Greetings

rsd · May 10, 2015

Howdy folks. In view of the passage of SB 941 it looks like I'll be doing some shopping in the near future. If anyone would care to recommend a good gun shop anywhere around Deadwood such as Mapleton, Florence, Junction City, Eugene, or Springfield I would love to hear it. Thank you.

jbett98 · May 10, 2015

Any gun shop will require a background check if you purchase a firearm from them, so SB 941 is a moot point.
This bill only impacts gun sales and transfers from private parties.

rsd · May 10, 2015

That's what I thought until I contacted OFF and found out otherwise. Here is a direct quote from Kevin at OFF: "Certain family members are exempt. However all info on background checks, including your info and the make, model and serial number of the gun ARE registered with the state."

I haven't purchased a firearm in Oregon during the six years I've been here, so maybe firearms were always registered with the state, but that's not the way I read Kevin's email. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks, Ron

jbett98 · May 10, 2015

If you want to buy a gun from a private individual that is not demanding any sort of paperwork involved, then I would certainly do so before this bill becomes law.
Your initial first post stated that you were going to shop at a gun store for firearms and you were concerned about SB 941, not on exemptions included in the bill.

rsd · May 10, 2015

Yes, I wasn't planning on purchasing anything from a private party or at a gun show and I'm quite sure I can pass a background check. What I'm concerned about is the firearm being registered with the state (registration always leads to confiscation). My next stop is to find a copy of existing Oregon firearm laws which I probably should have already done.

Are you saying that firearms purchases have always been registered with the state of Oregon?

According to Wikipedia (not the best source I realize), there is no registration required in Oregon for either long guns or hand guns, although it does say "Oregon State Police may maintain a record of firearms sales from Federal Firearm Licensees for a period up to seven years", which is kind of confusing.

jbett98 · May 10, 2015

I would consider any firearm that has been run through a background check in Oregon to be recorded and placed in a file somewhere.
Before the Gun Control Act of 1968, there weren't any background checks to speak of, and there are millions of firearms that were purchased through mail order catalogs and shipped across the country.
So, if you desire to purchase a firearm that may not be registered to you or anyone else, it's perfectly legal to do a private party transaction for a little while longer.
But, that same gun might be stolen or the seller might be a felon for all you know.
That's why some sellers demand a signed bill of sale at the time of sale.

rsd · May 10, 2015

Ok, thanks for the info -- although I'm still not sure what "Registration" means, specifically the difference between being "registered" with the state, vs the state police keeping copies of the sale including model, serial number, etc. It sounds like the same thing to me. I've ordered a copy of "Understanding Oregon's Gun Laws" from OFF, so perhaps that will clarify things for me.

I remember when I was a kid (probably about 15 years old and prior to 1968), I purchased a used bolt action German Mauser via mail order without any trouble at all or questions asked. If I could have afforded it, I could have also purchased a 50 caliber tripod mounted machine gun like the one described by John Ross in his great book Unintended Consequences (I don't recall whether it was semi-auto or full-auto but it was probably semi-auto). Us kids would take our favorite firearms and walk a couple of miles to a levy where we would shoot mud hens and no one thought a thing about a gang of kids walking around with guns at that time (this was in the country in central California). It's disgusting how things have changed for the worse, and the noose keeps tightening. "Shall not be infringed" indeed.

jbett98 · May 10, 2015

You couldn't buy a real machine gun unless you applied for the tax stamp and were over 21 yrs of age and lived in a state that didn't prohibited them.
Maybe a gun that was turned into a single action or rendered inoperable.

rsd · May 10, 2015

No, it was fully functional and and I suppose it could have been single action rather than semi-automatic or full auto. I didn't try to buy it because I couldn't afford it at the time. Remember that this was a long time ago (circa 1959), so I don't remember the details. If I recall correctly it was $125 for the firearm but the cartridges were very expensive (I think about $10 apiece!). If I could find my copy of "Unintended Consequences" I could provide more details, because it was exactly the same firearm that John Ross describes in his book (with photos of the original advertisement). The bolt action German Mauser was only $15.