A judge ruled that an Oregon voter-approved law, called Measure 114 -- which required people to undergo a criminal background check and complete a gun safety training course in order to obtain a permit to buy a firearm -- is unconstitutional, the AP reports. The law also banned high-capacity magazines. The law was among the first gun restrictions to be passed after a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that changed the guidance judges are expected to follow when considering Second Amendment cases. The Oregon decision was handed down by Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Raschio, the presiding judge in Harney County in a rural southeast part of the state.
After Measure 114 was narrowed approved by voters earlier this month, gun owners filed suit, claiming the law violated the right to bear arms under the Oregon Constitution. State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum plans to appeal the ruling, her office said in an emailed statement. The decision is likely “the first opening salvo of multiple rounds of litigation,” said Norman Williams, constitutional law professor at Willamette University. During an appeals process, it’s likely that the injunction freezing the law would remain in place. Raschio was the judge who initially blocked it from taking effect in December.
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