The country is looking at a court ruling that seems to have given a victory to those looking for an answer to the mass shootings that have take place over the years. The toughest gun law yet has been upheld so far. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut ruled that banning large capacity magazines and requiring a permit to purchase a gun falls in line with “the nation’s history and tradition of regulating uniquely dangerous features of weapons and firearms to protect public safety,”
This ruling changed the test that lower courts had long used for evaluating challenges to firearm restrictions, telling judges that gun laws must be consistent with the “historical tradition of firearm regulation.” The fed judge ruled Oregon’s voter-approved gun control measure, one of the toughest in the nation, is constitutional. Measure 114 was passed by Oregon voters this past November.
Looking for a solutionto school shootings and other mass shootung, the Measure requires residents to undergo safety training and a background check to obtain a permit to buy a gun. Measure 114 also bans the sale, transfer or import of gun magazines with more than 10 rounds unless they are owned by law enforcement or a military member or were owned before the measure’s passage.
The latest ruling in U.S. District Court is likely to be appealed, potentially moving all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Large capacity magazines “are not commonly used for self-defense, and are therefore not protected by the Second Amendment,” Immergut wrote. “The Second Amendment also allows governments to ensure that only law-abiding, responsible citizens keep and bear arms.”
The gun safety Measure was narrowly approved by voters in November 2022. It established permit-to-purchase rules and a ban on the sale and transfer of high-capacity magazines. Those who already own high-capacity magazines can only possess them at home or use them at a firing range, in shooting competitions or for hunting as allowed by state law after the measure takes effect.
This decision comes after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment that has upended gun laws across the country. This decision is considered groundbreaking and could start the copying of passing similar Measures in other parts of the country.
