Concealed carry permits per capita in Oregon, county by county

In 2013 Eugene resident Derek LeBlanc headed off to work early one Sunday morning. Walking toward his truck, he noticed a shattered window, a pair of feet hanging out of the car door, and his possessions in the process of being stolen.

Unarmed and without giving it much thought, he tackled the burglar, wrestling him on the ground for around 10 minutes before his girlfriend, shotgun in hand, came out of the house to his aid.

Their story gained local virality, and since that day LeBlanc has been a firm advocate for citizens ability to carry concealed weapons as a safety measure. The experience eventually led to his creating a firearm training company, “Lethal Lovebirds,” in 2015, where he offers concealed carry training classes. (The name was coined by a blogger who wrote about the incident).

Currently, Lane County has 25,177 active concealed carry permits, ranking fourth of Oregon’s 36 counties in absolute terms. However, when looking at the number of permits per person, these rankings shift.

Washington and Multnomah counties, which include Oregon’s largest metro area, have less than 50 concealed carry permit holders for every 1,000 residents. Lane County, in comparison, has about 65 active concealed carry permit holders for every 1,000 residents.

Lane County Sheriff’s Office administers concealed handgun licenses for the county. While Sgt. Tim Wallace can’t pinpoint the exact reason behind the relatively large number of Lane County permits, he believes the recent cuts to law enforcement resources are a factor. 

“People I talk to in the community, at Neighborhood Watch meetings and that sort of thing, are very aware that if there’s a life and safety emergency we’re going to come, but we may be a long ways away,” Wallace said. “So there is a degree of people wanting to be responsible for their own safety, their own protection and take care of their loved ones.”

However, gun control advocates such as Penny Okamoto with Ceasefire Oregon don’t believe that more concealed carry weapons are the answer. For one, Okamoto believes Oregon’s concealed carry policy isn’t comprehensive enough.

“I would really expect someone who has a concealed handgun license every year go through a lot of training,” Okamoto said, “How to make sure that your firearms are locked up and completely secure. Do you know Oregon laws? What happened? Does someone with a concealed handgun license know how to handle an active shooter?”

Lane County requires those applying for a concealed carry permit to complete a handgun competency test. However, once the test is completed, permit holders don’t have to retake the test, even for their permit renewal every five years. 

“If firearms make people safer, the United States would be the safest country in the world.” Okamoto said. “Right now, we know that firearms are the leading cause of death for kids and teens in the United States.”

LeBlanc agrees that the handgun competency test is an entry point into responsible firearm use and hopes that many continue to follow up with more professional training as time goes on.

However, LeBlanc also says that any institutional policy requiring more frequent training would be an expensive process that may marginalize those who need the weapons for self-defense most.  

“We don’t even have the staffing at current levels to … have our (concealed handgun license) program running smoothly,” LeBlanc said. “So if we add extra tests, that puts more stress on the system, but also impacts those that need the guns for self defense.”

And LeBlanc says that’s his company’s mission, to teach responsible gun ownership practices to those who need to defend themselves most. 

“We’re not looking for a fight. We’re not looking to hurt somebody. We’re just going about our daily routine.” LeBlanc said. “You want to just be left alone, but ultimately, we have the firearm just in case as a last resort type of situation.”