Oregon Gun Laws: Open Carry, CHL, and Measure 114

Oregon gun laws let adults 18 and older own rifles, shotguns, and handguns and keep them at home or at a place of business without any permit, while a separate license is required to carry a concealed handgun in public and background checks are mandatory on virtually every sale or transfer. Open carry is legal statewide, but several cities and Multnomah County restrict loaded open carry by anyone who does not hold a concealed handgun license. Storage rules, location bans, and a red-flag process fill in the rest of the picture.

Who Can Legally Own a Firearm

The floor for possession in Oregon is 18. Anyone younger is generally barred from having a firearm, though minors may handle long guns temporarily when transferred by a parent or guardian, or use firearms for hunting and target practice with parental consent.¹ Once you turn 18 you can legally own rifles, shotguns, and handguns at your residence or place of business without a permit, and the statutory definition of “residence” is broad enough to include an RV or a boat used as living quarters.² Buying a handgun from a licensed dealer requires you to be 21 under federal law, and the same age applies to a concealed handgun license.³

Some people are barred regardless of age. Under Oregon law you cannot possess a firearm if you:

Have a felony conviction under Oregon, federal, or another state’s law. A narrow restoration path exists for a single non-violent, non-firearm felony after 15 years free of imprisonment, parole, or probation.⁴
Were committed or found mentally ill under a court order, including commitment to the Oregon Health Authority or a court finding that mental illness makes you a danger to yourself or others.¹
Were found guilty except for insanity of a felony.

Federal law layers on more categories. Under 18 U.S.C. 922(g) you cannot possess firearms or ammunition if you are a fugitive from justice, an unlawful user of controlled substances, an undocumented immigrant, subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, or dishonorably discharged.⁵ Anyone under indictment for a crime punishable by more than a year in prison is also barred from receiving firearms. Oregon officers enforce both sets of rules.

Buying and Transferring Firearms

Every firearm transfer in Oregon runs through a background check. The Oregon State Police operates the Firearm Instant Check System (FICS), which dealers use before completing any sale.⁶ Since Senate Bill 941 took effect, private sales are covered too: both parties must appear in person before a licensed dealer, bring the firearm, and have the dealer run the check before the transfer can be completed.⁷ Limited exceptions cover transfers between spouses, domestic partners, parents, and children, and temporary loans for hunting or use at a shooting range.

The state police charge $10 per background check.⁶ A dealer handling a private-party transfer will usually add a processing fee that runs anywhere from $25 to $75. The check happens while you wait or by callback. If the state police issue a unique approval number, the sale moves forward. If they do not, it is blocked.⁸

Skipping this process is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $6,250.⁹¹⁰ A prior conviction for the same offense pushes the charge up to a Class B felony.

Open Carry

Oregon is an open-carry state. You can carry a loaded or unloaded firearm openly across most of the state without any permit.

The exception is local ordinances. Oregon allows cities and counties to restrict the open carry of loaded firearms in public places by people who do not hold a concealed handgun license.¹¹ Portland, Salem, Beaverton, Tigard, Oregon City, Independence, and all of Multnomah County have adopted such rules. In those jurisdictions, openly carrying a loaded firearm in public requires a CHL. Unloaded open carry is still legal there, though the practical value is limited. Vehicles count as public places under the statute, so the same restriction reaches a loaded gun in your car.

Concealed Handgun License

Oregon runs a shall-issue system. The sheriff in the county where you live must issue the license if you meet the statutory requirements: at least 21, a U.S. citizen or legal resident, no disqualifying convictions or conditions, and demonstrated competence with a handgun.³

You can meet the competence requirement by completing any of the following:

A hunter education course that included handgun safety
An NRA firearms safety or training course covering handgun safety
A firearms training course from a community college, law enforcement agency, or private institution taught by NRA-certified or law enforcement-certified instructors
Equivalent experience through organized shooting competition or military service

Courses generally cost between $50 and $150. The sheriff can also deny an application, even if every box is checked, when there is documented reason to believe the applicant poses a danger. That review is rare, but it exists.

The initial license costs $115: $100 to the sheriff and $15 to the Oregon State Police for fingerprinting.³ The license lasts four years. Renewal is $75, no new fingerprints required. If you file for renewal before your current license expires, the old one stays valid for up to 45 days while the paperwork moves.

Where Firearms Are Prohibited

Under ORS 166.370, carrying a loaded or unloaded firearm into a public building is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.¹²¹³ Senate Bill 554 expanded “public building” to include commercial airport terminals with more than one million annual boardings, and school grounds where the governing body has adopted a firearms policy.¹⁴ The restricted list covers:

State and local government buildings, including the Capitol and city halls
Courthouses and any area where court business is conducted
Public and private school grounds and college and university campuses
Hospitals
Secure and non-secure areas of qualifying commercial airports

CHL holders get a limited break in three of those places. Carrying a concealed handgun in the Capitol, a qualifying airport terminal, or school grounds covered by an adopted policy drops the charge from a Class C felony to a Class A misdemeanor, provided you can prove a valid CHL at the time.¹² That is still a criminal conviction with up to 364 days in jail. Some universities have opted out, which means a CHL provides no protection on those campuses.

