An Arizona woman who directs Gun Owners of America’s Oregon operations has sued the City of Salem and Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter, arguing that Oregon’s patchwork of gun laws leaves out-of-state visitors with no legal way to carry a loaded handgun for self-defense. Cynthia Ladd says she wants to carry a concealed handgun while in Oregon but cannot get a state permit and cannot use her Arizona license here either, since Oregon does not recognize carry permits issued by other states.
The lawsuit, Ladd v. Hunter, was filed last Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and assigned case number 6:2026cv01883, according to court records reviewed by Justia. The case has been assigned to Magistrate Judge Amy E. Potter and names both Sheriff Hunter, in his official capacity, and the City of Salem as defendants, according to OregonLive.com, whose reporting on the filing was written by Maxine Bernstein for the outlet’s public safety desk.
Salem bans the unlicensed possession of loaded guns within city limits, and Ladd’s complaint alleges that her nonresident status should not strip her of the right to bear arms in public for self-defense, per the OregonLive.com report. A spokesperson for Salem, Robert B. Layne II, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation, the outlet noted.
Why Ladd Can’t Simply Apply for a Permit
Under Oregon law, a concealed handgun license applicant generally must be either an Oregon resident or a nonresident living in one of the state’s bordering states — Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California, according to the OregonLive.com report. Because Arizona does not touch Oregon’s border, Ladd cannot apply at all. Even nonresidents from those four bordering states must go through a county sheriff near their home state, and Oregon county sheriffs retain discretion over whether to process those applications in the first place…