A ruling by a state judge placed Oregon’s tough voter-approved gun law on hold late Tuesday, hours after a federal court judge allowed the ban on the sale and transfer of high-capacity magazines to take effect this week. The ruling by Harney County Judge Robert Raschio threw the implementation of Measure 114 — set for Thursday — into limbo. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said her office will urgently appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court, the Associated Press reports. “It’s been a busy day for Measure 114, Oregon’s new gun safety law, which is supposed to go into effect Thursday. A federal and a state judge both issued rulings today,” Rosenblum's Twitter thread said. “As of now, the law cannot go into effect on Thursday.”
The lawsuit filed by Gun Owners of America Inc., the Gun Owners Foundation and several individual gun owners sought to have the entire law placed on hold while its constitutionality is decided. The state lawsuit specifically makes the claims under the Oregon Constitution, not the U.S. Constitution — and that means Raschio’s ruling is binding in the entire state. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut allowed the ban on the sale and transfer of new high-capacity magazines to take effect Thursday. She granted a 30-day delay before the law’s permit-to-purchase mandate takes effect, but did not quash it entirely as gun rights advocates had wanted.nMeasure 114 requires a permit, criminal background check, fingerprinting and hands-on training course for new firearms buyers. It also bans the sale, transfer or import of gun magazines over 10 rounds unless they are owned by law enforcement or a military member or were owned before the measure’s passage. Those who already own high-capacity magazines can possess them only in their homes or use them at a firing range, in shooting competitions or for hunting as allowed by state law after the measure takes effect. Gun sales and requests for background checks soared in the weeks since the measure was approved because of fears the new law would prevent or significantly delay the purchase of new firearms.