GIFFORDS urges Oregon legislature to pass firearm licensing legislation

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement urging leaders in Oregon’s legislature to pass House Bill 3076, establishing a state-level licensing system for firearm dealers.

“The Trump administration has walked away from its responsibility to oversee gun dealers and has left states like Oregon vulnerable,” said Emma Brown, Executive Director at GIFFORDS. “Oregon has the chance to take back control, close dangerous loopholes, and finally hold bad actors accountable with passage of this bill. With the Trump administration gutting the ATF and federal safeguards in jeopardy, legislators must step up and confront the state’s crime gun crisis head-on.” 

House Bill 3076 would create a state-run firearm dealer licensing program administered by the Oregon Department of Justice, giving the state critical oversight tools that the federal system lacks. The bill would require all gun dealers to obtain a state license by 2027 and be subject to inspections at least once every three years. It also empowers the DOJ to set stronger standards and establishes state-level penalties to hold dealers accountable, independent of federal enforcement.

ATF data consistently reveals that three out of four guns recovered at Oregon crime scenes come from in-state dealers. The bill, currently under consideration by the Oregon legislature, responds to a dual threat: the weakening of federal oversight under the Trump administration and the alarming rate at which guns recovered at Oregon crime scenes trace back to local dealers.