Gun Control Northwest

Nothing new in Washington State, but in Oregon....

In the blue state of Oregon, voters were presented with Measure 114, the 12-page Changes to Firearm Ownership and Purchase Requirements Initiative, described by the NRA as "the nation’s most extreme gun control Initiative."

Among other things, it requires a law enforcement-issued “permit to purchase” to buy or transfer a firearm, requires law enforcement to maintain a registry of gun owners’ personal information (gathered from permit applications), and subjects legitimate gun owners to extra fees to exercise their rights. It also unconstitutionally bans the use, possession, manufacturing, and transfer of magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds.  

This extreme law was supported by wealthy gun control groups Giffords, Bloomberg’s Everytown, and the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety. Law enforcement associations, state gun groups.  The National Rifle Association opposed the measure.   

There was a huge funding disparity in the campaign contributions reported in relation to the measure, with $2,930,049.57 in support, and $173,205.26 against.

Large donations from single individuals made up most of the pro-Measure 114 funding, with Connie Ballmer, the wife of Steve Ballmer, billionaire and former Microsoft CEO, being the top donor with a contribution of $750,000, followed by Nicolas Hanauer ($250,000), and Bloomberg’s Everytown PAC donating an additional $155,000.

Even with the campaign spending so massively weighted in favor of the proponents, on election day the measure barely squeaked by, with current results showing just over 50% of voters favored the law.