Members of several gun rights and hunting groups are asking the Oregon Supreme Court to change the ballot title for an initiative that would require owners to store the weapons with trigger locks or in a locked container.
The proposal would also require owners to directly supervise any child using a gun and report lost or stolen firearms to the police within 24 hours of when they knew, or should have known, it was missing.
Anyone who ignored the storage requirement would be liable for injuries caused using the weapon, unless the injury resulted from self-defense or defense of another person.
Supporters hope to get the initiative on the November ballot.
Relatives of two people killed in the 2012 Clackamas Town Center shooting filed the initiative earlier this year[1]. They have until July 6 to gather more than 88,000 valid signatures to get it on the ballot for the November election. However, they cannot start collecting signatures until the ballot title appeals process has run its course.
On Thursday, members of the NRA, Oregon Firearms Federation, Oregon Hunters Association and Oregon Outdoor Council filed petitions asking the Oregon Supreme Court to make changes to the ballot title.
A lawyer working for state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed the certified ballot title on May 31. The ballot title for Initiative Petition 43 reads[2]: "Requires firearms be locked during storage/transfer, loss reported, minors' use supervised; imposes penalties/liabilities."
More than 400 people submitted comments about the proposed ballot title, according to a letter from senior assistant attorney general Jeff Payne.
"Numerous commenters do not challenge the draft ballot title in any manner," Payne wrote. "Rather, many simply stated support or opposition to the proposed measure, or
