it would extend the amount of time an agent has to issue or deny a permit from 30 days to 60 days.

Under the bill, anyone with a magazine holding more than 10 rounds before January 2027 - or the date of an affirmative ruling by the Supreme Court ruling - would not face legal ramifications.

If passed, backers contend the bill will help ensure Oregon efficiently kicks in the new law and curbs rising gun deaths.

“Permit-to-purchase is one of the best tools we have for reducing gun tragedies,” said Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald, D-Corvallis.

But critics argue the law infringes on Oregonians’ rights and punishes law-abiding gun owners while failing to prevent guns from getting into the hands of criminals.

“If you’re willing to commit murder, you’re not going to care if you break a gun law along the way,” said Alek Skarlatos, a Republican from Canyonville.

The bill’s passage comes despite a recent controversy that has swept the Oregon Legislature. Last week, Rep. Thủy Trần, D-Portland, accused the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, of creating a hostile working environment in a committee vote on the bill. Trần had voiced concerns about a provision in the bill that would provide fingerprint information to the FBI for background checks.

A gun rights advocate filed a formal complaint against Kropf, alleging Kropf bullied Trần into changing her vote on the bill. That vote allowed the bill to advance from the committee to the floor. The complaint was ultimately dismissed, according to emails the Legislative Equity Office sent to the complainant, Derek LeBlanc, who provided them to OPB.

That prompted House Republicans to boycott a floor session on Monday in protest of the majority party’s handling of the complaint. On Wednesday, Trần said she remained concerned about information being shared with the federal government, but maintained she supports the bill nonetheless.

“It is no secret that I have concerns,” said Trần, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Oregon National Guard who said she is a gun owner. “We are in a very different relationship with the federal government today than we were years ago. That dynamic made me pause to think.”

However, she added: “If this bill saves even one life, it will be worth it. Measure 114 reflects the will of the people, and the people have been waiting for us to take the baton to make it work.”

If the high court rules that Measure 114 is constitutional, the measure is set to take effect in March.

The bill is scheduled for its first read in the state Senate on Thursday.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/25/oregon-conentious-gun-control-law/