Oregon Ballot Measure 43 - Ban Assault Weapon And High-Capacity Magazine Sales

Clergy members of all faiths, youth, advocates, and Oregonians who are gun owners and non-gun owners have come together as a coalition to stop the carnage in our schools, our streets, and throughout our country. The coalition, "Lift Every Voice," has one goal: to make the state a safer place for all Oregonians.

We have filed Measure 43 as a ballot initiative for the November 2018 election. Measure 43 would prohibit the future sale or transfer of semiautomatic rifles and large-capacity magazines. Any such firearms or ammunition, described clearly in the measure, owned at the time the act becomes effective must be registered with the state, sold out of state, permanently disabled or can be given to law enforcement for disposal. The same safety measures will be applied to large-capacity magazines, defined as a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds.

The ballot measure has been filed. Sponsorship signatures were turned in on Saturday, March 24. The push for 88,184 signatures will not begin until we have cleared any court challenges. At this time, we do not expect to be able to begin collecting those signatures until June.  Until then, this is an "initiative petition" (IP 43).

Sign up here to receive email alerts from Ceasefire Oregon about Measure 43, how you can help, and pending federal firearm legislation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Will people be forced to surrender their guns?

No. People will be required to register the firearms and magazines described in Measure 43. The firearms and magazines may also be sold out of state, permanently disabled or given to law enforcement for disposal.

Is this Constitutional?

Yes. Seven other states (HI, CA, NJ, NY, MD, MA, CT) and the District of Columbia already have similar laws banning assault rifles.

Is this divisive or controversial?

No. A Quinnipiac Poll from last month (February 2018) showed that 67% of Americans support an outright ban on the sale of  assault rifles. )

Why doesn’t the Oregon legislature pass this as a bill?

The Oregon legislature did not pass a similar bill (HB 3200) in 2013 after the Clackamas Town Center and Sandy Hook shootings. They have not been willing to address this issue since then.

How will this bill protect Oregonians?

When access to assault weapons is restricted, deaths due to mass shootings decrease. A 2014 study found that “both state and federal assault weapons bans have statistically significant and negative effects on mass shooting fatalities.” Everytown for Gun Safety, Assault Weapons Bans on Public Mass Shootings,” Applied Economics Letters 22, no. 4 (2014): 281-284, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504851.2014.939367.

HERE IS THE CURRENT LANGUAGE OF MEASURE 43

The Campaign to Stop the Sale and Transfer of Weapons of War

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OREGON:

SECTION 1. Sections 2 to 5 of this 2018 Act are added to and made a part of ORS 166.250 to 166.470.

SECTION 2. The people of the State of Oregon find and declare that a reduction in the availability of assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines will promote the public health and safety of the residents of this state.

SECTION 3. As used in sections 2 to 6 of this 2018 Act: (1)(a) “Assault weapon” means any:

(A) Semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one of the following:

(i) Any grip of the weapon, including a pistol grip, a thumbhole stock or any other stock, the use of which would allow an individual to grip the weapon, resulting in any finger on the trigger hand in addition to the trigger finger being directly below any portion of the action of the weapon when firing;

(ii) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the nontrigger hand;

(iii) A folding or telescoping stock;

(iv) A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel;

(v) A forward pistol grip; (vi) A flash suppressor, muzzle brake, muzzle compensator, or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor, muzzle brake, or muzzle compensator;

(vii) A bayonet mount; or

(viii) A grenade launcher or flare launcher;

(B) Semiautomatic pistol, or any semiautomatic, centerfire or rimfire rifle with a fixed magazine, that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition;

(C) Semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has an overall length of less than thirty inches;

(D) Semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has at least one of the following:

(i) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the nontrigger hand;

(ii) A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(iii) A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel;

(iv) The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at any location outside of the pistol grip; or (v) A threaded barrel capable of accepting a flash suppressor or forward pistol grip; 2

(E) Semiautomatic shotgun that has both of the following:

(i) Any grip of the weapon, including a pistol grip, a thumbhole stock or any other stock, the use of which would allow an individual to grip the weapon, resulting in any finger on the trigger hand in addition to the trigger finger being directly below any portion of the action of the weapon when firing; and

(ii) A folding or telescoping stock;

(F) Semiautomatic shotgun that has at least one of the following:

(i) A fixed magazine capacity in excess of ten rounds; or

(ii) An ability to accept a detachable magazine;

(G) Shotgun with a revolving cylinder; and

(H) Conversion kit, part or combination of parts from which an assault weapon can be assembled if those parts are in the possession or under control of the same person. (b) “Assault weapon” does not include any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable.

