A new bill heading to the Oregon State Legislature would require gun owners to place a trigger lock, like the one shown in this photo, on their guns at all times when not in use.
A new bill heading to the Oregon State Legislature would require gun owners to place a trigger lock, like the one shown in this photo, on their guns at all times when not in use. STATE OF SAFETY ACTION

A bill that would tighten storage requirements for Oregon’s gun owners is headed to the Oregon State Legislature in 2019.

Titled the Cindy Yuille and Steve Forsyth Act, this bill would require gun owners to safely store and lock a firearm when it is not in use, and when it is being transferred to another person; report a lost or stolen gun with 24 hours; supervise children under 18 at all times when they are handling firearms; and use locks and containers approved by the state attorney general. Failing to follow these rules would result in a fine.

The legislation, which is sponsored by State Representative Barbara Smith Warner and State Senator James Manning, would also impose a “strict liability” on gun owners who failed to follow these measures. That means that if someone failed to properly secure their gun, and that gun was then used by someone else to commit a crime, the gun owner could be held liable by the victims.

The bill is named for two victims in the Clackamas Town Center shooting, which occurred exactly six years ago. Cindy Yuille’s daughter, Jenna Yuille, spoke at a press conference announcing the bill Tuesday morning at the Portland Association of Teachers office.

“I wanted to make sure that [my mother’s] death wasn’t for nothing,” Yuille said. “This is the only true form of justice that I could find, which is working to make a difference in gun safety on her behalf. … We still have not passed any laws in Oregon that still might actually prevent a shooting like the one that happened at the Clackamas Town Center.”

Earlier this year, Yuille was part of the effort to get two initiatives on the November ballot that would have accomplished many of the same goals as the new bill. The National Rifle Association and two local Oregon firearms groups opposed putting the measures on the ballot, and the Oregon Supreme Court ended up blocking them, saying that they needed to be reworded so as to not potentially violate the Second Amendment.

Backers of those ballots later formed the nonprofit State of Safety Action. The group said that in addition to supporting this legislation, it plans to put another measure on the 2020 ballot.

In addition to preventing mass shootings and accidental deaths, this bill could also help to reduce underage suicides in Oregon. According to State of Safety Action, 14 children and teens committed suicide using firearms in Oregon last year. Lisa Reynolds, a pediatrician and board chair for the nonprofit, said that having a gun available makes a person much more likely to act on a suicidal impulse.

“We know that if these kids had not had access to a gun—almost always a gun in their own home—they would likely be alive today,” Reynolds said at the press conference.

Smith Warner, a Democrat, hinted at the press conference that she hopes for the bill to have bipartisan support in the legislature, calling it “the kind of bill that is reasonable, commonsense gun legislation, [and] can and should be supported by gun owners and non-gun owners alike.” But Democrats will have a strong majority in both houses in the 2019 session, meaning they won’t necessarily need Republican support to pass this bill.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, the Portland Suicide Lifeline is 503-972-3456. And for those outside of Portland, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or 1-800-273-8255. You can also text "help" to 741-741.