SB 11 : Republicans Direct Police to Send Legally Armed, Legal Permanent Residents to ICE
Position: Oppose Status: Senate Judiciary Committee
The Act makes police ask if a person is a citizen if the person has a gun and is being arrested for a crime. The Act also makes police notify ICE if the person is not a citizen.
The bill does not make exceptions for Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR or "green card" holders) who are not citizens but legally allowed to purchase and possess firearms in the United States.
Update
1-17 (S) Referred to Judiciary.
1-13 (S) Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.
Introduced by Republicans Senator Thatcher and Rep. Diehl
Filed by Senator Weber
Oregon OLIS information about SB 11 is here.
SB 11 is a thinly veiled version of the chilling “Papers, please” request. This Republican bill directs law enforcement to harass and possibly detain Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs or “green card” holders) who are legally carrying a firearm.
Under federal law, legal permanent residents (LPRs) are generally allowed to purchase and possess firearms. The key statute governing this is 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5), which prohibits firearm possession by certain non-citizens but explicitly applies only to those “who are illegally or unlawfully in the United States” or those admitted under nonimmigrant visas (with limited exceptions). Since LPRs are lawfully present, they are not subject to this prohibition.
Additionally, 18 U.S.C. § 922(d)(5) states that a person cannot sell a firearm to someone “who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States,” but again, this restriction does not apply to legal permanent residents.
For Oregon law, no statute specifically prohibits firearm possession or purchase by legal permanent residents. Instead, Oregon follows federal guidelines, meaning that as long as an LPR meets general firearm eligibility requirements (such as age, background check clearance, and residency requirements), they are legally allowed to own a firearm.