Oregon Initiative Seeks Assault Weapons Ban

In this Aug. 15, 2012 file photo, three variations of the AR-15 assault rifle are displayed at the California Department of  Justice in Sacramento, Calif. Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

UPDATE (9:10 a.m PT) — A proposal to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in Oregon has been submitted as a ballot initiative petition intended to prevent mass shootings.  Filed by an interfaith religious group in Portland, Initiative Petition 42 would also require legal gun owners to surrender or register their assault weapons or face felony charges, according to language released Tuesday.

The group said it aims to get enough signatures to put the measure before voters in the November general election. They would need 88,000 signatures by July 6 to get the measure on the ballot. The proposal defines an assault weapon as any semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, and any feature like folding or telescoping stock, or that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Read the full article at the Statesman Journal.