Oregon bans domestic abusers from owning guns

Amidst the endless mass shootings in the US, one clear pattern that’s emerged is the connection between these attacks and the perpetrator’s history of domestic abuse. One thing shooters have in common more than anything else, be it age or ethnicity or ideology, is a track record of violence against spouses or partners. It seems as though banning convicted domestic abusers may thus be a good place to start.

Oregon lawmakers evidently had a similar thought, as that’s exactly what they’ve done:

The Oregon legislature passed a bill Thursday banning anyone with a domestic violence conviction from owning a firearm, according to KOIN 6 local news station.

The state has banned those with domestic violence or stalking convictions from owning guns since 2015, but a loophole in the law allowed abusers who aren’t living with, married to or have children with the victim to have their guns, according to OregonLive.

The state’s House of Representatives passed the bill 37-23 last week — one day after the mass shooting at a Florida high school. The state Senate approved it 16-13 on Thursday.

Actual commonsense gun control in the US – even if just a small part of it. I never thought I’d see the day. It’ll also be interesting to see whether or how this affects gun violence statistics in the state over the years to come.

(via @TheRickyDavila; retweet by @pzmyers)