March 28, 2025 5:30 a.m.

Senate Republicans are pushing back against the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 243, arguing that it does nothing to address the real drivers of gun deaths while attacking the constitutionality protected rights of responsible gun owners.

A release from Oregon Senate Republicans said between 2019 and 2023, Oregon recorded 3,125 firearm-related deaths, 77 percent of which were suicides. At the same time, Oregon ranks among the worst states for mental health treatment access despite having one of the highest rates of mental illness. Republicans claim rather than tackling these core issues, SB243 imposes more restrictions that will do little to stop crime or reduce suicides.

The release said the amendment to SB243 will:

*Strip 18-to-20-year-olds of their constitutional right to buy firearms, relegating them to a short list of outdated long guns while banning handguns entirely

*Impose a punitive three-day waiting period on firearm purchases, stalling law-abiding citizens desperate for protection – especially victims of stalking

*Ban unloaded firearms from vast swathes of public buildings and vague “adjacent grounds”

State Senator David Brock Smith said, “This is yet another example of urban legislators forcing restrictions on law-abiding gun owners in rural Oregon while ignoring the real problems behind gun deaths”. Brock Smith said, “Oregon’s mental health crisis is being ignored in favor of ineffective gun control policies that won’t stop criminals or reduce suicides”. Brock Smith represents Senate District One, which includes the south coast and parts of Douglas County.