(2) “Criminal background check” has the meaning given that term in ORS 166.432.

(3) “Department” means Department of State Police.

(4) “Detachable magazine” means an ammunition feeding device that can be loaded or unloaded while detached from a firearm and readily inserted into a firearm.

(5) “Fixed magazine” means an ammunition feeding device contained in or permanently attached to a firearm in such a manner that the device cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action.

(6) “Large capacity magazine” means any ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds or any conversion kit or combination of parts from which such a device can be assembled, but does not include any of the following:

(a) A feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than 10 rounds;

(b) A .22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device; or (c) A tubular magazine that is contained in a lever-action firearm.

SECTION 4.

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 166.250 to 166.470, and except as provided in subsections (2) to (4) of this Section 4, a person commits the crime of unlawful possession or transfer of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine if the person manufactures, imports, possesses, purchases, sells or transfers any assault weapon or large capacity magazine.

(2) Subsection (1) of this Section 4 does not apply to: 3 (a) Any government officer, agent or employee, member of the Armed Forces of the United States or peace officer as that term is defined in ORS 133.005 if that person is otherwise authorized to acquire or possess an assault weapon or large capacity magazine and does so while acting within the scope of that person’s duties; (b) The manufacture of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine by a firearms manufacturer for the purpose of sale to any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or to a law enforcement agency in this state for use by that agency or its employees, provided the manufacturer is properly licensed under federal, state and local laws; or (c) The sale or transfer of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine by a firearms dealer licensed under 18 U.S.C. 923 to any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States or to a law enforcement agency in this state for use by that agency or its employees for law enforcement purposes.

(3) Any person who, prior to the effective date of this law, was legally in possession of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine shall, within 120 days after the effective date of this 2018 Act, without being subject to prosecution: (a) Remove the assault weapon or large capacity magazine from the state; (b) Sell the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to a firearms dealer licensed under 18 U.S.C. 923 for lawful sale or transfer under subsection (2) of this section; (c) Surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to a law enforcement agency for destruction; (d) Render the assault weapon permanently inoperable; or (e) If eligible, register the assault weapon or large capacity magazine with the Department as provided in Section 5 of this 2018 Act.

(4) Any person who acquires an assault weapon or large capacity magazine, for which registration was previously properly obtained under Section 5 of this Act, by inheritance, bequest or succession, or by virtue of the person’s role as executor or other legal representative of an estate or trust, shall, within 120 days after acquiring title, without being subject to prosecution under this section: (a) Surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to a law enforcement agency for destruction; (b) Transfer the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to a firearms dealer licensed under 18 U.S.C. 923 for lawful sale or transfer under subsection (2)(c) of this section; (c) Render the assault weapon permanently inoperable; or (d) If eligible, register the assault weapon or large capacity magazine with the Department and meet all of the requirements under Section 5 of this 2018 Act, except the time for registering shall run from the date of acquiring title.

(5) Any person who moves into the state and immediately prior to moving is in lawful possession of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine, shall, unless exempt under Section 4(2)-(4) of this Act, within 120 days:

(a) Surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to a law enforcement agency for destruction;

(b) Transfer the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to a firearms dealer licensed under 18 U.S.C. 923 for lawful sale or transfer under subsection (2)(c) of this section; or 4

(c) Render the assault weapon permanently inoperable. (6) Unlawful possession or transfer of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine is a Class B felony.

SECTION 5.

(1) Any person seeking to register an assault weapon or large capacity magazine with the Department shall do so as provided in this section within 120 days after the effective date of this 2018 Act.

