OR gun control bill gets major rewrite
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 5th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – The Oregon Senate Rules Committee has provided an amendment to House Bill 4145 which takes away major portions of the measure that is supposed to make changes to Ballot Measure 114. Passed narrowly in 2022, that gun control law is still held up by court challenges.
The Rules Committee amended the bill so that is basically rewritten. It deletes the portions that would have doubled gun permit fees and would have extended the waiting period for a permit from 30 to 60 days. The amendment was approved by a 4 to 1 vote.
The dramatic change in the bill comes only two days after Republicans provided Democrats with the quorum that they needed to pass moving the No Tax Oregon referendum vote from November to the earlier May primary.
The amendment keeps the portion that delays the effective date of the gun control law until Jan. 1, 2028. It also retains the large carriage magazine ban. However it modifies the affirmative defense language, allowing prosecution to be stayed during court injunctions and setting timelines for dealers and manufacturers to act after certain court rulings.
The amended bill is now in the hands of the full Senate. If it’s approved by that body, it will then have to go back in its new form for approval by the House of Representatives. The clock is ticking. The 2026 session of the Oregon Legislature must end by law on Sunday, March 8.
