http://www.ceasefireoregon.
Ceasefire Oregon and the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation have drafted a plan of action, both legislative and educational, that could reduce gun violence by 30 to 50 percent in five years.
The plan has three overarching goals:
- Require higher standards for firearm ownership.
- Enhance accountability of federally licensed firearm dealers (FFLs).
- Improve safety standards for firearms and firearm ownership.
Ceasefire Oregon and the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation are greatly indebted to Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer for his plan “Enough is Enough”1 and to Dr. Daniel Webster, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.2
The plan respects the values and ideals held by responsible gun owners while remaining within the scope of the Second Amendment.
Recommendations for requiring higher standards for gun ownership include (1) national universal background checks for all firearm sales3,4,9; (2) prohibition of gun ownership for 10 years if a person has multiple offenses involving misdemeanor violence, alcohol or drug abuse, domestic violence, a domestic violence restraining order or serious juvenile offense.5,6,7 (3) secure weapons storage;8,9,10,11,12 and (4) standardized training for concealed handgun license applicants that includes marksmanship proficiency, active shooter training, and conflict resolution.13,14
Ceasefire Oregon supports Dr. Webster’s recommendations to reduce gun violence by enhancing accountability of federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs).20, 21 The pipeline of crime guns can be stopped by (1) requiring security cameras, computerized sales inventory, and other anti-theft measures as are required by other purveyors of dangerous substances such as pharmacies;2,15 (2) limiting gun purchases to one gun per month to reduce trafficking and straw purchases;16, 17 (3) repealing the Gekas amendment of the 1994 Brady Bill that allows FFLs to sell a gun without a background check if the check is not complete in three business days;18, 19 and (4) imposing a waiting period of two weeks between time of sale and possession to deter suicide and impulse shootings.9
Affordable and effective technology exists today that would improve safety standards for guns and gun ownership. This includes (1) a microstamped code on each bullet that links it to a specific gun;22 (2) magazine disconnect mechanisms (MDM) that prevent a gun from loading a bullet in the chamber;23 (3) loaded chamber indicator (LCI or CLI) to show that bullets are still in the gun;23 and (4) “smart guns” with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or biometric recognition (fingerprint) capability.24
While only 4% of violent crime is attributable to mental illness,25 we call for more funding to provide competent assessment and care of our mentally ill citizens and those who are considering suicide. The funding would be generated by a tax on each gun sale and on every box of bullets purchased. This tax would be collected by the states and used to augment direct services for those suffering from mental illness.
To reduce the high number of people killed in mass shootings, the sale and possession of military-style rifles and high-capacity magazines should be banned.26
Finally, Ceasefire Oregon and the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation call on President Obama to appoint a National Director of Gun Violence Prevention Policy. Over 30,000 Americans die every year from gunfire. Appointing a National Director to focus solely on gun violence prevention would give the necessary attention needed to reduce these largely preventable deaths.
Ceasefire Oregon, the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation, and the Central Coast Ceasefire Oregon Chapter have been at the forefront of the gun violence prevention movement in Oregon since 1999. After the Sandy Hook, Connecticut massacre, we helped establish the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety (http://www.
Ceasefire Oregon collaborated with the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety, Everytown in Oregon, Moms Demand Action Oregon and Gun Owners for Responsible Ownership to pass the 2015 Oregon Firearms Safety Act that closed the private gun sale loophole in Oregon. The Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation (http://coef.ceasefireoregon.
1. Enough is Enough: A Comprehensive Plan to Improve Gun Safety. 2015. Retrieved fromhttp://blumenauer.house.gov/
2. Webster DW. “America’s Path to Fewer Gun Deaths.” Retrieved fromhttp://www.tedmed.com/
3. Quinnpac University Poll, Sept. 17-21, 2015 http://www.pollingreport.com/
4. State Background Check Requirements and Rates of Domestic Violence Homicide.http://everytownresearch.org/
5. Sorenson SB and Webster DW. “What Works, Policies to Reduce Gun Violence. Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention and Policy," APA Panel Of Experts Report. American Psychological Association, 2013, pg. 30. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pubs/
6. Wintemute G. “Broadening Denial Criteria. Updated Evidence and Policy Developments on Reducing Gun Violence in America." Editors Webster DW, Vernick JS. Baltimore, 2014. pp. 13-17. Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu/
7. Seventy percent of gun owners and 76.1% of non-gun owners support a gun policy prohibiting a person convicted of two or more crimes involving alcohol or drugs within a three-year period from having a gun for 10 years. Barry CL, McGinty EE, Vernick JS, Webster DW. “After Newtown — Public Opinion on Gun Policy and Mental Illness." N Engl J Med. 2013;368:1077-1081. March 21, 2013. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1300512. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nejm.org/doi/
8. Safe Storage & Gun Locks Policy Summary. Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Retrieved from http://smartgunlaws.org/
9. Anestis MD, Anestis JC. “Suicide Rates and State Laws Regulating Access and Exposure to Handguns.” American Journal of Public Health. 2015;105:10, 2049-2058. doi:
10.2105/AJPH.2015.302753 Retrieved fromhttp://ajph.