(2) In order to register an assault weapon under this section, the owner of the assault weapon must: (a) Submit to the Department, on a form approved by the Department, the owner’s name and address and the identification number of each assault weapon owned by the owner: (b) Be the lawful owner of the assault weapon prior to the effective date of this 2018 Act; and (c) Allow the Department to conduct a criminal background check of the person to confirm that the person is not a prohibited possessor under ORS 166.250.

(3) In order to register a large capacity magazine under this section, a person must: (a) Submit to the Department, on a form approved by the Department, the owner’s name and address and information sufficient to identify any large magazine owned or possessed by the owner; (b) Be the lawful owner of the large capacity magazine prior to the effective date of this 2018 Act; and (c) Allow the Department to conduct a criminal background check of the person to confirm that the person is not a prohibited possessor under ORS 166.250.

(4) A person seeking to register an assault weapon or large capacity magazine must submit evidence satisfactory to the Department to establish that: (a) The owner has securely stored the assault weapon or large capacity magazine pursuant to existing law and, in addition, as provided in any rules and regulations adopted by the Department specifically relating to assault weapons and large capacity magazines; (b) The owner possesses any lawful assault weapon or large capacity magazine only:

(A) On property owned or immediately controlled by the registered owner;

(B) On property owned by another with the owner’s express permission in a manner consistent with subsection (4)(a) in this section;

(C) On the premises of a firearms dealer or gunsmith licensed under 18 U.S.C. 923 for the purpose of lawful repair;

(D) While engaged in the legal use of the assault weapon or large capacity magazine, at a public or private shooting range, shooting gallery or other area designed and built for the purpose of target shooting;

(E) At a firearms competition or exhibition, display or educational project about firearms sponsored, conducted by approved or under the auspices of a law enforcement agency or a national or state-recognized entity that fosters proficiency in firearms use or promotes firearms education; or

(F) While transporting the weapon in a vehicle as permitted in ORS 166.250 to one of the locations authorized under this statute.

Guns Explained Using Animated Cats

The whole issue of gun violence and legislative actions can get, shall I say, "heated," and is as complex of an issue as it comes.  So sometimes it's a good idea to simplify things with an analogy.  I once did so with a "play" about "gum control" in the classroom.

But here's a remarkably better analogy... CATS!  More specifically, an animated video using cats instead of guns:




"But my crazy cat-lady neighbor wants everybody to think it's okay to own a cheetah!"

Victory In Oregon: Closing The "Boyfriend Loophole"

This week marks another great victory for gun regulation in the state of Oregon.  Governor Brown signed into law House Bill 4145.

The crowd as Governor Brown signs HB4145

In Oregon, it was already illegal for someone to own or possess guns if they were convicted of domestic violence against spouses, former spouses, someone they cohabit with, unmarried parents of their child, someone they've had sexual relations with whom they are cohabiting with, or someone they are blood relatives with.  Seems pretty broad, right? 

Unfortunately, it excluded those who were simply intimate partners who didn't cohabit.  In other words, the abusive boyfriend who is convicted of stalking or abusing his girlfriend. Thus, the "boyfriend loophole."

HB 4145 closes this loophole. The bill also now mandates that local law enforcement is notified when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a gun and fails a background check.

According to the Oregon Health Authority:

• From 2003 to 2012,  256 people were killed in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Oregon.
• Most homicide victims were women and children.
• More than 80% of female victims of intimate partner homicide were killed by their current spouses or boyfriends.
• Most male victims are killed by someone other than an intimate partner.
• Firearms are a common mechanism of death among IPV-related homicides.

“Today is a huge victory for Oregon families,” said Penny Okamoto, executive director of Ceasefire Oregon. “Convicted stalkers and abusers will no longer be able to purchase or possess guns. In addition, law enforcement now has the tools necessary to help prosecute prohibited purchasers who attempt to buy firearms illegally.”

Extremist pro-gun groups attempted to argue that a disgruntled girlfriend need only accuse her ex of abuse and his gun rights would be wrongly stripped from him. But that's a lie. They still have to be convicted of stalking or domestic abuse first.

