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Law enforcement, advocates urge stronger oversight of Oregon gun dealers
Summary
Portland police and national advocates told committees most crime guns recovered in Oregon trace to in-state dealers and urged state licensing, inspections and stronger dealer standards to reduce illegal gun trafficking.
Portland Police Chief Robert Day and national advocates told Oregon’s joint Judiciary committees that most crime guns recovered in the state originate from in-state gun dealers and urged the Legislature to consider state-level licensing and oversight of dealers.
Chief Day described an increase in firearms seized over the past decade and said Portland’s shootings peaked in 2021 before declining but remain above pre-pandemic levels. "More than 6,160 crime guns were recovered in Oregon last year, including 1,642 in Portland alone," Day said, adding that many of those guns traced back to dealers within 25 miles of where they were recovered.
Speakers and witnesses pointed to limited federal oversight by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which they said inspects only a small fraction of dealers annually. Tanya Schart (Brady) said ATF inspection capacity is limited and that, in Oregon, fewer than 2% of dealers were inspected in 2022–2023. She cited a ratio of roughly one ATF inspector per 342 dealers in Oregon and urged a state licensing regime with authority for inspections and a code of conduct for dealers.
Panelists cited studies linking strong dealer regulation to reductions in intrastate trafficking; one presenter referenced research finding a 64% reduction in intrastate trafficking where robust oversight exists. Chief Day and other witnesses recommended allowing local governments more authority over firearms in public buildings, improving public-record protections for participants in violence-prevention programs, and creating a statewide office to coordinate gun-violence prevention resources.
The committee accepted that the testimony was informational; speakers offered to provide specific examples and dealer-level records after the hearing in response to requests and public-record processes.
No bills were voted on at the hearing; several witnesses recommended specific statutory options for legislative consideration.
