In November 2022, voters in Oregon narrowly approved Measure 114, a ballot initiative titled the 'Reduction of Gun Violence Act.' The measure, which required a permit to purchase a firearm and banned magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, was placed on the ballot after a grassroots organization, Lift Every Voice Oregon, successfully gathered over 130,000 signatures from registered voters. The campaign relied heavily on volunteers and religious communities to mobilize individual citizens to vote for the policy directly, bypassing the state legislature.

Immediately after the measure passed, the Gun Owners of America (GOA), a national interest group, filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the new law. The group argued that the magazine ban and permit requirements violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In response to the lawsuit, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the law from taking effect until a full trial could determine if the state law infringed upon federally protected rights. The legal battle highlighted the conflict between the will of the voters in Oregon and the protections claimed by gun rights advocates.