HERE is a video of Governor Brown signing the bill into law outside the state Capitol, surrounded by hundreds of supporters including, in largest part, passionate teenagers who took off from their school day to show their support:



Both local and national gun control groups were pleased with the bill’s passage into law. “Today Oregon became a safer place to live,” said former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. “Guns and domestic violence are a deadly, tragic mix, something that Oregonians know all too well.”

To learn more about this new law, and related statistics, please visit the Ceasefire Oregon page for it, here:  https://www.ceasefireoregon.org/bills/hb4145/ 

Our thanks goes out to the Governor, the sponsors and supporters of this bill. Together, we are making a new trajectory for our society away from gun violence.

A List Of Incidents Caused By Legal Gun Owners On School Grounds

-- THIS POST IS UPDATED AS NEW INCIDENTS ARE FOUND --

Every time there's a school shooting, the NRA and pro-gun forces come out of the woodwork again to say that schools, as "gun free zones," are targets for shooters, and that arming teachers and school staff is the only way to insure safety.  It's the myth of the "conceal carry hero" made into a school drama.

This lunacy came to a peak after the Sandy Hook shooting, when, after shameless silence, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre stepped up to the microphone and shocked the world by actually suggesting arming all schools, a move that was soundly rejected as insanity by nearly every national organization representing parents, teachers, and law enforcement, as well as the citizens of Newtown, and has no merit with any historical context, including when it failed to stop the Columbine shooting. Since then, the idea has been floated many times, including by various GOP legislators, extremist gun groups, and even President Trump after the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. States like Florida, Tennessee, and Mississippi have introduced bills to follow through with this. And a handful of school systems have decided to do it, including here in Oregon. Legislators have even tried to encourage armed vigilantes to prowl school grounds in return for tax credits.

Two different studies (HERE and HERE) have shown that armed guards in schools make students feel less secure, possibly affecting their academic performance. Not that student perceptions really matter to the pro-gun forces trying to make these decisions.

But could they be right? An analysis by Everytown found that there was an average of two school shootings at K-12 schools every month between 2013-2015. A more recent examination for 2018 by Everytown found an average of one school shooting every 63 hours. With all those school shootings, shouldn't there, by now, have been some good examples where armed civilians other than police have stopped a school shooting? 

Well, no, actually. There has never been a school shooting stopped by an armed teacher or a citizen conceal-carry owner. The closest case I ever found was of a school staff member (and Army reservist commander) who went out to their car and got a gun, but the shooting was over by that point, the shooter was out of ammo and was driving out of the parking lot (the only reason he was stopped was that the shooter crashed his car, allowing the staff member to get to him and hold him under arrest).

However, there HAVE been plenty of cases where gun owners, legally carrying guns on school grounds, have CAUSED incidents on campus, including incidents that wound children, other adults, or themselves.

Here is a list of those incidents that I have found, which will be updated as I find more.  So far, it is up to TWENTY SEVEN incidents, resulting in the wounding of five children and five adults. Sixteen incidents were caused by police officers or security guards.

