Founded in the belief that everyone has the right to be safe from gun violence, we were galvanized by the continued epidemic of gun violence in our communities and came together to make Oregon safer. To that end, State of Safety has accomplished a lot in one year — and we have even bigger plans for the future. 

State of Safety’s accomplishments in the past year include: 

• Created State of Safety as a non-profit corporation with tax exempt IRS status, providing the platform for achieving long-term reductions in gun violence in Oregon

• Launched our sister organization State of Safety Action for our grassroots and legislative advocacy 

• Established “safe gun storage” as our first policy priority

• Conducted statewide polls on Oregonian’s perceptions of gun violence (with a special focus on gun violence in schools), and current practices and attitudes of Oregon gun owners on safe storage

• Held ten screenings around the state of a documentary on the 2012 Clackamas Town Center Shooting followed by town hall format conversations on safe gun storage

• Collaborated with Oregon PTA on safe storage research and sponsored a nationally recognized expert on school safety as the keynote speaker at their annual meeting

• Sponsored a nationally recognized expert on firearm suicide prevention as the keynote address for the Oregon Public Health Association’s annual conference

• Funded a grant to Gun Owners for Responsible Ownership for their gun lock distribution program

• Established State of Safety as a key voice in the Oregon gun safety movement, and formed working relationships with state elected officials and national gun safety partners

What’s next for State of Safety? Build on the work accomplished in our first year.

• Support the efforts of State of Safety Action to pass safe gun storage in 2020 through education of the benefits of safe gun storage in reducing gun violence and the ongoing public health crisis in Oregon of above average firearm suicide rates

• Evaluate programs outside of Oregon that have demonstrated success in reducing gun violence for our next policy focus once a safe storage law is passed

• Continue collaboration with our existing partners in Oregon working to reduce gun violence, and develop new collaborations when possible

• Deepen relationships with state elected officials and national gun safety partners

• Build sustained support with a grassroots membership drive

We know there’s a lot more to do, but together we can build a State of Safety in Oregon!