Oregon CHL Demand Explodes

Two hundred four Oregon residents began the concealed handgun license process in five days after an armed citizen shot and stopped a school shooter in Bend.

By the numbers:

• Deschutes County issued 975 new CHLs in the first nine months of 2026 — about 27 a week.
• In the five days after the October 15 shooting, 204 people started applications. That's roughly double an entire quarter's worth of normal demand.
• A 45-seat firearms training class scheduled for November 14 filled in 20 minutes once local news covered the surge.

What happened: On October 15, a 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. He'd already fired on a motorist outside the school and was barred by law from even possessing the gun he carried. None of that stopped him. Kaylub Giamanco, a father with two kids at the school, saw the shooter go in, followed him, and ended the attack himself. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz put it plainly: "The suspect was shot by a community member who saw the suspect enter the school and pursued him and engaged him."

The licensing process: Oregon requires approved safety training, a background check, a formal application, and an in-person appointment before a CHL is issued. The sheriff's office's own class runs $150 for training and fees. The 204 figure counts people starting that process — not finished license holders — but it's still a number Deschutes County hasn't seen outside a major incident.

Sheriff Ty Rupert said the pattern tracks with what his office has seen before. "Often after major incidents that impact our community, we see more interest in concealed handgun licenses," he said. "We understand why many residents are thinking more about personal and family safety right now."

Yes, but: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) responded to the shooting by calling for more gun restrictions — in a district where 25 of Oregon's 197 school systems already bar staff from carrying, including the one where the attack happened. The restrictions didn't stop a prohibited 16-year-old from bringing a gun onto campus. An armed citizen did.

Alan Gottlieb of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms framed it this way: "When the need arose, an armed citizen was fortunately there to immediately respond. We can all be proud that such people are our neighbors and friends."

The bottom line: A family in Bend lost four people to a crime that broke existing laws at every step. The thing that ended it wasn't a new statute — it was a licensed, armed father who didn't wait for police. Deschutes County residents noticed, and they're lining up to make sure they can do the same if it ever lands on them.