• August 19, 2019: The district transportation director in Sparta, Ohio, who was allowed to carry a loaded, concealed handgun on campus as part of the district's conceal carry plan meant to "protect" students, left her gun in her desk unattended for around 30 minutes while she went to the bathroom and the nearby high school. A first grader found the loaded gun and pointed it at another student. No charges were filed and no one was fired, though the director was removed from the conceal carry program and was suspended without pay for three days.
• October 5, 2018:  A security guard at Somerset Academy Bay School in Kendall, FL, left his loaded gun in the bathroom. A fifth-grade child found the gun and immediately notified administrators at the school office. The guard was fired, but no charges were filed.
• May 23, 2018:  A parent visiting a classroom an Early Childhood Center in Pittsburgh, PA, when a 3-year old reached into her purse and pulled out her loaded handgun. Luckily, the child was stopped before pulling the trigger. The woman was charged with possessing a weapon on school property and four counts of recklessly endangering another person.
• April 18, 2018:  A parent visiting a school in Gladstone, Oregon, for a volleyball tournament left their loaded revolver in a bathroom stall. Luckily, a coach found the gun before any children, and turned it in to police. The owner had a conceal carry permit.
• April 4, 2018:  A county sheriff left his loaded backup handgun in the stall of a middle school gym bathroom in Shepherd, Michigan. A sixth-grade boy found the gun and reported it. Luckily, the gun was not handled.
• March 13, 2018:  A teacher and reserve police officer was giving a class on gun safety in his high school classroom in Seaside, CA, when he unintentionally fired his gun toward the ceiling. Bullet fragments wounded a 17-year old boy in the neck. Other students were injured by debris falling from the ceiling.
• March 13, 2018:  A school resource officer unintentionally discharged his handgun inside an Alexandria, VA, middle school. Luckily no one was injured.
• February 28, 2018: A high school social studies teacher in Dalton, Georgia, barricaded himself in a classroom and fired a shot from a handgun. Luckily, no one was injured, and he was taken into custody. He had a history of mental problems and violent behavior that had led, at one time, of having his guns removed.
• February 5, 2018: A police officer was at an elementary school in Maplewood, MN, "building relationships" with 3rd and 4th graders when one little boy reached over and pulled the trigger on the officer's holstered handgun. The gun fired into the floor. Luckily, no one was injured.
• September 13, 2016:  A school teacher at Cumberland Christian School, in Chambersburg, PA, left a loaded, unsecured handgun on a toilet in a bathroom. Four children, ages 6 to 8, went in the bathroom before one of the children reported the gun. Luckily, none of them fired the gun.
• February 19, 2015:  A school resource officer at Western Wayne School District in Pennsylvania unintentionally fired his handgun in the school.  Luckily, no one was injured.
• September 11, 2014:  A teacher was in the bathroom of a school in Taylorsville, Utah, when she unintentionally shot herself in the leg with her own handgun.
• January 18, 2014:  An armed security guard left his weapon unattended in the bathroom, fully accessible to K-8 students, despite being a retired police weapons instructor.
• January 18, 2014: Two police officers serving as school resource officers decided to clean their guns while on the grounds of an Akron, Ohio, high school. One of them unintentionally discharged his gun. Luckily, no one was injured.
• October 24, 2013:  A police officer left his loaded AR-15 assault rifle strapped to his motorcycle while visiting an elementary school.  A boy pulled the trigger, firing the weapon and leading to a shrapnel injury of three kids.
• August 24, 2013:  A SWAT police officer was giving a presentation at an elementary school in Lodi, California, when a 6-8 year old boy fired the officer's holstered gun, hitting the officer in the leg.
• May 15, 2013:  A Winchester, PA, police officer boarded a special needs school bus to calm a student. After the officer sat next to him, the child reached over and pulled the trigger on the officer's handgun, discharging a round into the bus seat and floor. Luckily, no one was injured.
• May 14, 2013:  A school staffer with a conceal carry permit was offering a ride to a student, in the parking lot of a high school in Aurora, Colorado, when he unintentionally fired his legally concealed handgun, hitting the student in the leg.
• April 16, 2013: A Boy Scout troop leader, who was also a retired police officer and conceal carry permit holder, dropped a fanny pack containing his gun while attending a scout meeting inside a Des Plains, Illinois, grade school. The gun discharged, striking him in the leg. No one else was injured.
• March 6, 2013:  A recently-started armed resource officer program at schools in Highland, New York, was suspended after one of the security guards unintentionally fired his weapon in school.  Children were present, but luckily no one was injured.
• March 1, 2013:  During a conceal carry training class, on school grounds, which was part of a new program to arm school staff, a school maintenance worker who was a student in the class unintentionally fired his weapon, wounding himself in the leg.
• January 17, 2013:  A charter school in Lapeer, Michigan, decided to start having an armed guard on campus.  Three days after hiring a guard, the man left his weapon in a school bathroom where kids could have found it.
• October 8, 2012:  A man with a concealed handgun visited an elementary school classroom in Moore, Oklahoma, to help the teacher with her computer.  His gun fell out and he left without it, only realizing it was missing after the media reported it.  Small children were present in the room at the time.
• March 22, 2012:  A volunteer track coach at John Mall High School in Walsenburg, Colorado, unintentionally shot himself in the leg with his new .40 caliber Glock handgun, nearly bleeding to death.  He was in his vehicle in the parking lot of the school sports complex.
• December 8, 2011:  A janitor with a conceal carry permit was working on ceiling tiles in a preschool classroom in Waterbury, Connecticut, when he took off his gun belt.  He then left the loaded gun in the classroom and forgot about it. Monday morning, teachers came in the room and found the gun, only moments before 3- and 4-year olds entered the room.
• September 12, 2011:  An armed security guard, patrolling schools at night in Salem, Oregon, unintentionally lost his loaded firearm somewhere during his rounds.  The gun was never found.
• May 12, 2011:  A school resource officer was cleaning his gun, while in the school building, and unintentionally fired the gun. The round went through the wall and into the nurse's room where there were two student, the nurse, and another adult. Luckily, no one was injured.

