From Sam Adams:

Dear Portlanders,

The illegal use of firearms in Portland is a long-standing problem. Illegal guns are in the hands of our youth and on our streets. It is a real and daily threat in too many Portland neighborhoods.

Comprehensive and long-lasting solutions to illegal gun use and gang violence must include tangible and positive options for those who want to turn away from a life of crime. Reorganizing government services to offer those options is the work underway on the emerging LPSCC strategy.

For its endorsement, I will be bringing this draft strategy to the Portland City Council next week. Also next week I will be bringing forward a set of five ordinances that law-abiding citizens and responsible gun owners should support.

The proposals are proven approaches already in place in other cities around the nation. These proposed ordinances respect the state and federal laws already in place. And they include safeguards to ensure equal treatment for all Portlanders:
• Tougher curfews for juveniles who have been found by a court of law to have violated gun laws;
• A local ‘child endangerment’ law to control access to firearms by a juvenile;
• A requirement for owners to report the theft or loss of a firearm;
• Increased penalties for the illegal possession of a loaded firearm in a public place; and
• Excluding convicted gun criminals for the length of their probation from designated areas of the City where reported gun crimes are the worst.
To help answer questions you may have, please look over the Frequently Asked Questions document by clicking here.
You are invited to reply with any comments or to attend the Portland City Council hearing when these proposals will be considered on Thursday, November 18th.

Thank you.

Regards,

Sam Adams
Mayor