Oregon moves toward safe storage of guns; ban from Capitol

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would mandate safe storage of guns and ban them from the state Capitol. Republican lawmakers strenuously objected, saying they and others will be deprived of the ability to defend themselves.

The bill, named for Cindy Yuille and Steve Forsyth who were slain in a shooting at a Portland-area shopping mall in 2012, passed the House last week and goes to Gov. Kate Brown for signing. It aims to prevent accidental shootings by children, suicides and mass shootings.

It requires that firearms be secured with a trigger or cable lock, in a locked container or gun room. Opponents said a delay in accessing a firearm for self-defense could cost lives.

“When you live out in the country and you dial 911, a police officer isn’t there in a few minutes," said Sen. Fred Girod, the Senate Republican leader. “You have to take care of yourself, and this bill prevents that in many ways.”

The bill also bans guns from the Oregon State Capitol. Currently, concealed handgun licensees can bring firearms into the Capitol. On Dec. 21, armed protesters angry that the Capitol was closed to the public due to COVID-19 tried to storm the building.

Sen. Lynn Findley, a Republican, didn't refer to that attack when he spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday. Instead, he said he needs a gun to defend himself from people outside the building.

“When I come into this Capitol, I bring a gun because if I happen to walk out the door — have you seen all the homeless people and the other people walking around here in the evening? — I do not feel overly safe outside of this building at night,” Findley said.

Democratic Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a gun owner who was one of the bill's sponsors, said that while citizens have the right to defend themselves, it...