Police officers in Oregon don’t know if they will be able to buy new guns without a permit or carry their service weapons while off duty if the state’s embattled gun control law is allowed to take effect.
“It’s unclear how existing certified public safety professionals are treated under this ballot measure,” Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner told Fox News. “Both the purchase of weapons and the possession of magazines of more than 10 rounds, which all our service weapons have that.”
A customer looks at a rifle at the Northwest Armory on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, in Milwaukie, Oregon.
(Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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Measure 114 requires a permit to purchase any firearm and prohibits ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, among other changes. It was supposed to go into effect last week, but is currently blocked by a judge in Harney County, eastern Oregon.
The measure includes an exception for members of the military and law enforcement when it comes to banning magazines, but “solely for use authorized by that entity in connection with the entity’s official duties.” That has some agencies confused about whether officers will be allowed to take their service weapons home.
“What does that mean for our off-duty officers who are often required, and in some cases policy required, to be armed off-duty as well?” Skinner asked. “There are a lot of those unanswered questions that we hope to clear up.”
Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan told Fox News that her department is looking to purchase 10-round magazines for deputies to carry when off duty.
“We don’t want them potentially receiving a charge in another jurisdiction that could jeopardize their police certification and job, so we will be looking to get them lower capacity chargers for when they are off duty,” Duncan wrote in an email.
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Law enforcement officials said they are not aware of a single training program in the state that currently satisfies all of the permit requirements outlined in Measure 114. If and when the law goes into effect, they say the Police will also have to apply for a permit to buy a gun.
“Anyone, including law enforcement officers seeking a permit, will first need to complete training that does not yet exist,” Oregon State Sheriffs Association Executive Director Jason Myers wrote in a court statement.
The measure requires instruction on state and federal gun laws, safe storage, the effect of suicide and homicide on communities, how to report lost or stolen firearms, as well as an in-person demonstration of how to lock, unload, shoot and store a gun
“Many of our smaller agencies require new officers to purchase their own handguns to use as service weapons,” Oregon Police Chiefs Association executive director Kevin Campbell wrote in a court statement. “Those agencies do not have a current supply of handguns to provide new officers, and new officers will not be able to purchase a handgun without first obtaining the required training and then obtaining a permit to purchase a firearm.”
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Skinner said he hopes to get more clarity on the law in the coming weeks and is holding off on issuing formal guidance to officers.
“I want to make sure we have as much information as possible instead of having to constantly tweak guidance for officers in the field,” he wrote in an email Friday.
A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in the Harney County case.
