5 things to know about Oregon's proposed gun-control bill

An Oregon Senate committee will hear public testimony this week on a proposal by gun-control advocates to require a background check any time someone sells or gives a firearm to another person who isn't a relative. Here are five things to know about the proposal.

What it does

The bill requires gun buyers and sellers who aren't related to visit a licensed gun dealer that can, for a fee, run a background check through the Oregon State Police. Oregon law prohibits giving a gun to minors, felons, people with recent convictions for violent behavior or those who have been found by a court to have a mental illness.

If someone fails a background check, the State Police would be required to notify the local sheriff and police chief.

Background checks would not be required when someone transfers a gun to close relatives.

The seller of a gun would face a misdemeanor for a first offense, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine. A second offense would be a felony, with a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

What they're saying

The debate is falling along familiar lines. Gun-control advocates say the bill would make it tougher for people who shouldn't have guns to get hold of them. They acknowledge that background checks won't prevent all gun-related violence, but they say the background-check requirements haven't caught up with the information tools of the Internet age.

"My goal is to keep individuals who shouldn't have access to guns from having easy access to guns," said Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a Eugene Democrat who is sponsoring the bill.

Gun-rights supporters say the bill would trample on their 2nd Amendment rights. They say the bill will only affect people who abide by the law, so criminals won't be deterred. They also complain that the Oregon State Police background-check system sometimes returns faulty results.

"If they were saying, 'Yes, it's an inconvenience for you people, but at least we're getting bad guys off the street,' I'd still object to it philosophically, but they'd have a practical argument," said Kevin Starrett, head of the Oregon Firearms Federation. "But they're not getting bad people off the street."

How to weigh in

The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a public hearing 8 a.m. Wednesday at the state Capitol in Salem. Members of the public are invited to testify.

Oregonians also can also email or call their senator. Contact information is on the Legislature's website, www.oregonlegislature.gov.

Prospects

After Democrats picked up two additional seats in November, the bill now faces much stronger prospects of success. The tougher challenge could be in the House, where lawmakers face more frequent elections and haven't been asked to weigh in recently on gun control.

National context

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says Oregon would be the eighth state to require background checks on private sales and the fifth since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.