By BRYCLE DOLE/Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — A hotly contested firearm bill passed through the Oregon Senate on Thursday.
In a 17-12 party-line vote, Democrats approved Senate Bill 243 over Republican opposition. The bill would ban rapid-fire devices like bump stocks. It would also give local governments the authority to prohibit people with a concealed handgun license from carrying a gun into buildings where public meetings occur.
The vote came after a debate that underscored the political divide over gun control and how best to prevent mass shootings.
Democrats, who hold a supermajority in the chamber, argued that such devices ultimately make semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, enabling mass shooters. Repeatedly, they pointed to the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas, where a man, armed with rapid-fire accessories, shot and killed 60 people and injured hundreds more.
“These are tools of mass destruction,” said state Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, who added: “The only purpose of those weapons and those accessories are to kill people.”
In addition, Democrats said local government officials should be allowed to pass policies around where concealed handguns can be carried. Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, argued that ensuring public safety in public facilities should fall to police, not ordinary people with a concealed handgun license.
“This bill stands on the principle that local communities know best how to keep our communities safe, where we govern, where our children learn and grow,” said Broadman.
Oregon law prohibits carrying guns in public buildings, but there are exceptions for people who have a concealed handgun license. Firearms are not allowed in the Oregon State Capitol, even if someone has a concealed handgun license.
“Oregonians are tired of being blamed while the real threats go unaddressed,” said Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee.
As the Senate took up the bill, Republicans put forward a minority report with alternative measures, including proposals to repeal a previous law around gun safes and keep guns out of the hands of people charged with drug-related misdemeanors. Democrats rejected it.
Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, said Democrats have repeatedly bucked Republican proposals to make the legislation bipartisan. He also took issue with the proposed penalty for transferring a rapid-fire device, a Class B felony, which can carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Had lawmakers voted on the bill’s provision on bump stocks individually, McLane said Republicans may have gotten behind it. He acknowledged that bump stocks can be regulated because they are considered accessories.
“We could have had a bipartisan bill today,” said McLane, who served on the Senate Committee on Judiciary that took up the bill. “But the majority party in this chamber did not want a bipartisan bill today.”
Republicans fear the bill could result in a “patchwork” of rules passed by local governments that could punish responsible gun owners. They said some jurisdictions have limited resources — such as police or metal detectors — to protect public facilities, stating criminals won’t abide by rules that local governments pass.
“I’m fearful for those we leave vulnerable once again,” said State Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise.
A previous version of the bill included provisions to implement a 72-hour waiting period for a gun purchase and raised the age that people can possess most guns from 18 to 21. House lawmakers are still weighing the provision about the waiting period, Prozanski and Broadman told OPB.
The bill was backed by gun reform advocates calling for stricter measures in Oregon, where the rate of gun deaths increased 40% from 2001 to 2023, surpassing the national fatality rate and those of neighboring west coast states, according to research from the joint Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University School of Public Health.
The bill faced large amounts of pushback and lengthy testimony from Oregon gun owners who say the government is incrementally infringing upon their constitutional rights to bear arms.
This is one of three gun bills still advancing through the Oregon Legislature. Lawmakers are also weighing bills that would initiate a state licensing program for gun dealers and lay the framework to implement Ballot Measure 114, which bans purchases of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and requires a permit before buying a gun.
The bill now heads to the Oregon House of Representatives.
- This story originally appeared May 29, 2025 on Oregon Public Broadcasting.
I don’t understand why the issue of gun control has to be political with only black and white solutions. The arguments being presented against regulating these types of gun accessories don’t hold water when you think of this legislation in terms of preventing mass killings. I agree the bill doesn’t address the associated major issues of mental health and keeping guns out of criminal hands. But it’s a step in the right direction towards keeping our families and towns safe. The other arguments brought forth by the other side appear specious when considered within that context. It’s time to turn the page on people who feel they can take their anger and frustrations out on other humans just because they can. It’s time for cooler heads to prevail. Kudos to the Oregon legislature for stepping up.