Oregon Police Worry New Gun Control May Limit Them to 10-Round Magazines

Oregon police are worried that if Ballot Measure 114 (BM 114) is allowed to take effect it may limit them to ten-round magazines and force them to get a permit in order to carry their firearms off-duty.

Among other things, BM 114 bans magazines holding more than ten rounds and requires residents to get a permit before being allowed to own a gun.

BM 114 contains an exemption for officers on duty, but there is confusion as to what hoops officers might have jump through in order to be armed and to maintain a standard number of rounds in their firearms when they are off-duty.

Eugene, Oregon, Police Chief Chris Skinner explained the lack of clarity to Fox News: “It’s not clear how existing certified public safety professionals are treated under this ballot measure. Both the purchase of weapons and the possession of magazines in excess of 10 rounds, which all of our duty weapons have that.”

BM 114 was supposed to take effect December 8, 2022, but was halted by a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Raschio on December 6.

The case in which Raschio rendered his decision was brought by Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Gun Owners Foundation, Gliff Asmussen, and Joseph Arnold.

Breitbart News spoke with Gun Owners of America on December 14, 2022, and they noted that the TRO regarding the background check for the permit to purchase is still in place and a decision on the “high capacity” magazine ban is expected tomorrow.

BM 114 passed on November 8, 2022, with 50.65 percent of the vote. The day before the vote, Breitbart News pointed to a Bearing Arms report that BM 114 was being bankrolled by out-of-state donors.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.