By: José Niño

Oregon’s gun storage bill, SB 554, was passed in the State Senate on days ago with a vote of 17-7. The bill was previously approved in the House with a 34-24 vote.

This bill would be among the strongest mandatory storage laws in the country. Storage mandates have picked up steam lately, with Colorado passing its own version of the law last month.

Dangerous forced storage laws persist in states that are Democratic strongholds, such as California, Connecticut, and New York. With Oregon likely to pass this law, it will bring the total number of states with mandatory storage laws to 12. SB 554 would be one of the most significant pieces of gun control legislation passed in recent years.

Under Oregon’s proposed law, gun owners must secure unattended firearms with trigger locks or store them in locked compartments. Those who don’t abide by this law could face a maximum fine of $2,000.

Opponents are correct to suggest that forcing lawful individuals to have their guns stored in inconvenient places will increase the chances of encounters with armed intruders turning deadly. Evidence gathered by John Lott in his research at the Journal of Law and Economics found that states with mandatory storage laws experienced 300 more cases of murder and 4,000 more rape cases on a yearly basis.

The current push for mandatory storage laws is part of a new ploy by gun control advocates to label civilian disarmament measures as a form of “gun safety,” despite evidence pointing to gun control increasing crimes. The likely signage of SB 554 into law will make Oregonians less safe and give anti-gun bureaucrats another way to harass lawful gun owners.

José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.