In an effort to prosecute illegal firearms purchases, Oregon State Police now have a trooper in Deschutes County focused on investigating suspected violations.

In 2014, the agency redoubled its efforts to investigate firearm transactions through its firearms unit by immediately notifying troopers and other local law enforcement when a person tries to buy a firearm but is denied through a background check . Last year, the Oregon Legislature authorized and funded four full-time state trooper positions that would be dedicated to the firearms purchase denial cases.

One of those troopers, Josh Nagle, is based in Deschutes County, and his sole responsibility is investigating denied applications through the state’s Firearms Instant Check System, which has been a service of the firearms unit of the state police since the late 1990s. The other three troopers are stationed at the Portland, Salem and Roseburg offices.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel couldn’t immediately provide information about how many FICS violations resulted in criminal charges prior to his renewed focus on the issue. But he said Wednesday his office has filed charges in five firearms-related cases in the past seven weeks.

Now that Nagle is dedicated to firearms purchase denials, he is contacted when someone’s application to purchase a firearm is denied through a federal system.

He investigates the incident, and, if merited, forwards the case to the district attorney’s office. Hummel and his office then decide whether the case is a willful violation of firearms purchasing laws.

Potential charges resulting from a so-called FICS violation include unlawful purchase of a firearm, providing false information in connection with transfer of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, which are all misdemeanors, and possession of a firearm by people with certain felony convictions, which is a felony.

According to OSP Lt. Steve Mitchell, the rate of purchase denials and the population in Deschutes County contributed to the decision to locate a trooper here.

“Troopers at all OSP offices statewide continue to respond to these cases as they are reported,” Mitchell wrote in an email Friday.

— Reporter: 541-383-0376,

cwithycombe@bendbulletin.com