[By the way, this list doesn't include shootings by adults who are simply behaving badly on school grounds, such as arguments in the parking lot, like this one, this one, or this one, or shootings by children who bring guns to school. The list would be FAR longer. Instead, this list just focuses on "law-abiding" school staff, teachers, security, or anyone else who might be expected to protect kids with their guns, as the NRA argues.]

I urge you to save this list. The next time you hear a pro-gun supporter suggest that guns in school is a good idea, whether it is from a legislator, school board, or some gun guy off the street, please show them this list and challenge them to show you a comparable list of incidents that support their side. They'll come up with crickets. 

February 28, 2018, Dalton, GA

And you might also remind them that school shootings have been stopped by school staff... unarmed.  Like this one, who said "If I had had a gun on me, we'd have all been dead." There's also this one and this one. 

The idea of arming school teachers and staff is wrongheaded and flies in the face of the facts and common sense. Instead of turning our classrooms into guardrooms and our schools into fortresses, let's work to keep guns out of the wrong hands in the first place with better, common sense gun regulations.


ADDENDUM (5/7/18): A related article citing 30 incidents by armed adults at schools, collected from the Gun Violence Archive.

The Stoneman Douglas High School Drama Club Performs "Shine"

On February 21, one week after the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a town hall meeting was held to discuss the issues of gun violence reduction and how they related to the shooting.

It was an emotion-charged event, where students and teachers confronted legislators and the NRA, face to face, on the issues.

At the end of the event, though, was this moving musical tribute, where members of the Stoneman Douglas High Schooll Drama Club, some of whom lost friends during the shooting, performed an original musical performance, entitled "Shine"....




"You're not gonna knock us down / We'll get back up again / You may have hurt us but I promise we are stronger and / We're not gonna let you win / We're putting up a fight / You may have brought the dark / But together we will shine a light," the chorus says.

It is chilling and amazing. If only we didn't have to have events like this, so that memorial songs like this wouldn't be needed anymore.

Bump-Fire Stocks And Why They Are Important In The Las Vegas Massacre

In Las Vegas, 59 people died and over 500 were wounded. It's hard to fathom how one man could kill and injure so many people in less than 10 minutes -- until you consider the weapons he had at hand, weapons that are legal to purchase almost anywhere in our nation.

As America continues to reel from the horror unleashed in Las Vegas this week, remembers the victims and all the heroic acts of concert-goers saving each other, the picture of the shooter and his high-powered, military-style weaponry is becoming clearer.

Searching the shooter's 32nd floor hotel room, investigators found 23 firearms, almost all of which were semi-auto assault rifles, along with high-capacity ammo magazines, sniper scopes, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Searching the shooter's home, more firearms were found, as well as more ammunition and signs of explosives.  In all, 47 firearms were discovered that had been in his possession.

On many of the assault rifles, investigators found "bump-fire stocks."  This is a very important point.  What are bump stocks and why are they important?

"Bump-fire" is a technique used by "gun enthusiasts" to fire semi-auto guns far faster, almost like a full-auto machine gun, by using the gun's recoil to cause their finger to hit the trigger in a rapid fashion.  HERE is an example of someone bump firing an AK pistol.

