Yesterday, the Sportsmen’s and Women’s Coalition filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging the implementation of Oregon Ballot Measure 114, which imposes a lengthy permit process for the legal transaction of firearms and sets a limit 10 bullets in magazine capacity.
The measure is being challenged by four combined federal lawsuits that will be heard by the Honorable Karin J. Immergut in the US District Court for the District of Oregon.
The amicus brief supports the Eyre vs. Rosenblum, endorsed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Oregon Shooting Sports Association (OSSA), who maintains that the permit requirement of Measure 114 is unconstitutionally onerous as it impedes the right protected by Second Amendment to possess firearms and does not provide a historical justification for the restriction.
The permitting process requires completion of safety courses provided by local law enforcement agencies and the final decision can be left to the discretion of a single permitting agent. These security courses are not currently available and are not expected anytime soon due to a lack of resources, and no clear criteria for denying a permit. This makes legally obtaining firearms of any caliber, for historically authorized purposes, including hunting and shooting sports, nearly impossible and subject to potential discrimination.
The Coalition of Sportsmen and Women includes the Oregon Hunters Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation, Safari Club International (SCI), the National Deer Association, Delta Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited.
The amicus brief, drafted with the help of SCI’s litigation team, highlights the missions of the coalition organizations as diverse, but all share a common interest in hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, and water sports. threw. These groups have funded and participated in wildlife, habitat, and natural resource conservation projects in Oregon.
“The Coalition of Sporting Women and Men includes organizations that have hundreds of thousands of members committed to sustainable practices that protect and invest in our shared natural resources.” said Keely Hopkins, Pacific States Manager and Firearms Policy for the Congressional Athletes Foundation. “Measure 114 not only removes the constitutional right to keep and bear firearms, but also creates a barrier to entry to hunting and recreational shooting that will have a cascading negative effect on conservation efforts in Oregon, which will They finance themselves largely through hunting. licenses By diminishing the ability to introduce hunting to a new generation of Oregonians, this measure lessens the positive impacts hunting has on Oregon’s natural habitats.”
The amicus brief can be found here.
Founded in 1989, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is the informed authority on outdoor issues and serves as the primary conduit for influencing public policy. Working with the Congressional Athletes Caucus (CSC), the Governors Athletes Caucus (GSC) and the National Assembly of Athletes Caucus (NASC), CSF gives a voice to hunters, anglers, recreational shooters and hunters on Capitol Hill and in all state capitals. advocate for vital outdoor issues that are the backbone of our nation’s conservation legacy. For more information on CSF’s policy work, visit www.congressionalsportsmen.org.