Trio takes aim at Oregon’s suicide-prevention gun law

BEND, Ore. – Three Republican politicians hope to overturn a new Oregon law that makes it easier to take guns away from people considered at risk of suicide.

The Bend Bulletin reported that a proposed referendum to overturn the law was filed Tuesday. The posting on the Secretary of State’s website lists the chief petitioners as Republican House members Mike Nearman, of Independence, and Bill Post, of Keizer, along with Teri Grier, a Coos County Republican who lost a race for a House seat.

The bill signed into law last week allows police or an immediate family member to seek an “extreme risk protection order” for someone who they believe is a suicide risk. If a judge grants the order, the person must surrender his or her guns.

If the referendum qualifies for the ballot, the law would not go into effect until a vote, most likely in November 2018.