March 12, 2025

Pacifica Clients Celebrate Oregon Court of Appeals Victory for Gun Safety Measure

Oregon’s voter-approved gun safety law, Measure 114, overcame another legal challenge by the gun lobby this week when the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the law did not violate Oregon’s constitution. Pacifica clients the Alliance for a Safe Oregon (“Oregon Alliance”) and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility submitted an amicus brief in the case, Arnold v. Kotek, in support of the law. They were joined by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and Gun Owners for Responsible Ownership.

Measure 114, which Oregon voters approved in November 2022, restricts the sale and manufacture of large-capacity gun magazines (LCMs), and establishes a permit-to-purchase and background-check system for all firearm purchases. Various gun lobby groups challenged the law in state and federal courts.

The unanimous decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed an Oregon circuit court ruling that Measure 114 violated Article I, Section 27 of the Oregon Constitution. The Court of Appeals’ decision joins the growing trend of courts, both state and federal, that have recently upheld common-sense safety measures like limits on LCMs.

In 2023, Pacifica and the Oregon Alliance prevailed in a federal lawsuit challenging Measure 114 when, after a week-long trial, a federal district judge concluded that Measure 114 did not violate the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. That decision is currently on appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Pacifica attorneys Zach Pekelis and Scott Ferron represented the Oregon Alliance and the Alliance for Gun Safety in submitting the amicus brief in support of the State’s appeal. They also represented the Oregon Alliance in its successful defense of Measure 114 in federal court.

In addition to its work with the Oregon Alliance, Pacifica has long represented the Washington-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility. Pacifica has secured significant victories for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility in state and federal cases challenging Washington’s gun safety laws, including I-594 (requiring background checks for all gun sales), I-1639 (enacting age and residency restrictions on purchase of semiautomatic rifles), Senate Bill 5078 (restricting large-capacity magazines), and House Bill 1240 (restricting assault weapons).

Click here for a PDF of the Oregon Court of Appeals decision.

Click here for a PDF of the amicus brief.