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The Oregon Firearms Safety Act expands background check
requirements, already in place at stores and gun shows in the
state, to include person-to-person and online gun sales. The
measure passed by a vote of 32-28 in the state's House of
Representatives after previous approval in the state Senate.
"Background checks are the most systematic way to keep guns out
of the hands of dangerous people," Representative Dan Rayfield,
a Democrat who voted in favor of the measure Monday, said in a
statement.
It was vehemently opposed by gun rights advocates and the state
Republican Party, which decried as "excessive" the fines and
potential jail time violators could face.
After the vote, party officials noted that no Republicans
supported the measure, while one Senate Democrat and three House
Democrats had voted to oppose it.
"This law is unjust and will create a black market in private
party firearm sales, making it harder for law enforcement to do
its job in investigating firearms-related crimes," the party
said in a statement issued before Monday's vote.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, told The Oregonian
newspaper she intends to sign the bill into law.
Her approval would bring to seven the number of states, plus the
District of Columbia, requiring universal background checks on
all gun sales, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun
Violence.
Gun control advocates maintain that tighter background checks
are key to preventing violent acts by people already prohibited
from owning guns, such as those with domestic violence or felony
convictions.
Efforts behind such legislation were reignited by the 2012
shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school, which left
20 children and six adults dead.
(Editing by Curtis Skinner and Alan Raybould)
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