Secure Storage
Laws in Oregon

Gun owners in Oregon are required to store their firearm(s) in their homes and other locations securely whenever the firearms are not being carried or in the owner’s immediate control* to keep children and teens under the age of 18 from accessing them.

Secure storage in Oregon means that firearms are:

• Secured with a trigger or cable lock (and that the key or combination to the lock is not easily accessible to anyone not authorized to use the firearm);
• Stored in a tamper-resistant locked container (such as a box, chest, locker, or safe); or
• Stored in a gun room, meaning a fully enclosed room with all entrances secured by a tamper-resistant lock, that is kept locked at all times when not occupied, and is used for the storage of firearms and ammunition or conducting firearm-related activities.

*A gun is considered to be under a person’s “control” either when it is close enough that the person could prevent an unauthorized person from accessing it, or when the person is in their own secured residence alone or only with other authorized adult residents.

Oregon’s secure storage law applies to vehicles. If a gun owner is leaving their firearm in an unattended vehicle, they are required to secure the firearm:

• With a trigger or cable lock (and ensure that the key or combination to the lock is not easily accessible to anyone not authorized to use the firearm), or
• In a tamper-resistant locked container (such as a, chest, locker, or safe) or within a locked glove compartment, enclosed trunk, or center console equipped with a tamper-resistant lock; and
• For handguns, hidden from view of persons outside the vehicle.

Gun owners may be subject to civil penalties if they fail to follow these requirements. They may be subject to criminal penalties if a minor obtains access to an unsecured firearm. They may face more serious criminal penalties and civil liability if a person accesses an unsecured firearm and uses it to harm a person or property.