"Bump-fire stocks" are similar, in that they are an accessory rifle stock (the back part of the gun that goes up against your shoulder) that is manufactured in such a way as to create the bump-fire action in an easier fashion.  In the words of Senator Dianne Feinstein, “This replacement shoulder stock turns a semi-automatic rifle into a weapon that can fire at a rate of 400 to 800 rounds per minute." This in essence turns a semi-auto assault rifle, which is already high-powered, into nearly the equivalent of a fully automatic "machine gun." These also help get around strict gun regulations in California which are meant to prevent fully automatic rifle sales. Feinstein had introduced a bill in 2013 to ban bump-fire stocks, but the bill was defeated. In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, she is looking to re-introduce the ban.

The Mercury News released a very good article that describes in more detail how bump-fire stocks work.

Here is a video of a gun manufacturer who is selling bump-fire stocks, as advertised during the 2013 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, ironically, in 2013. Note how fast the shots are fired with it with both an AR-15 and AK-47:

[UPDATE: shortly after publishing this post, that video was taken down, so here is a different video demonstrating a comparable bump-fire stock in action]  The narrator says "Once we really got the hang of this thing, it was a ton of fun. As you can see here, Brian is just rippin' through rounds here and really enjoying it!" then adds "It's cheap, it's only $100."




Here is another video, this time by a gun nut showing it off with his AK-47, calling the bump-fire stock a "real fun toy" (note that his little child is just off-camera, asking when he can have a turn):

UPDATE: (As with the other videos I originally posted, this one was taken down soon after I published this blog post. -- it seems the gun guys aren't too keen on their ads for these bump fire stocks now that 59 people were killed and hundreds injured by a shooter with one.)

HERE is another video that compares "the world's fastest shooter" to bump fire.

Compare the rate of fire to the horrifying audio from the Las Vegas massacre.  Rapid fire like that belongs on the battleground, not at a concert in Las Vegas. There were military veterans who died at the concert, who suffered from PTSD from their time overseas. Imagine the horror they felt as they heard rapid fire, here at home, which took the life of this Navy veteran, or this Marine who managed to survive and helped save the lives of others. “It was a mini war zone but we couldn’t fight back,” he said.

Now imagine if a silencer (or "sound suppressor") had been used in addition.  Due to the Las Vegas shooting, the House decided to delay a vote on a bill (deceptively called the SHARE Act, supposedly to help hunters) that would deregulate silencers, as well as armor-piercing ammo and other gun regulations.

The shooter's weapons were not suppressed. Because of this, other hotel patrons heard the gunshots, like this guy two stories up, and were alarmed. When the police team searched for the shooter's room, the sound of the gunfire helped them find him (in addition to smoke alarms from the smoke created by the weapons during firing).  One policeman stated, “I'm inside the Mandalay Bay on the 31st floor, I can hear the automatic fire coming from one floor ahead, one floor above us.”  If the guns had had silencers on them, most hotel patrons beyond one room away likely wouldn't have known what was happening, and police would have had a harder time locating the shooter's room.

Don't believe me?  Consider the following video, where a gun enthusiast demonstrates his AR-15 assault rifle, complete with bump-fire stock, outfitted with a sound suppressor.  He describes it as "very very quiet suppressor." Listen carefully and judge for yourself whether you would be able to hear it more than a couple rooms away:

UPDATE: as with the first video in this post, this video was also taken down a day after I posted.  So here is a different video with a bump-fire stock with and without a silencer.  Compare the noise it produces.  He doesn't even need ear protection:

UPDATE: And now that link, too, has been taken off.  YouTube decided that it doesn't meet their guidelines!  Good for YouTube, honestly.  




"Fun, fun!" he exclaims after firing. "Life is really good."  He doesn't even need to wear ear plugs or any ear protection.

And why would anyone need the bump-fire stocks?  For the "Fun, fun!" of it, apparently, unless you're fending off a small army of invaders -- or trying to kill hundreds of concert-goers.

It's time to ban these heinous devices and bring a new trajectory to our societies away from gun violence.


