Gun enthusiasts in Oregon are scrambling to stock up on firearms before a new permit-to-purchase law goes into effect, drastically tightening gun regulations in the state.
Karl Durkheimer, the owner of Oregon's Northwest Armory gun store just south of Portland, told Fox News that gun sales have hit a 30-year-high in recent weeks as Oregon residents await a judge's ruling on whether the start of the strict permit-to-purchase law will be postponed amid Thursday's deadline.
"Two things are happening. There’s fear they won’t be able to get a gun, but there's the actual logistics that they won’t be able to do the background check," Durkheimer said on "America Reports" Wednesday.
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The new law, which will require Oregonians to receive a permit in order to purchase firearms, bans the manufacture, purchase or sale of ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
Supporters of the measure say it will curb violent crimes in the state, as well as accidental deaths and suicides. However, critics say the law will limit state residents from exercising their Second Amendment rights.
Sharing a photo of a jam-packed parking lot outside his shop, Durkheimer said Oregonians fear that if they don't apply for a permit immediately, they may not get one in the near future.
"It’s going to take a year before an Oregonian has a permit," Durkehimer said. "If the effective date of the permit happens in the next 30 days – let’s say, that’s what some of the judges have been talking about – effectively an Oregonian will not be able to buy a firearm anywhere in the United States. And that’s a violation of the Second Amendment. The Oregonians will lose their constitutional rights."
Oregon’s Measure 114 narrowly passed at the ballot box last month, when 50.7% of Oregonians threw their support behind the gun restrictions. Durkheimer blamed residents of Multnomah County and politicians in Salem for propelling the measure to the finish line.
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"Oregonian's rights are being trampled right now, by the Multnomah County voters, the politicians in Salem, and I’ve lived most of my life in Multnomah County. There is some disconnect. I don’t see the connection between lawful gun ownership and violent crime and mental health crises," he said. "The city of Portland has a violent crime problem. The state of Oregon does not."
The Oregon Department of Justice requested to delay the measure after law enforcement officials came out in full-force that they lack the infrastructure, funds and personnel to create the permit-to-purchase program. A federal judge is expected to make a decision on postponing the measure's start date later this week.
"Oregon is a point of contact for the FBI so the Oregon state police do the background checks. It’s an instant check. Normally, 90% of the people get approved in minutes, seconds," Durkheimer said.
With the police department already spread thin, Durkheimer said there are approximately 36,000 people that have delayed background checks "because the state just doesn’t have the resources to do their job properly like they have been doing for 23 years."
Anyone whose background check has not cleared by Dec. 8 or the postponed deadline will have to wait to obtain a permit to purchase, according to OSP.
Fox News' Hannah Ray Lambert contributed to this report.
