Posted on 03/22/2011 10:22:14 AM PDT by jazusamo
Weapons permits held by residents of other states would be honored in Oregon if the Senate agrees
SALEM — A bill that would let non-Oregonians who hold concealed handgun licenses from other states carry their hidden guns in Oregon garnered enough Democratic support Monday to pass in the House.
Twelve House Democrats and all present House Republicans voted for House Bill 2792, which passed 40-17. Three representatives — two Republicans and a Democrat — were absent.
The bill’s proponents argued that it would afford a convenience to law-abiding citizens traveling in Oregon and would not pose a significant safety threat, as evidenced by the lack of opposition to the proposal by various Oregon police forces.
Moreover, Rep. Wayne Krieger, R-Gold Beach, testified that 37 other states would reciprocally allow Oregonians to carry their licensed concealed handguns within their borders if the Legislature passed the bill.
“All of our concealed-carry (Oregonians) … would get a new benefit when they’re traveling with their families,” he said.
Opponents, however, argued that requirements for obtaining a concealed handgun license are far laxer in other states, and consequently the bill would water down Oregon’s carefully constructed gun laws.
“Many states allow individuals to carry concealed handguns who would not be allowed to carry them if they lived in Oregon,” said Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland. “What this bill does is grant to residents of other states a privilege that we … have not granted to people who live here.”
Among the examples of people ineligible for handgun licenses in Oregon but eligible in other states, Nolan cited individuals with felony convictions for violent crimes as well as individuals with limited mental capacities or suffering from other mental health conditions.
But Krieger responded that there are countless other types of licenses that are recognized nationwide but for which the requirements vary wildly from state to state. Concealed handgun licenses should enjoy similar universal recognition, he said.
The passage of HB 2792 is the second victory in less than a week for licensed concealed handgun owners.
On Thursday, the House passed HB 2787 — which would exempt concealed-handgun permit applications from public disclosure — with similar bipartisan support, by a vote of 42-18.
Under current law, unless applicants ask the permit issuer — typically the county sheriff’s office — to keep the information private for personal safety reasons, handgun license applications are not exempt from disclosure under Oregon public records law.
There are 137,426 concealed handgun licenses held statewide, Oregon State Police spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings said.
Approximately 14,000 of those licenses are in Lane County, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
However, only about 200 are subject to public disclosure, as the vast majority of licensees check off a box on the Lane County application form that asks the county to keep the application secret for personal safety reasons.
HB 2787 would uniformly exempt all applications from public disclosure, proponents argued.
Both HB 2792 and HB 2787 now head to the Senate for consideration.
CCW should be recognized nation wide. Just as the drivers license is. What a PITA when traveling across multiple jurisdictions!
Absolutely! This thing is ridiculous.
WA has allowed OR CC but OR hasn’t allowed CC from other states.
I’m not too sure it’s in the bag yet though because of the Senate and Guv.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.