Visiting a friend in Portland in October. I will be there for 4 days, including a weekend downtown at the Benson hotel.

The last time I was in Portland was 7 years ago. I know it has gone downhill since then.

Thinking of our safety, I was thinking of bringing a firearm. I did it going to Vail earlier this year with no issues, so I am familiar with how to transport a firearm.

I have looked at Oregon law and it seems to be all over the place with lawsuits pending, rulings stayed and generally just chaos.

The gun I would like to bring is a SIG P365 XL with a 12 round mag.

I know that going through the gate agents I can get it there - I just don’t want to run into any trouble on arrival or while I am there.

Thoughts?

I'm not OR law enforcement but provided you transported properly and abided by their rules and reciprocity, you should be fine? I'm bad with airport specifics, I try to drive everywhere.

If you don't have an Oregon concealed carry permit, having a loaded firearm in a public place is illegal. When I still lived in the Seattle area, my understanding was it was legal to transport a pistol through Portland, but the pistol and ammo had to be in separate locked containers. I'm not seeing that this has changed in my searching. Not sure about hotel rooms, but the real danger is out on the streets anyways.

I won't make any suggestions, but I will tell you that the last three or four years we lived in the PNW, I wouldn't go through Portland for any reason.

Yep.

You asked, so...no, you shouldn't legally conceal carry in Portland.
Even in the most dangerous of cities, you can use other skills like SA to mitigate most of the types of risks that might require a firearm to prevent.

On the other hand, concealed is concealed, and I would either not go there or I would carry. I understand the risks of both sides. It's a very serious decision. When you're in shitholistan, legality in my opinion is less important than personal protection. If you are white and can be perceived as a conservative and or a Christian, know that the area DA will make an example out of you. Just make your decision knowing the facts. It's occupied enemy territory, it may as well be canada.

I live outside of Portland but I have an OR chl. I carry everywhere, including Portland area (especially Portland area) as needed. So long as your chl covers Oregon, please do. One might be surprised with the climate directly outside of Portland, it’s not all crazy. Even in rural clackamas county (20 min from downtown) they’re quite gun friendly. Let alone 33/36 other counties. In the wide open distances of our beautiful state a gun is just another needed tool. I’ve checked guns through pdx many times. It’s not a big deal. Heck, in most of Oregon, you’d be an odd ball for not having one. So long as your chl is good, carry freely in our state.

quote:

Originally posted by furlough:


Yep.

Gee that looks a lot like the ones for Illinois and California.
I agree it's not worth the risk/hassle.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to go with plan B and leave the firearm at home and just practice good behavior as in any dangerous area.

My brother and I visit each other; he is in Seattle and I am in KY. We both have LEOSA cards, so concealed carry is legal. We do, however, each keep a gun at the other's house, so when visiting we just hand off at a coffee shop outside the airport. Heck, when we visited Mom in Surprise, AZ a few years ago she loaned each of us a pistol, with the proviso we take her to a wheelchair accessible range.

Flying in should not be a problem as long as you follow the TSA rules...

Last time I was in Portland, which was a few years ago, I had to lock my pistol unloaded in the safe at my hotel to be legal while there....

I did a good bit of walking downtown and there were a lot of homeless folks... but did not have a problem... in fact the closest I came to trouble were the three Church of Scientology folks that wanted me to step inside and take a personality test.....

You mention ‘plan B’, I think that’s fine. I’ve walked around downtown Portland a handful of times in the last 2 years. Yes it’s messy, but all the rest factors in, time, specific location, with a friend, high S.A., etc..

I don’t know the defensive spray rules there, another option. I know you’re visiting a friend, in those Uber left cities I about never patronize any restaurants. I just get a few things from the grocery store. Of course, visiting a friend, easily different.

I don’t want to sound like a wuss, but one is better off diffusing and avoiding the potential confrontation, common sense I know. The other side of that is randomness, no guarantees.

Definitely no bueno when it comes to conceal carry without an Oregon CCP. At one time there was one county in the center of the state that would issue an Oregon permit to anyone who had a valid permit from another state, but that was several years ago. The sheriff would often come up to some of WA's larger gun shows and take applications. Once the background check came through, the Oregon permit would be mailed out.

How good are you with a knife? Thanks to the robust knife industry in the state (Benchmade, Kershaw, "CRicKeT", etc.), Oregon has some fairly relaxed laws concerning carrying knives. You can't fully conceal carry any "swing open" knife; that would include switch-operated, spring-assisted and inertia operated, and other autos like OTF knives. However fixed blades are apparently a-okay for fully concealed carry. There are no blade length limits in Oregon as well.

Flying-with shouldn't be a problem, simply check the airline carrier you're flying with, and when flying back, make sure to double check if the airport as specific rules.

In and about PDX, keep it casual and cool like you're back home. Printing or, inadvertent reveal may trigger a police response, you're in an area where the local government would like nothing better to hold up somebody from Texas who's carrying a gun, as an example of how out-of-control guns are. Downtown can get spicy, especially around the parks where gatherings and encampments are, just be mindful as always.