UPDATE (10/5/17): House Republicans are considering voting on a bill to make bump-fire stocks illegal, introduced by Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo.  From a CNN article:

The Florida Republican said his proposal would be a straight ban on bump stocks: "no one can have them, no one can make them, no one can transfer them." His approach mirrors a measure introduced by House Democrats on Wednesday.

UPDATE (10/5/17):  Well, now here's a surprise!  It must be the first time in two decades that the NRA is actually willing to support a form of stricter gun regulation!  They are willing to support stricter regulation of bump-fire stocks.

A statement from the NRA, from an article:

The group said: "Devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations." ....

The NRA called on Thursday for regulators to "immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law".  ...

"In the aftermath of the evil and senseless attack in Las Vegas, the American people are looking for answers as to how future tragedies can be prevented," NRA chiefs Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox wrote in the statement. 

Does this mean that they will also support other means of rapid fire, such as "bullet buttons" or the sale of parts and books intended to make your own full-auto modifications, or 3D printed parts that do the same?  I hope so.  UPDATE (10/12/17): Eh, nevermind, says the NRA, they don't actually support a ban on them, just "further review" by the ATF, who can't regulate firearms *accessories* unless told to do so by a law passed by Congress.  So, in other words, nothing will change if the NRA has it's way.  Gee, what a surprise.


Again, as with the GOP, I suspect that they are throwing the public a bone in the hopes that public outrage over this shooting can be quelled before further gun regulation is proposed.

UPDATE (10/5/17):  President Trump has also signaled that he would be willing to consider a ban on bump-fire stocks.

UPDATE (10/10/17): Not only are the gun nuts ashamed to the point of pulling their YouTube videos, but retailers are now pulling the bump-stocks off the market, even though there is demand.  Good for them!

UPDATE (2/20/18): President Trump today said that he would move to make bump stocks illegal. In his words:  "Just a few moments ago I signed a memo directing the attorney general to propose regulations that ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns."  It's just a memo, and the NRA and pro-gun legislators have already, quietly, opposed the measure. So we'll see what comes of it. Also, he said, "ban all devices," so does this include trigger cranks, bullet-buttons, and other devices? What about all the books and accessory parts sold out there that help gun owners retrofit their semi-auto rifles to become full-auto?

UPDATE (12/18/18):  Today, the Trump administration has officially banned bump stocks.  "Under a new federal rule, those who possess the devices, commonly known as bump stocks, will get 90 days to turn them in from the date that the final rule is published in the federal register, which is likely Friday, the officials said." It took a lot of pressure and going around Congress, but, for once, I'm approving of Trump's stance on something.

Ceasefire Oregon Statement On The Las Vegas Mass Shooting

Ceasefire Oregon and Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation are horrified by the mass shooting early this morning in Las Vegas. Recent reports suggest that 58 people were shot to death and more than 500 were injured after a gunman armed with military-style weaponry shot into a crowded concert audience in Las Vegas from a casino hotel balcony before shooting himself to death.

Ceasefire Oregon and the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation grieve for the fallen and the injured, and for their families and friends. We also grieve for our nation as we suffer from the deadliest mass shooting in our nation's history.

We call on all Americans to respect each other as fellow citizens and as human beings who are valued and cherished.

But respect and prayers are not enough.

    

Mass shootings of increasingly alarming numbers of killed and wounded continue to happen with no action from our federal legislators to stop the next one. We must have commonsense gun laws put in place to keep guns out of the hands of those who wish to do evil, and we must have a renewed ban against military-style weaponry designed for the battlefield. 

Today, we are asking you to call your legislators to demand a ban on assault rifles, and to reject the SHARE Act which will deregulate silencers and make deadly firearms even easier to access. Find your legislator here. Say that you've had ENOUGH of the carnage. The only ones who are benefitting are the gun lobby and the politicians who are beholden to the NRA. Tell your legislators to ban assault rifles and vote NO on the SHARE Act. 

For more information on how we can reduce gun violence, read Ceasefire Oregon's Plan to Reduce gun violence.

   

We won't stop, we won't let up. Thank you for speaking out!

   

Penny, Joanne, and the entire Ceasefire Oregon team