Measure 114 is scheduled to come into force in December. On Aug. 8, there was a spike in gun buying in Oregon, with people trying to buy guns lining up and waiting for days for background checks.
As part of current Oregon law, anyone buying a firearm in the state must pass a background check conducted by the Oregon State Police. The surge in gun sales has created a backlog of 42,000 pending background checks, according to spokesman Kyle Kennedy.
Cabela’s in Tualatin implemented a queuing system to handle demand. Shoppers looking to buy or pick up a firearm from the store scan the QR code and wait in line.
According to store manager Richard Dziedzic, the queues can only hold 70 to 80 people a day, with 50 people queuing at the gate by 5 a.m. and full by the time the store opens on Saturday. It may take a full day to complete the list.
“The transaction volume has gone up significantly,” Dziedric said.
Dziedric said Cabela’s has done its best to help every customer, but bottlenecks in background checks have forced them to turn away some people.
Portland Sportsmen’s Warehouse customers also lined up at the store on Saturday — many holding a small slip of paper listing where they were in line to pick up or buy a firearm. Some people have been waiting for over an hour.
Jason Bray was one of dozens of people picking up firearms at the Sportsman’s Warehouse, where he was for a shotgun he ordered online. He said the change in gun regulations didn’t affect his purchase of a rifle, but he ordered some magazines for another gun ahead of Measure 114, which would ban the sale and transfer of magazines with more than 10 rounds.
In addition to limiting magazine capacity, the measure would require a license to buy firearms in the state.
“It’s kind of crazy here,” Bray said. “But, personally, I think it’s a waste of time. The only way to fix the problem is to abolish 114.”
Debate over the new gun rules continued Friday with federal hearings on the constitutionality of Measure 114’s provisions. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut said she would rule early next week on whether to grant the temporary restraining order or allow the measure to go into effect as scheduled.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; (503) 319-9744
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