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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 bill provides a common-sense approach to accomplishing that
goal without interfering with the lawful right of citizens to
bear arms," said Brown, a Democrat who took office in February
after her predecessor resigned in an influence-peddling scandal.
The bill provides several exemptions, including gun loans for
usage at shooting ranges or for hunting, or transfers between
family members.
Supporters say that tighter background checks are key to
preventing violence by people already prohibited from owning
guns, such as those with domestic violence or felony
convictions.
It was vehemently opposed however by gun rights advocates and
the state Republican Party, which decried as excessive the fines
and potential jail time violators could face.
Oregon is now that eighth state to require universal background
checks, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,
including six that have taken action since the 2012 killings at
the Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Gun control efforts around the country were reignited by the
shootings at the Connecticut elementary school, which left 20
children and six adults dead.
In Oregon, a 14-year-old student was killed at a high school
last June, when a gunman walked into a gym and opened fire. The
killer then committed suicide.
The Brady Campaign said 35 percent of U.S. citizens now lived in
areas covered by the expanded background checks.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by
Crispian Balmer)
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