A gun control advocacy group is pushing for Oregon to step up oversight of gun dealers in the state.

In Oregon, nearly 75% of the 26,046 guns recovered in crimes committed between 2017 and 2021 were originally purchased from in-state dealers and fell into the hands of criminals through gun purchases straw and theft from dealers, the group said. reported.

In most of these cases, people initially purchased the guns within 25 miles of where they were recovered, according to the Alliance for a Safe Oregon.

The data comes from a public records request to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from Brady-United Against Gun Violence, a nonprofit group that advocates for gun control on fire.

Records obtained by the nonprofit organization indicate that a minority of Oregon gun dealers “disproportionately supply Oregon’s crime guns, highlighting the need for oversight and enforcement.” sufficient enforcement from the firearms industry,” the Oregon report states.

Gun purchases occur when a person legally purchases a firearm for someone else who is legally prohibited from owning one.

The report claims that federal oversight of federally licensed gun dealers is lax, with the ATF inspecting the average gun dealer once every 10 years.

Leaders of the Safe Oregon Alliance said Oregon should join other states that have adopted their own gun dealer licensing policies, inspection requirements, background checks on all employees involved in gun sales and require secure inventory storage practices, as well as the use of security cameras at points of sale to deter theft, reduce gun trafficking at fire and reduce gun violence.

Jess Marks, executive director of the alliance, suggests that state police, consumer and business services personnel or the attorney general’s office could be involved in such surveillance.

“Responsible gun dealers who adopt safe business practices regarding gun sales, security and inventory controls, and employee training sell fewer, if any, crime guns,” a said Josh Scharff, general counsel for the nonprofit Brady-United. Against armed violence.

Scharff said the ATF lacks “the authority and resources to properly deal with companies that violate the law.”

There are approximately 135 federal firearms licensees in the United States, including approximately 75,000 to 80,000 gun dealers, pawnbrokers, and manufacturers. Last year, the ATF conducted fewer than 8,700 compliance inspections and revoked federal firearms licensees in fewer than 2 percent of its inspections, according to Scharff.

ATF spokesman Jason Chudy declined to comment Wednesday.

The report comes just weeks after state lawyers urged the Oregon Court of Appeals to allow gun control approved by the state’s voters. Measure 114 to go into effect, arguing that its regulations promote public safety without “unduly” restricting an Oregonian’s right to bear arms for self-defense.

Measure 114 passed in November 2022 with 50.7% of the state’s vote. It limits firearm magazine capacity to 10 rounds or less, requires a permit to purchase a firearm, and closes the so-called “Charleston loophole” by requiring the carrying out, not just launching, a criminal background check to purchase or transfer a firearm.

In late 2022, a Harney County judge issued an emergency injunction blocking the measure from taking effect and subsequently held a trial on the merits of the suit. Last November, it found that its two main provisions requiring a license to purchase a firearm and banning high-capacity magazines violated the state constitution’s clause protect the right to bear arms.-

Asianique Savage, a Portland resident whose mother was shot and killed on their porch in 2002 and whose 20-year-old brother was killed in a shooting last year, said the city’s homicides are partly fueled by the ease of access to firearms on the street. Savage, who is also in charge of the alliance’s metro gun violence program, says the state needs to focus on where guns come from to help reduce homicides.

Gun rights advocate Tony L. Aiello Jr. said the fact that guns found in crimes can be traced back, at some point, to a purchase from a licensed gun dealer It’s not surprising.

“Since Oregon has nearly banned all non-dealer firearm transfers, meaning almost all legal firearm transfers take place before a licensed firearm dealer federal government, it would not be surprising to find that most firearms used in crimes have, at some point, been purchased legally.” he said.

Aiello continued: “The real problem here is that Oregon’s big cities are unwilling and unable to combat crime in the state, made worse by Oregon’s soft-on-crime policies and rampant consumerism. of drugs. Instead, they choose to point the finger at law-abiding gun owners and dealers.

Karl Durkheimer, whose family owns two Northwest Armory stores in Milwaukie and Tigard and one in Scottsdale, Ariz., said he doesn’t believe another level of regulation is needed for government-licensed gun dealers federal. He said the ATF’s regulations are sufficient. “If you really want to stop gun crime, you first have to enforce the laws in place today,” he said. “When you make these laws and regulations, it impacts honest people.”

— Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Contact her at 503-221-8212, [email protected], follow her on @maxoregonianor on LinkedIn.

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