Jackson County, Ore.–A new Senate Bill urges law makers to give local police the power to take away guns from abusers. Thursday Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum suggested it to Oregon lawmakers.
Senate Bill 525 would give local police the power to retrieve guns from a person who is subject to a restraining order or someone who is convicted of certain misdemeanor crimes like domestic violence.
NBC5 spoke to a National Riffle’s Association certified firearm instructor and he feels this won’t stop criminals from doing what they want.
“They don’t actually stop anyone from what they are intending to do anyways, and they only address fire arms, they dont address using a baseball bat or gasoline and a lighter or any other violence, people who intend to do harm will always figure out a way to do harm,” said Greg Mead.
According to The Oregonian, Attorney General Rosenblum said 20 percent of homicides in Oregon each year stem from domestic violence and two thirds involve guns.
She also said nationwide domestic violence assaults with guns are 12 times more likely to be fatal than without one.
In our case, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office would be in charge of dealing with the restraining orders. We spoke to a captain who could only say they will follow the law if it passed.
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