Federal law requires firearms dealers to obtain a license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), although resource limitations prevent the ATF from properly overseeing all its licensees.
Oregon has no law requiring firearms dealers to obtain a state license or permit. However, firearms dealers are subject to state laws governing gun sales generally.
The Superintendent of State Police may adopt rules necessary for the provision of a security system to identify dealers who request a criminal history record check, and for the creation and maintenance of a database of the business hours of gun dealers.1
For laws requiring dealers to:
- Conduct a background check on prospective firearm purchasers, see the Background Check Procedures section.
- Retain records of firearm sales, see the Maintaining Records of Gun Sales section.
In2021, Oregon enacted a law that requires a person, including a dealer, transferring a firearm to transfer it with an engaged trigger or cable lock, or in a locked container, if a criminal background check is required to complete the transfer. The new law also requires a gun dealer to post in a prominent location a notice, in block letters not less than one inch in height, that states, “The purchaser of a firearm has an obligation to store firearms in a safe manner and to prevent unsupervised access to a firearm by a minor. If a minor or unauthorized person obtains access to a firearm and the owner failed to store the firearm in a safe manner, the owner may be in violation of the law.”2
When a firearm is delivered by a dealer, it must be unloaded.3
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