Portland: 3 Times As Many Gun Dealers As New York

PORTLAND - If all of New York City were to visit Portland, they would outnumber the locals more than 12 to 1. But if they wanted to buy a gun, they would find nearly three times as many dealers as at home.

The 401 federally licensed gun dealers in Portland last year also far surpassed the numbers in Chicago, Boston and San Francisco, according to a computer-assisted analysis.

And many of them can sell assault rifles right out of their living rooms. That's how James Rincker purchased the AK-47 assault rifle he used in storming the KOIN Center in downtown Portland earlier this year.

Boston and New York together had 208 licensed gun dealers in 1995. Chicago, with almost nine times Portland's population, had 234 gun dealers. San Francisco had only 40.

All four of the larger cities have strict gun-control ordinances that, combined with an increase in the cost of a federal license, quickly are depleting their dealer ranks.

In Oregon, however, a pair of state laws have made it easier for people to obtain concealed-weapons permits and for dealers to obtain licenses.

Oregon gun dealers need only $200 and a few minutes to fill out some forms, then to pass a routine check by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms.

The ATF is required to issue a license to anyone with a legitimate address as long as the applicant does not fall into one of nine groups of people prohibited from owning guns, such as drug addicts and convicted felons.

As a result, Portland has 69 licensed gun dealers for every 100,000 people, compared to two for every 100,000 people in New York.

Atlanta has about 28 gun dealers per 100,000 residents, Los Angeles has about 25, Boston nine, and Chicago and San Francisco each about five. Atlanta and Los Angeles also have ordinances governing gun dealers.

In Oregon, the number of concealed-weapons permits jumped from a few dozen to 92,000 after the state law was passed seven years ago, said Oregon State Police Lt. Bernie Giusto.

"When a citizen can carry a concealed weapon, there is going to be a demand for weapons. If there is a demand then there will be an increase in the number of people who are selling," said Officer James Woods, assistant to Portland Police Chief Charles Moose.

It's even easier for dealers under a law that passed last year that prohibits city or county gun-control ordinances.

Many of the Portland licenses are held by gun shops and sporting-goods stores. Others belong to pawnshops or antique-weapons collectors, and some licenses are needed by gun and ammunition makers.

John Nichols, a lobbyist for Oregon Gun Owners, says most private dealers he knows are collectors with a small clientele who typically are cautious about gun sales.

Nichols has a federal dealer's license, but he specializes in obsolete British service revolvers and "a lot of esoteric stuff."