Concealed carry without a permit could be on the 2024 Oregon ballot

SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - Will Oregonians soon be able to carry a concealed gun in public without a permit?

On Friday, the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office received an initial prospective petition filing to establish constitutional carry in Oregon. The three chief petitioners in the effort are: Joel Pawloski, Chair of the Marion County Republicans; Kerry McQuisten, former gubernatorial candidate and former mayor of Baker City; and Jean Sampson, former city council member of Clatskanie in Columbia County.

The title of the petition is: “Establishing the right to carry concealed firearms without permit.”

The language in the petition argues that it’s unconstitutional to require a permit to be obtained before someone can carry a gun.

The proposed text is as follows: “PARAGRAPH 1. Section 27, Article I of the Constitution of the State of Oregon, is amended to read: Sec. 27. (1) The people shall have the right to bear arms for the [defence] defense of themselves, and the State, but the Military shall be kept in strict subordination to the civil power. (2) The right described in subsection (1) of this section includes the right to carry, without a permit, a concealed firearm.”

“Constitutional Carry is an important right for the safety and security of all Oregonians,” said Pawloski in a statement. “The failures of leadership in Oregon are endemic. With ballot initiatives, the people of Oregon act as our own legislators under the Oregon Constitution, and it’s time we take the lead on this subject.”

“We’ve watched so many over-the-top gun-grab attempts in Oregon erode our Second Amendment rights. We shouldn’t be asking permission from the government to protect ourselves,” added McQuisten.

“Gathering this many signatures is a daunting task,” added Sampson. “But I think Oregonians are ready for this change in the same way that more than half of our U.S. states have been.”

If the prospective petition paperwork is approved by the Secretary of State’s office, the chief petitioners will be issued a signature sheet template to begin collecting at least 1,000 sponsorship signatures, which are necessary to receive a ballot title from the Oregon Attorney General’s Office. After that step is achieved, the process of gathering the more than 160,000 petition signatures for the initiative to appear on the 2024 ballot will begin.