‘Shall not infringe’: Firearm sales explode in Oregon as judge mulls strict new ‘blatantly unconstitutional’ law

“Shall not be infringed” appears to hold little meaning in the blue state of Oregon, with a federal judge being the only thing standing in the way of a new “blatantly unconstitutional” permit-to-purchase law going into effect on Thursday.

“Firearm enthusiasts,” as Fox News dubbed those who believe in their inherent right to self-protection, are “flocking to gun stores” as they await a decision on whether the strict new law that appears to be a backdoor stop to purchasing firearms will be delayed, according to the network — FBI data showed that violent crime in Portland between 2020 and 2021 led the nation.

“The parking lot has been a disaster,” Northwest Armory owner Karl Durkheimer told Fox News. “The side streets around our place have been a disaster.”

According to Oregon State Police, there is a backlog of 42,000 pending background checks due to the surge.

The new law, known as Measure 114, just squeaked by in the midterm election with 50.65% of the vote and it “bans ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds and mandates the creation of a permit-to-purchase system that includes fingerprinting and hands-on firearm training from an instructor who has been certified by law enforcement,” Fox News reported.

If that’s not enough infringing, residents will have to pay up to $65 for the permits that only last for five years and require a new background check for each gun purchase.

Par for the course, those seeking to limit the ability of Americans to protect themselves are claiming that it will reduce violent crime, with Senior Assistant Attorney General Brian Simmonds Marshall insisting in court documents that delaying the bill’s effective date would “likely result in unnecessary deaths” and hinder Oregon’s efforts to “reduce the risk of a massacre within its borders.”

A National Rifle Association-backed legal challenge to a law that has been dubbed “blatantly unconstitutional is being considered by Judge Karin J. Immergut.

“Two former Oregon lawmakers, a sporting goods store, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Oregon State Shooting Association — the NRA’s state affiliate — filed the lawsuit,” Fox News reported, further noting that they argue Measure 114 places “severe and unprecedented burdens” on those seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

“Oregon’s Measure 114 is blatantly unconstitutional,” Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. “The right to keep and bear arms begins with the ability of law-abiding citizens to be able to obtain a firearm through a lawful purchase at a firearm retailer.”

The lawsuit charges that the state “has not yet even provided the necessary funding for, let alone set up the systems required to administer its new and onerous permitting scheme. As of right now, there is no firearms training course that has been certified by the state, which means that no one can lawfully obtain a permit-to-purchase.”

The Oregon Association Chiefs of Police said in a statement that if the measure goes into effect on Dec. 8., law enforcement expects “all gun sales by dealers, at gun shows and most private transfers in Oregon will immediately stop.”

Here are but a few responses to the story from Twitter:

Tom Tillison

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