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Gun sales break
records in Oregon
“Brecken Boice was a bright and
pure soul who brought so much joy
to this world. He was so kind and
beautiful and easy to love.”
BY SUZANNE ROIG • The Bulletin
W
hile Guntraders in Redmond sells mostly collectible guns, owner Jerry Koch said that isn’t stopping
customers from flocking to his shop in search of a firearm. They’re coming out of fear, Koch said.
Submitted photo
Customers are fearful of the protests they’ve seen on television, in Portland and across the country.
Brecken Boice dreamed of becoming an
engineer. He also loved to skateboard and
had been skiing since he was 4.
Family
mourns
son lost in
Mt. Bachelor
accident
Brecken Boice, 9,
remembered as ‘kind and
beautiful,’ ‘easy to love’
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
See Concealed / A4
See Brecken / A4
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
Scott Wyke, owner of Hammer Down Firearms in Bend, straightens a case of guns Friday while working at his store.
“I pray for America,” Koch said. “At the
start of the pandemic, they came in and
we were busy. They were scared then, too.
But once the riots started, they started
climbing again.”
The pandemic and protests have
made 2020 a banner year for gun sales
in Oregon, according to the National In-
stant Criminal Background Check Sys-
tem, which tracks criminal background
checks of gun applicants.
Gun sales are not tracked, but the back-
ground checks required for most gun sales
“Guns themselves are
generally not my worry.
The combination of drugs
being plentiful and guns being
plentiful, that’s a worry. We’ve
had five murders so far and at
least two involve a firearm.”
— Steven Leriche, the Jefferson County
district attorney. He said there is a
correlation between drug and alcohol use
and gun ownership and serious crimes.
are. Still, not every background check re-
sults in a gun sale, and some sales are made
without going through background checks.
For example, guns sold between family
members do not require a background
check, according to federal guidelines.
In 2020, Oregon sold more than
516,000 guns and performed background
checks for those sales. In the United
States, 3.9 million gun background
checks were done in 2020, compared to
3.3 million in 2015.
See Guns / A4
Interest in concealed carry expands
Increases reported in
Crook, Deschutes and
Jefferson counties
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
Interest in carrying concealed
firearms has increased in Cen-
tral Oregon throughout a year-
long run on firearms.
The sheriff’s offices of Crook,
Deschutes and Jefferson coun-
ties report increases in issuance
of concealed handgun licenses.
In Deschutes County (popu-
lation 197,629), there were 1,318
more registered concealed hand-
gun permit holders at the end
of 2020 than at the start, a jump
from 15,127 to 16,445, or an
8.7% increase.
Jefferson County (population
23,607) added 282 new con-
cealed handgun license hold-
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Page B6
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file photo
A casing discharges from a handgun during the live-fire portion of a con-
cealed weapons class at the Redmond Rod and Gun Club.
concealed handgun licenses in
2019-20 over the previous two-
year period, or an increase of
656.
Additionally, the three coun-
ers in 2020, bringing its total to
around 2,400, or approximately
a 14% increase.
Crook County (population
24,404) saw a 20% increase in
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The Bulletin
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An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
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Vol. 119, No. 45, 26 pages, 4 sections
SUN/THU
ties reported slowdowns pro-
cessing the permits due to re-
duced or altered operations to
provide social distancing. Jef-
ferson County is still contend-
ing with a seven-week backlog
processing concealed handgun
licenses and sex offender regis-
trations following the mid-No-
vember pandemic lockdown.
“We’re behind on our finger-
printing, but we’re catching back
up,” said Jefferson County Sher-
iff Jim Adkins.
Purchasing a firearm in Or-
egon requires a background
check, though firearms safety
training is not required. But to
carry a firearm beneath a shirt
or otherwise “concealed,” a con-
cealed handgun license is re-
quired. In Oregon, that requires
completion of an NRA-ap-
proved concealed weapons
safety course.
The father of the boy who died after a
skiing accident last month at Mt. Bach-
elor said conditions on the mountain
were the iciest he had ever experienced.
“It’s not something I’ve seen at all in
my 25 years as a skier,” said Brian Boice,
of Tacoma, Washington, the father of
Brecken Boice, 9.
Brecken was injured around
2:20 p.m. Jan. 16 while on an intermedi-
ate run near the summit. Brecken, who
was wearing a helmet, was airlifted to
St. Charles Bend, where surgery was at-
tempted. He died several days later.
The Boices had traveled to Bend with
another Tacoma-area family. The par-
ents are experienced skiers and had
skied at Mt. Bachelor before, but it was
new for their two sons.
It’s difficult for Brian Boice to talk
about what happened on the mountain,
about the moment his son started slid-
ing away from the group.
“He got away from us,” he said.
“That’s really all I can say.”
Much of the local online chatter af-
terward centered on the conditions on
the mountain that day, often describing
the slopes as icy. The ski resort has been
tight-lipped with the media, working
through a spokesperson, who released a
written statement:
“When considering opening terrain at
Mt. Bachelor, safety is our number one
priority. Several variables are considered
in terrain management decisions. These
include analysis of snow levels on differ-
ent aspects of the 360-degree mountain,
visibility, and the inherent conditions of
the terrain. Only after these factors have
been carefully assessed will terrain man-
agement decisions be made by the Mt.
Bachelor team. Warnings and guest re-
minders are provided on the Mt. Bach-
elor conditions page and at the bottom
and top of chairlifts and at the top of
runs, where applicable,” the statement
reads.
Brian Boice said his son, who loved ro-
botics, dreamed of becoming an engineer.
He also loved to skateboard and had been
skiing since he was 4. Brecken had two
best friends and together they called them-
selves the “three amigos,” his father said.
Brecken looked forward to Taco Tues-
day at school and followed the off-kilter
web series Annoying Orange and the
digital character Crazy Frog.
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