Ballot measure sought for guns to be safely stored

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Two people whose loved ones were shot dead at an Oregon shopping mall by a man with a stolen assault rifle are among chief petitioners of a proposed ballot measure that calls for firearms to be safely stored.

The initiative, filed Monday with the secretary of state’s office, would also require law enforcement to be quickly contacted when a firearm is lost or stolen, its backers said.

“Establishing clear standards for responsible firearm storage will save lives,” said Jenna Yuille, a chief petitioner whose mother, Cindy Yuille, was killed at the Clackamas Town Center in 2012. Another chief petitioner, Paul Kemp, lost his brother-in-law Steve Forsyth in the random attack at the mall near Portland by a gunman who then committed suicide.

If enough signatures are gathered for the measure to go on the November ballot, and if it passes, guns must be stored with a trigger or cable lock, or be in a locked container. If a person doesn’t secure the firearm as required and it results in injury or property damage, that person is strictly liable for the injury or damage, the initiative says.

It also stipulates that anyone who loans a gun to a minor must directly supervise the minor’s use of the firearm.

It is at least the second gun-control measure that might go before Oregon voters. Another one would seek to ban assault rifles in the state.

To begin the ballot title drafting process, chief petitioners must submit 1,000 sponsorship signatures, the secretary of state’s office says.

Campaigners for ballot initiatives must gather over 88,000 signatures by July 6 to get them on the November ballot.

The “safe gun storage” initiative is the 44th and latest to be filed for the November election.

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