Do You Need a Gun Permit to Shoot at a Gun Range in Oregon?

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When a state’s laws regarding shooting are friendly, both residents and non-residents benefit. This is because they get to enjoy the shooting sports without too many restrictions. Having many restrictions can frustrate many shooting enthusiasts, leading to them losing interest in shooting or dropping the sport all together.

This in turn affects the shooting ranges and clubs as they are not able to raise the funds needed to keep up with the costs of running the facilities.

Do You Need a Gun Permit to Shoot at a Gun Range in Oregon?

No, you do not need a gun permit to shoot at a gun range in Oregon because it is not required by law. Oregon is one of those sates that neither has very strict nor very friendly gun laws. It all just depends on the area that you look into.

According to an article by Willamette Week, Oregon ranks 15th in the number of gun laws, 50th in ammunition regulations, 2nd in the number of laws governing background checks and 5th in dealer regulations.

Handgun

This means that there are areas that the state needs to work on before having a definitive stand. However, there are still laws in place that affect those going to gun ranges.

 The top three things to pay attention to are:

  • Range purpose
  • Hunting diversity and regulations
  • CCW requirements

Range Purpose

When looking for a range to visit, you need to pay attention to a few things. First, is it an indoor or outdoor range? This is important because it will determine which weapons you can use, the distance you can shoot at, the targets you can shoot, and the kind of ammunition that you will need to carry.

Another thing to consider is whether it is a public range, private range, or both. A private range may be a membership-only shooting club or may be created for a specific group of people such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, and veterans. Some ranges have both areas with designated public and private ranges.

Hunting Diversity and Regulations

Another great thing about Oregon is the diversity of hunting game available. This is great if you are a hunting enthusiast. There are a wide variety of big game hunts as well as exclusive hunting trips for bear hunting, elk , antelope, and some game birds. You can also join a bear hunt.

Woman aiming at a target and not needing a gun permit to shoot at a gun range in Oregon

In order for you to enjoy any of the hunting trips, you must follow the hunting regulations. The aim is to keep hunting as natural as possible without using technology to scope out and capture the animal. Therefore, the use of drones, aircraft, ATVs, or snowmobiles is not allowed in the active pursuit or capture of any animal.

This is according to the Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations.

CCW Requirements

It is important to also keep in mind Oregon’s concealed weapons license requirements because Oregon is a non-reciprocal state, according to Guns To Carry. This means that it does not recognize the CCW permit from any other state. If you are visiting Oregon, you may have to leave your weapon at home.

If you are moving, you may need to apply for a new permit. If you do not have a permit, avoid carrying your weapon to the range as you may be asked for a permit. Without one, your weapon may be confiscated until you have a permit.

Conclusion

Oregon has mixed gun laws. Some are favorable while others are strict. Although you do not need a permit to use any gun range in Oregon, you need to have a concealed weapons permit in order to carry a concealed weapon in your range bag even to the gun range.

It is important to keep up with requirements so as to be able to visit the range regularly.

James Forrester is a lifelong gun and firearms owner, and an even bigger advocate for gun safety. He created KeepGunsSafe.com with the purpose of sharing helpful tips and educating others on how to keep guns and weapons safe and secure.