SALEM, ORE. -Gov. Kate Brown has released her agenda for the February legislative session.
Affordable housing, job growth in rural Oregon, fighting the opioid epidemic and placing further restrictions on gun ownership are among the governors top priorities. The gun law may prove the most controversial.
Brown plans to propose a new bill that would make it more difficult for persons with a history of domestic violence to buy a gun. Currently, Oregon law prohibits those with a violent history from buying a gun if they are related to or live with their victim.
This leaves the “Boyfriend Loophole” for those who may be in a relationship but are not living with their significant other. Brown’s proposal would close that loophole by modifying state law to include those who used to live with their victim or those who are still in an intimate relationship.
Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Lucy Durst said this change would further align with how they charge domestic assault cases.
“When we’re charging, say a crime assault in the fourth degree, a boyfriend is considered a family or household member,” Durst said.
Brown’s proposal would also add gun-purchasing restrictions on people who have been convicted of misdemeanor stalking.
Additionally, it would make sure the “appropriate authorities” are notified when a person who falls under the restrictions tries to buy a gun and have the state track information about those cases to learn where the reporting system can be improved.
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