Federal property is off-limits on separate grounds. Under 18 U.S.C. 930, firearms are prohibited in all federal facilities, including post offices, federal courthouses, and Social Security offices. No state license overrides that, and federal facilities do not grant individual waivers.¹⁵ Private property owners can also ban firearms by posted sign or verbal notice.

Safe Storage and Reporting a Missing Gun

Oregon requires every owner to secure any firearm not being carried or under direct control. Under ORS 166.395, acceptable methods include a trigger lock, a cable lock, a locked container, or a dedicated gun room.¹⁶ Leaving a firearm unsecured is a Class C violation. If a minor gets access to the firearm and the owner knew or should have known that was possible, the penalty rises to a Class A violation. Each unsecured firearm is a separate violation.¹⁷

SB 554 also created a lost-and-stolen reporting rule. If a firearm goes missing, you must report the loss or theft to local law enforcement within 72 hours, including the make, model, and serial number. If no reporting method is available in that window, you have 24 hours from the point it becomes possible.¹⁴ Reporting on time shields you from liability for what happens with the firearm after it leaves your possession.

Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Oregon’s red-flag law lets a court temporarily remove firearms from a person who presents a near-term risk of suicide or violence. A family member, household member, or law enforcement officer can petition the court. The petitioner must offer substantial and credible evidence, and the court weighs threats of violence, a history of violent behavior, reckless firearm use, recent substance abuse, and recent firearm acquisitions.

When a court issues an Extreme Risk Protection Order, the person named must surrender all firearms and any CHL within 24 hours to law enforcement, a licensed dealer, or an approved third party. The order runs one year unless the person requests a hearing within 30 days of being served and the court terminates it earlier. Buying or possessing a firearm during that year is prohibited. The ERPO itself is civil, but violating it carries criminal penalties.

Measure 114 Is Not Currently in Effect

Voters passed Measure 114 in November 2022, and it has been in court ever since. As of early 2026 the measure remains largely enjoined and its major provisions are not in force, with litigation still moving in the Ninth Circuit and the Oregon Supreme Court. Until that changes, the existing FICS background check is the only requirement for buying a firearm in Oregon.

If the measure is ultimately upheld, two things would change. A permit-to-purchase system would require anyone buying a firearm to first get a state-issued permit from the Oregon State Police, involving photo ID, fingerprinting, an approved safety training course, and a background check. The application fee would be capped at $65 and the permit would last five years. The measure would also ban the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of magazines holding more than 10 rounds, with violations charged as a Class A misdemeanor.

Traveling With a Firearm

Inside Oregon, you can transport a firearm in your vehicle. Because a vehicle is a public place under the statute, in cities that restrict loaded open carry for non-CHL holders you either need a CHL or should keep the firearm unloaded during transport.

For air travel, the TSA allows firearms only in checked baggage. The firearm must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container, and you must declare it at the airline ticket counter at check-in.¹⁸ Ammunition must be securely packaged and can go in the same locked case. Loose ammunition and any ammunition in carry-on bags are prohibited. If the locked case triggers an alarm during screening and TSA cannot reach you, the container will not be loaded onto the aircraft.

Across state lines, Oregon’s CHL has no reciprocity with most western and northeastern states. Check whether your destination honors an Oregon license before you carry there. The federal Firearm Owners Protection Act does allow transport through states where you could not otherwise carry, but only if the firearm is unloaded and locked away from the passenger compartment, and only with strict compliance on every element.

1
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.250 – Unlawful Possession of Firearms
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 166
3
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.291 – Issuance of Concealed Handgun License
4
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.270 – Possession of Weapons by Certain Felons
5
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
6
Oregon State Police. Firearms Instant Check System
7
Oregon State Legislature. Senate Bill 941 – Oregon Firearms Safety Act
8
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.412 – Firearm Transaction Criminal History Record Check
9
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.435 – Firearm Transfers by Unlicensed Persons
10
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 161.615 – Maximum Terms of Imprisonment for Misdemeanors
11
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 166 – Section 166.173
12
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.370 – Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Public Building or Court Facility
13
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 161.605 – Maximum Terms of Imprisonment for Felonies
14
Oregon State Legislature. Senate Bill 554 – Enrolled
15
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FAQ for Prohibited Weapons at Federal Facilities
16
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.395 – Securing Firearms Penalties Civil Liability
17
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 166.395 – Securing Firearms
18
Transportation Security Administration. Firearms and Ammunition