Oregon law on concealed carry reveals ease of getting and using a gun

Guns, non violence sculpture

Carol Forsloff--In Oregon you can now get a concealed carry gun permit online. This means more doors opening to the availability of guns. On the anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook, little has changed.

Guns continue to proliferate. As Oregon underlines, the attitude continues to be “I have a right to protect myself and my family.” That Wild West motto continues in spite of the fact that taxes support having police and sheriff offices to protect the public.

These are the qualifications for a concealed carry gun permit in Oregon:

1. A citizen of the United States or a legal resident alien who has lived in the country for at least six months


2. Not a convicted felon


3. No outstanding warrant for an arrest


4. Not found guilty of a misdemeanor


5. 21 or older


6. Demonstrated competence with a handgun 

Mental health issues are not mentioned as part of the criteria. Furthermore one can be an individual from  another country and bent on a terrorist act and be able to obtain a concealed carry permit if the individual has resided legally in the US for at least six months.

And actually you can demonstrate your proficiency with a gun online.  No you don't have to actually shoot a gun, but take a test online that simulates it.

Safeguards for legally carrying a concealed handgun remain as they have been, sufficiently limited that most people would qualify for a gun permit.

There were 163,650 Oregon CHL holders as of January of this year.


And from the Oregon Health Department are these statistics:

• On average, at least one Oregonian dies from firearm
injury every day.

• Firearm fatalities occur due to suicide, homicide legal
intervention, unintentional shootings, and undetermined
intent shootings. The most of them (83%) were due to
suicide (Figure below).

• Males were more likely to die from firearm injury than
females. Older males (ages >= 65) had the highest
firearm injury death rate due to high suicide rates (Table
1-3).

• Young people ages 18 to 24 were at the highest risk being
a victim of homicide by firearm (Table 3).

• Weapons used in firearm fatalities were handguns
(73%), rifles (15%), and shotguns (11%).

• Firearms accounted for 55 percent of suicides, 53
percent of homicides, and 86 percent of deaths in
homicide-suicide events.

• 41% of people who died by firearm suicide had a
depressed mood, 35% had a diagnosed mental illness, and
28% were being treated for a mental illness.

• 90% of homicide suspects killed people that they knew.

1. C1. Citizen of the United States; or