WPBN: Giffords Law Center, a political organization whose primary mission is to reduce the incidence of gun violence, has given Oregon an A- for the rules it has in place regarding firearms.
The organization, which is run by Gabrielle Giffords, a former representative from Arizona, assesses and ranks states on a yearly basis based on their gun restrictions, taking into consideration both newly enacted legislation and legislation that has already been passed.
The state of Oregon’s gun regulation has steadily improved over the course of the past decade, going from a grade of D+ in 2014 to the grade of A- that it currently possesses. Because of this, the state is presently ranked eleventh among the states in the US in terms of the limitations placed on firearms.
According to the available data, the rate of gun-related fatalities in Oregon is 14.1 per 100,000 persons, which is approximately 2% more than the average reported for the entire US.
Although this is the case, the Giffords Law Center noted a number of reasons that contributed to Oregon’s outstanding score.
A few examples of this are the installation of universal background checks by the state, severe risk protection orders, and restrictions on big capacity magazines.
Ghost weapons, which are firearms that do not have serial numbers and are therefore untraceable, were recently prohibited in the state, which was highlighted as another important factor in the state’s better rating.
In addition to these steps, the state of Oregon has just recently established a task group to address the issue of gun-related suicides and has given ten million dollars to initiatives that aid in the intervention of community violence.
The state is making continuing efforts to better its response to gun violence, and these initiatives are a part of those efforts.
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The Giffords Law Center, on the other hand, recommended that Oregon might further enhance its weapon rules by introducing legislation that would require the gun industry to comply with accountability standards and by prohibiting bump stocks and other rapid-fire devices.
In addition to this, the organization suggested the establishment of a permanent fund for community violence intervention programs as well as the establishment of a new office that would be dedicated to the prevention of gun violence.
As a point of contrast, the state of California was ranked first on the Gun Law Scorecard. According to the data, the state has eight gun deaths for every 100,000 citizens, which is a decrease of 42 percent compared to the average for the entire country.
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The state of Washington, which is rated ninth, likewise scored an A- and had 13.1 gun deaths for every 100,000 residents. The state of Wyoming, on the other hand, was discovered to have the least stringent gun prohibitions in the entire country. The next four states that rounded out the bottom five states with the least stringent controls on firearms were West Virginia, Utah, Texas, and Tennessee.
“Every year, our Scorecard is a reminder of the inconsistency of America’s gun laws — both demonstrating what is possible, and what happens when state leaders fail to save lives,” Giffords Executive Director Emma Brown stated.
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