Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office rolls out safe firearms storage program

(Update: Correcting; no firearm registration, just a check to see if stolen)

Agency offers to store your registered firearms, free of charge

BEND, Ore (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes County Sheriffs Office launched Wednesday a firearms safe storage program that will allow residents to temporarily, safely store their weapons with the agency, for free.

Sheriff Shane Nelson told NewsChannel 21 Wednesday he is taking an idea from Colorado and implementing a voluntary storage program offered to the public, free of charge.

Right now, the program is available during the week. If you want access to your firearms, all you have to do is get in contact with the sheriff's office to make arrangements. The office is still deciding whether or not access will be provided on weekends.

They will check to make whether the firearms were reported as stolen.

Nelson said the program is for gun owners who don't have a safe place to store their weapons, or maybe don't want them so close by, perhaps due to visits by younger family members.

“Not everyone needs to be around a firearm all of the time, and this is going to provide a temporary storage solution for when people want a break for their firearms," Nelson said.

Nelson said the program is now available. The sheriff's office will also purchase more storage shelves, if they need more space.