Convicted felons generally cannot own guns in Oregon. Both Oregon law and federal law prohibit firearm possession after a felony conviction, and violating either can mean a new felony charge on top of whatever you already served. But the ban is not always permanent. Oregon’s statute contains a built-in exception that automatically restores state gun rights 15 years after a single non-violent felony, and several other paths exist to restore rights through the courts.
The Default Rule: No Guns After a Felony
Under ORS 166.270, anyone convicted of a felony under Oregon law, another state’s law, or federal law commits the crime of “felon in possession of a firearm” by owning or possessing any firearm.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 166.270 – Possession of Weapons by Certain Felons The language is broad. It covers firearms you own, carry, or simply have access to and control over. It draws no line between handguns and long guns, and it includes no exception for antique or black powder firearms.
A conviction for felon in possession is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 161.605 – Maximum Terms of Imprisonment for Felonies3Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 161.625 – Fines for Felonies
Federal law imposes a separate, overlapping ban. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison cannot possess any firearm or ammunition.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons That covers virtually every felony. Federal penalties reach up to 15 years in prison, with enhanced mandatory minimums for prior violent or drug trafficking convictions. Federal prosecutors sometimes bring charges even when the state declines.
Both bans have to be satisfied before you can legally possess a firearm. Clearing one and not the other still leaves you exposed.
The 15-Year Automatic Exception
This is the provision most people miss, and for many Oregonians it’s the whole answer. Oregon’s firearm ban does not apply to someone who meets all three of these conditions: only one felony conviction (state or federal), that felony did not involve criminal homicide or the use of a firearm or spring-blade knife, and 15 years have passed free from prison, parole, and probation.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 166.270 – Possession of Weapons by Certain Felons
If you qualify, state gun rights come back automatically. No petition, no paperwork.
The catch is that this exception only lifts Oregon’s ban. Federal law has no equivalent 15-year rule, so federal rights need to be resolved separately before you buy or possess a firearm. Someone whose Oregon conviction has been expunged or whose civil rights have been fully restored under state law will often meet the federal standard as well, but that depends on how the restoration is worded and what the underlying conviction was.
Living With Someone Who Owns Guns
You do not have to be holding a gun to be “in possession” of it. Oregon covers firearms under your control, and a prosecutor can argue that a gun stored in a shared closet or an unlocked cabinet is under your control even if it belongs to your spouse or roommate.
If you’re a convicted felon living with a gun owner, the firearms need to be stored where you genuinely cannot access them. In practice that usually means a locked safe or container to which you do not have the key or combination. Being technically right does not spare you the cost of defending yourself against a charge, so this is worth working out with an attorney before a problem comes up rather than after.
Restoring Oregon Gun Rights
Outside the 15-year exception, Oregon offers three paths to restore state firearm rights. None is automatic, and eligibility depends on the type of conviction, when it happened, and whether the specific offense qualifies for relief.
Setting Aside the Conviction (Expungement)
Setting aside a conviction removes it from your record for most purposes, which restores state firearm rights. You file a motion in the court where you were convicted, but you have to wait a specified period after completing your sentence:5Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 137.225 – Order Setting Aside Conviction, Contempt Finding or Record of Criminal Charge
- Class B felony: seven years from conviction or release from prison, whichever is later
- Class C felony: five years from conviction or release from prison, whichever is later
- Class A misdemeanor: three years from conviction or release from prison, whichever is later
Not every conviction qualifies. Sex crimes are generally ineligible, as are certain offenses involving elder abuse and criminally negligent homicide charged as a felony.5Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 137.225 – Order Setting Aside Conviction, Contempt Finding or Record of Criminal Charge Class A felonies are not listed among convictions eligible for set-aside under this statute.
Reducing a Felony to a Misdemeanor
For certain felonies, a court may reduce the conviction to a Class A misdemeanor if the judge finds a felony record would be “unduly harsh.” This option is available for all Class C felonies at sentencing, and for some Class B and Class C felonies after successful completion of probation.6Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 161.705 – Reduction of Certain Felonies to Misdemeanors Once a felony is reduced to a misdemeanor, it no longer triggers the felon-in-possession ban under ORS 166.270.
Petitioning the Court for Relief From the Ban
When expungement or reduction isn’t available, you can petition the circuit court in your county of residence for direct relief from the firearm prohibition. The court must grant relief if you prove by clear and convincing evidence that you don’t pose a threat to public safety or yourself.7Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 166.274 – Relief From Prohibition Against Possessing or Receiving Firearm The filing fee is $281, and the court must hear the petition within 15 judicial days of filing, or as soon as practicable but no more than 30 days later.8Oregon Judicial Department. Circuit Court Fee Schedule You must serve a copy on the local police chief or county sheriff when you file, and if denied you can reapply once per calendar year.
Some convictions are permanently excluded from this relief. A court cannot grant a petition from someone with a “person felony” involving a firearm or deadly weapon, someone with a conviction listed in ORS 137.700 (Oregon’s mandatory minimum offenses, including murder, sex offenses against children, and first-degree robbery), or someone currently serving a felony sentence or released within the past year.7Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 166.274 – Relief From Prohibition Against Possessing or Receiving Firearm For those convictions, expungement or a governor’s pardon are the remaining state-level options.
Restoring Federal Gun Rights
Federal rights are harder to restore, and Oregon relief does not automatically clear the federal ban. Federal law does recognize state-level relief: a conviction that has been expunged, set aside, pardoned, or that has resulted in restoration of civil rights is generally not considered a conviction for federal firearm purposes. But the expungement or restoration must not explicitly say the person still cannot possess firearms.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 – Definitions Oregon’s set-aside process typically restores civil rights without a firearms carve-out, so a successful Oregon expungement often satisfies the federal standard. Whether yours specifically qualifies is worth confirming with an attorney before you buy a gun.
Federal law also has a direct relief mechanism under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c), which allows a prohibited person to apply to the Attorney General for relief.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 925 – Exceptions, Relief From Disabilities On paper, the Attorney General can grant relief if the applicant shows they won’t be a danger. In practice, Congress has blocked funding for ATF to process these applications since 1992. The Department of Justice has published a proposed rule to reopen the process, but as of early 2026 no final rule has taken effect.11Office of the Pardon Attorney. Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Under 18 U.S. Code 925(c)
For federal felony convictions, a presidential pardon remains the most reliable path.
Before You Buy a Firearm
Even after you’ve cleared the legal hurdles, buying a gun involves a background check that can flag old records. Before you go to a dealer, make sure the set-aside, reduction, or court order has been entered into the Oregon State Police criminal history database. Under ORS 166.274 the judge is required to send the relief order and your fingerprint card to the State Police, but clerical delays happen. If the database hasn’t been updated, you could pass every legal test and still get denied at the point of sale, or worse, get flagged for a possession charge you then have to fight.
Costs vary. The ORS 166.274 filing fee is $281. Attorney fees for expungement or rights restoration petitions range widely with the complexity of your case, but budgeting several hundred to a few thousand dollars for legal help is realistic. Given that a mistake here means a new felony charge, this is not a good area to handle alone.