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Everytown, Oregon Moms Condemn Senate Leadership for Failing to Bring Gun Safety Bill to the Floor for a Vote

3.3.2016

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today condemned the Oregon Senate for failing to vote on House Bill 4147, which was passed to the Senate Chamber last Monday. The Senate adjourned early for the year and the Senate Leadership refused to bring HB 4147 to the floor for a vote – therefore blocking HB 4147 from heading to Governor Brown’s desk to be signed into state law.

Had HB 4147 been passed and signed into law, it would have closed the “Charleston Loophole” and also required state officials to alert law enforcement when an individual prohibited from purchasing a firearm attempts to do so illegally and fails a background check. Closing the “Charleston Loophole” would have provided law enforcement with the time it needs to complete background checks on the small number of purchasers with complex criminal histories that require investigation. The latter provision would have provided law enforcement with the information to arrest dangerous people before they could get a gun through other routes.

Throughout the legislative session, Oregon moms and gun violence survivors met face-to-face with Oregon legislators, made calls and sent emails advocating for the bill’s passage. Last month, along with Oregon moms, gun violence survivors Sharon Risher and Paul Kemp testified in support of the bill. Sharon Risher’s mother, Ethel Lance, and cousins, Susie Jackson and Tywanza Sanders, were killed in Charleston, South Carolina at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church this past June. Paul Kemp’s brother-in-law, Steve Forsyth, was killed at the Clackamas Town Center shooting in December 2012.

STATEMENT FROM ANNELIESE DAVIS, A VOLUNTEER WITH THE OREGON CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“Moms in Oregon are disappointed that our leaders in the Senate refused to even bring HB 4147 to the floor for a vote. Instead of standing on the side of public safety, the Senate leadership bucked the will of the people and created a roadblock for Governor Brown to sign this important piece of legislation. However, Oregon moms and gun violence survivors aren’t going away. We’ll continue to advocate for gun safety laws that will strengthen our background check system and make it even more effective. The lives of our families are on the line and that’s simply something elected leaders can’t ignore.”