A federal judge ruled Friday that a gun control measure approved by Oregon voters last November is constitutional. However, a state court ruling means Measure 114 remains on hold.
Oregon voters in November narrowly passed Measure 114, which requires residents to undergo safety training and a background check to obtain a permit to buy a gun.
The legislation also bans the sale, transfer or import of gun magazines with more than 10 rounds unless they are owned by law enforcement or a military member or were owned before the measure’s passage. Those who already own high-capacity magazines can only possess them at home or use them at a firing range, in shooting competitions or for hunting as allowed by state law after the measure takes effect.
RELATED: Oregon Measure 114 gun law tested in federal court
RELATED: Oregon Supreme Court denies motion to hear Measure 114 case
The Oregon Firearms Federation and a county sheriff filed the federal lawsuit in November, contending it violated the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut made the ruling Friday after a week-long trial. That ruling is likely to be appealed, potentially moving all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a separate suit, filed in state court in Harney County, Gun Owners of America Inc., the Gun Owners Foundation and several individual gun owners claimed the law violates the Oregon Constitution.
The judge presiding over that case, Harney County Judge Robert S. Raschio, in December ordered the law to be put on hold. Because the lawsuit challenged Measure 114 under the state constitution and not the U.S. Constitution, it held precedence in the state, legal experts said.
A trial is scheduled for September.
Supporters of the law say it would reduce mass shootings and other forms of gun violence as well as suicides, which the Oregon Health Authority said accounts for 82% of gun deaths in the state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
