Two Bend city councilors have expressed interest in banning the possession of loaded firearms in public, a partial response to last month’s deadly shooting at the east-side Bend Safeway. The council is expected to discuss gun safety measures at a work session Wednesday.

While state and federal laws retain most of the authority in regulating firearms and ammunition, Oregon cities are able to regulate loaded firearm possession and the sale of used firearms via city ordinances.

Councilors Melanie Kebler and Barb Campbell said they are interested in developing city ordinances that limit the use and sale of some weapons.

People with concealed carry permits could potentially be exempt from a city ordinance banning the possession of a loaded firearm, said Ian Leitheiser, assistant city attorney for Bend. With over 17,000 concealed carry permits in Deschutes County, according to Oregon State Police, the impact of such ordinances is unclear.

Kebler said she was unsure if any of these regulatory efforts would prevent a shooting like the one Aug. 28, when a gunman killed two people at the grocery store before taking his own life.

“We’re all struggling in our own ways with it. You can feel anger. You can feel despair,” Kebler said at a Sept. 7 City Council meeting.

While Kebler said she has been advocating for stricter gun control for years, she said she does not know if council action would have occurred without the Safeway shooting.

“It increased our momentum,” Kebler told The Bulletin, adding: “I want to make sure as a city we’re looking at all of our options.”

Campbell said she is frustrated with the impacts of gun violence on everyday activities and the lack of challenges to the Second Amendment.

“Our First Amendment rights have become under threat because of our Second Amendment rights,” Campbell said. “Our freedom to move about is being taken away from us.”

Possible points of discussion for Wednesday’s meeting include the potential city policy action, councilwide support for ballot Measure 114, called the Reduction of Gun Violence Act, and education efforts for red flag laws.

Red flag laws allow family members, roommates or law enforcement officials to petition a judge to remove firearms from someone’s possession if the person is believed to be an extreme risk.

Oregon is one of 21 states that requires background checks or permits for handgun purchases. Measure 114 would extend this requirement further and mandate purchasers to pass a gun safety training class and a live-fire training session. The measure would also outlaw the manufacture, purchase and use of magazines containing more than 10 rounds.

Obtaining a permit would require criminal background checks, which would close a loophole in current state law that allows the sale of the firearm if the background check is not completed within three days. Permits would have a fee and would be valid for five years. If the measure passes, the penalty for a violation would be a Class A misdemeanor or a Class C felony if one has prior convictions.

If passed, Measure 114 would cost local governments up to $51.2 million in the first year and up to $47.5 million in subsequent years to get the permit-to-purchase process up and running, according to a draft state estimate from July. Expenditures on the state level would increase up to $21.1 million during the 2023-2025 biennium. Estimated revenue for local governments could be up to $19.5 million per year, and revenue for state government is estimated to garner up to $23.5 million from background check fees.

The National Rifle Association is opposed to Measure 114, citing concerns of unconstitutionality and infringement of privacy on its website. The local Friends of NRA chapter could not be reached for comment.

Kebler, Campbell, Councilor Megan Perkins, Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Broadman and Mayor Gena Goodman-Campbell have said they support Measure 114. The other two City Council members, Mo Mitchell and Stephen Sehgal, could not be reached for comment. The work session on Wednesday will determine whether the entire council will publicly support the measure.

The city of Redmond could also be examining possible council action on gun restrictions this month. Redmond City Councilor Ed Fitch said he heard community concerns and anxieties surrounding gun safety after the Bend Safeway shooting, which prompted him to propose the council discuss city ordinances to restrict loaded weapons and assault-type weapons within city limits at the next meeting on Sept. 27.

“It’s not an issue of controlling guns,” Fitch told The Bulletin. He said, instead, it was a matter of the community feeling safe in parks and public spaces.

Councilor Krisanna Clark-Endicott, who said she has a concealed carry permit, has opposed such changes.

“I do not believe it is our position to put gun control in front of the council and put parameters around gun control when we have solid citizens carrying guns safely,” she said during a Redmond council meeting Sept. 13.

Fitch, who is also running for Redmond’s mayoral seat, said any discussion of regulations would be up to the council.