10. Forty-four percent of gun owners and 75.3% of non-gun owners support a gun policy requiring by law that a person lock up guns in the home when not in use to prevent handling by children or teenagers without adult supervision. Barry CL, McGinty EE, Vernick JS, Webster DW. “After Newtown — Public Opinion on Gun Policy and Mental Illness. N Engl J Med. 2013; 368:1077-1081. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1300512. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nejm.org/doi/
11. Policy Statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Firearm-Related Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population.” Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Executive Committee. Pediatrics. 2012;130:5. e1416 -e1423. (doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-2481). Retrieved from http://pediatrics.
12. In Oregon, 82% percent of voters support child access prevention laws requiring safe storage of guns in a locked container for homes where a child is present. Additionally, 71% of gun owners support this law. Benenson Strategy Group, Polling Results, April 2015. Retrieved fromhttp://
Oregon-Child-Access-
Oregon-Child-Access-
13. “Overall, the most consistent, albeit not uniform, finding to emerge from the array of models is that aggravated assault rises when RTC laws are adopted.” Donohue JJ III, Aneja A, Zhang A. "The Impact of Right to Carry Laws and the NRC Report: Lessons for the Empirical Evaluation of Law and Policy." May 20, 2010. Retrieved fromhttp://media.law.stanford.edu/
14. Delaware Weapons Instructions and Forms. Retrieved fromhttp://www.delcode.
15. Almost seventy-nine percent of gun owners and 86.4% of non-gun owners support a gun policy allowing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to temporarily take away a gun dealer’s license if an audit reveals record-keeping violations and the dealer cannot account for 20 or more guns. Barry CL, McGinty EE, Vernick JS, Webster DW. “After Newtown — Public Opinion on Gun Policy and Mental Illness, N Engl J Med. 2013; 368:1077-1081. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1300512. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/
16. “This study provides evidence that restricting handgun purchases to 1 per month is an effective means of disrupting the illegal interstate transfer of firearms.” Weil DS, Knox RC. “Effects of Limiting Handgun Purchases on Interstate Transfer of Firearms.” JAMA. 1996;275(22):1759-1761. doi:10.1001/jama.1996.
17. An April 13, 2012, Ipsos/Reuters poll found that 69 percent of Americans support limiting the number of guns a person could purchase in a given time frame. Retrieved from http://www.ipsos-na.com/
18. “Blumenthal, Murphy Move to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals.” Retrieved fromhttp://www.blumenthal.
19. Sixty-seven percent of gun owners and almost 80% of non-gun owners support a gun policy allowing law enforcement up to five business days to complete a background check for gun buyers. (Note: This survey was conducted in January 2013, two and one-half years before the Charleston massacre in which Dylan Roof allegedly shot nine people to death. Reportedly, Roof obtained his firearm because of the Gekas amendment.http://everytownresearch.org/
20. “Congress should repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the sharing of gun trace data.” Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities: A report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police 2007 Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence, pg. 21. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theiacp.org/
21. H.R.1449 - Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act 114th Congress (2015-2016) Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13] (Introduced 03/18/2015) Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/
22. Lizotte TE, Ohar O. Forensic firearm identification of semiautomatic handguns using laser formed microstamping elements. SPIE Proceedings. 2008;7070:1-15.
23. “From a nationally projectable sample, GAO estimates that 31 percent of accidental deaths caused by firearms might be prevented by the addition of two safety devices.” Eleanor Chelimsky, Assistant Comptroller General. United States General Accounting Office, Report to Chairman, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Monopolies and Business Rights, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate. Accidental shootings : many deaths and injuries caused by firearms could be prevented: report to the chairman, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Monopolies, and Business Rights, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate. 1991. pg. 2. Retrieved fromhttps://searchworks.
24. Webster DW, Vernick JS, Teret SP. “How Cities Can Combat Illegal Guns and Gun Violence.” Center for Gun Policy and Research. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baltimore, MD. Updated October 23, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/publications/How_Cities_Can_Combat_Illegal_Guns.pdf
25. Appelbaum PS. Violence and mental disorders: data and public policy. Am J Psychiatry. 2006;163(8):1319–1321.http://ajp.psychiatryonline.
26. According to a December 2014 poll by Pew Research Center, 58 percent of Americans support a ban on semi-automatic weapons. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.
