What you need to know about Wednesday's gun hearing

Lawmakers will hear two hours of testimony Wednesday morning on Senate Bill 941, which would expand background checks for private gun sales. The hearing is expected to bring hundreds of people to the Capitol.

Anyone planning to watch the hearing or testify should plan ahead. It will be crowded, and there will be a limited number of slots for people to testify.

Below is a list of advice to make testifying at Wednesday's gun hearing as effective as possible for everyone involved.

Know what Senate Bill 941 does and does not do.

SB 941 would require that private gun sellers perform the same criminal background checks that a licensed gun retailer or gun show would do on buyers. The checks are meant to find out if someone is a felon or has a restraining order against him or her, which would prohibit that person from buying a firearm. Currently, people can buy guns online or through other advertisements without being checked for a criminal record.

It does not apply to family members. For example, an uncle may sell his rifle to his niece without running a background check on her.

Show up early and in the correct location.

The Capitol doors open at 7 a.m. and the hearing begins at 8 a.m. Early arrivals may begin signing up to testify shortly after 7 a.m., so anyone who is dead set on speaking must get there early and line up at the door.

The committee meets in Hearing Room 50, which is in the Capitol basement. There are stairs and an elevator that access the basement floor.

Anyone who plans to watch the hearing but not speak should go to Hearing Rooms B and C. Those are located on the first floor of the Capitol, to the left as one enters and goes through the rotunda. The hearing will be shown live in both rooms on video screens.

Prepare your testimony ahead of time.

Each member of the public will be given only two minutes to speak. Testimony should fit into this time. Committee members occasionally ask questions, so try and keep your remarks under two minutes to allow for any clarifications lawmakers may need.

Don't feel that you must speak at the hearing to be heard.

The committee can accept unlimited written testimony, and lawmakers of both parties are diligent about reading each piece. If you have stage fright or would rather give your place in line to someone else, give your written testimony to the committee administrator, and it will be added to the record for the hearing.

Use your gun appropriately.

The Oregon State Police will be checking hearing attendees for guns, as many people will bring them to the hearing, to be used as political symbols or visual aids. Anyone carrying a gun must also produce a valid concealed hand gun license, even if the gun is visible to the officers. If you don't have a license, your gun will not be allowed in the hearing.

Guns are welcome at the hearing, but they must be displayed responsibly. This means no brandishing, waving or flourishing a weapon, and of course, no firing a gun under any circumstances.

Don't sweat if you miss the hearing.

The Oregon Legislative Information System allows the public to watch committee hearings live on their home or work computers. Visit the Senate Committee on Judiciary website at 8 a.m. and click the small video camera icon to the right of the 4/1/2015 date in the right-hand column.

If you miss the chance to submit testimony at the hearing, you may email or call a committee member. The Senate Committee on Judiciary has five members: Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Tigard; Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis; Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg; Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene; Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer.

hhoffman@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6719 or follow at twitter.com/HannahKHoffman