assaults their husband or wife," said House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, adding that she believes the loophole represents "a significant flaw" in Oregon's firearms regulations.

Rep. Jeff Barker, an Aloha Democrat who coauthored the bill, said he believes it will close a "dangerous loophole" allowing domestic abusers to own guns. He pushed back against criticism of the bill by gun-rights groups, citing statistics that show many women face domestic violence and that the presence of guns make those situations more likely to be deadly.

Barker, a retired police officer, said he witnessed many instances of domestic violence while on the beat. In a speech from the House floor, he said he "tried to suppress" the worst memories, often with alcohol. He recalled one crime scene he was dispatched to,where a woman had been shot to death by her husband after a domestic dispute. Barker said he arrived to find "a young mother dead on the floor," her two children crying nearby.

"Had there not been a gun in that family maybe those girls would have been able to grow up with their mother," Barker said.

Rep. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, wept as she recalled growing up in a tiny rural Oregon community with an abusive, alcoholic father. She said she has "seen the rage" that can infect domestic abusers.

"I believe for certain that if it weren't for my father's absolute intense hatred for guns, our story would have a very different ending," she said before casting a vote in support of the expanded gun ban.

Rep. Andy Olson, a retired