Firearm Sales Skyrocketing as Oregon Residents Rush to Get Ahead of Gun Control

Firearm sales are skyrocketing in Oregon as residents rush to get ahead of Ballot Measure 114’s (BM 114) effective date of December 8, 2022.

On December 1, 2022, Breitbart News reported lawsuits were filed against BM 114.

For example, the Associated Press noted that the Oregon Firearms Federation, together with “a local sheriff and a gun store owner [are asking] the court to declare the law unconstitutional and issue an injunction to prevent it from going into effect next week.”

The Firearms Policy Coalition is also suing in an attempt to stop implementation of the “high capacity” magazine ban contained in BM 114.

On December 5, 2022, FOX News observed, “Firearm enthusiasts in Oregon are flocking to gun stores as they wait to find out whether a federal judge will delay the start of a strict permit-to-purchase law before Thursday’s deadline.”

Gun sales more than doubled in Oregon with Ballot Measure 114 (BM 114) pending, and Oregon State Police are struggling to keep up with the demand for background checks. https://t.co/fZrtiWGlu5

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) November 19, 2022

BM 114 passed narrowly, receiving 50.65 percent of the vote on November 8.  In addition to banning ammunition magazines that hold more than ten rounds, the measure requires Oregon residents to acquire a permit in order to buy a firearm.

The permit to purchase costs $65 and, in late October, Breitbart News pointed out that Clatsop County Sheriff Matt Phillips voiced concern that BM 114’s licensing requirement would prove cost-prohibitive for poorer state residents.

Phillips said, “From an equity perspective, it’s a barrier to people with lower incomes from legally possessing a firearm. It just adds one more expense.”

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.