diff --git a/src/EventRegistry.cc b/src/EventRegistry.cc
index 48a1761030..e5f739248f 100644
--- a/src/EventRegistry.cc
+++ b/src/EventRegistry.cc
@@ -4,85 +4,67 @@
 
 void EventRegistry::Register(EventHandlerPtr handler)
 	{
-	HashKey key(handler->Name());
-	handlers.Insert(&key, handler.Ptr());
+	handlers[string(handler->Name())] = handler.Ptr();
 	}
 
-EventHandler* EventRegistry::Lookup(const char* name)
+EventHandler* EventRegistry::Lookup(const string& name)
 	{
-	HashKey key(name);
-	return handlers.Lookup(&key);
+	auto it = handlers.find(name);
+	if ( it != handlers.end() )
+		return it->second;
+
+	return nullptr;
 	}
 
-EventRegistry::string_list* EventRegistry::Match(RE_Matcher* pattern)
+EventRegistry::string_list EventRegistry::Match(RE_Matcher* pattern)
 	{
-	string_list* names = new string_list;
+	string_list names;
 
-	IterCookie* c = handlers.InitForIteration();
-
-	HashKey* k;
-	EventHandler* v;
-	while ( (v = handlers.NextEntry(k, c)) )
+	for ( const auto& entry : handlers )
 		{
+		EventHandler* v = entry.second;
 		if ( v->LocalHandler() && pattern->MatchExactly(v->Name()) )
-			names->push_back(v->Name());
-
-		delete k;
+			names.push_back(entry.first);
 		}
 
 	return names;
 	}
 
-EventRegistry::string_list* EventRegistry::UnusedHandlers()
+EventRegistry::string_list EventRegistry::UnusedHandlers()
 	{
-	string_list* names = new string_list;
+	string_list names;
 
-	IterCookie* c = handlers.InitForIteration();
-
-	HashKey* k;
-	EventHandler* v;
-	while ( (v = handlers.NextEntry(k, c)) )
+	for ( const auto& entry : handlers )
 		{
+		EventHandler* v = entry.second;
 		if ( v->LocalHandler() && ! v->Used() )
-			names->push_back(v->Name());
-
-		delete k;
+			names.push_back(entry.first);
 		}
 
 	return names;
 	}
 
-EventRegistry::string_list* EventRegistry::UsedHandlers()
+EventRegistry::string_list EventRegistry::UsedHandlers()
 	{
-	string_list* names = new string_list;
+	string_list names;
 
-	IterCookie* c = handlers.InitForIteration();
-
-	HashKey* k;
-	EventHandler* v;
-	while ( (v = handlers.NextEntry(k, c)) )
+	for ( const auto& entry : handlers )
 		{
+		EventHandler* v = entry.second;
 		if ( v->LocalHandler() && v->Used() )
-			names->push_back(v->Name());
-
-		delete k;
+			names.push_back(entry.first);
 		}
 
 	return names;
 	}
 
-EventRegistry::string_list* EventRegistry::AllHandlers()
+EventRegistry::string_list EventRegistry::AllHandlers()
 	{
-	string_list* names = new string_list(handlers.Length());
+	string_list names;
 
-	IterCookie* c = handlers.InitForIteration();
-
-	HashKey* k;
-	EventHandler* v;
-	while ( (v = handlers.NextEntry(k, c)) )
+	for ( const auto& entry : handlers )
 		{
-		names->push_back(v->Name());
-		delete k;
+		names.push_back(entry.first);
 		}
 
 	return names;
@@ -90,13 +72,9 @@ EventRegistry::string_list* EventRegistry::AllHandlers()
 
 void EventRegistry::PrintDebug()
 	{
-	IterCookie* c = handlers.InitForIteration();
-
-	HashKey* k;
-	EventHandler* v;
-	while ( (v = handlers.NextEntry(k, c)) )
+	for ( const auto& entry : handlers )
 		{
-		delete k;
+		EventHandler* v = entry.second;
 		fprintf(stderr, "Registered event %s (%s handler / %s)\n", v->Name(),
 				v->LocalHandler()? "local" : "no",
 				*v ? "active" : "not active"
@@ -104,7 +82,7 @@ void EventRegistry::PrintDebug()
 		}
 	}
 
-void EventRegistry::SetErrorHandler(const char* name)
+void EventRegistry::SetErrorHandler(const string& name)
 	{
 	EventHandler* eh = Lookup(name);
 
@@ -115,6 +93,6 @@ void EventRegistry::SetErrorHandler(const char* name)
 		}
 
 	reporter->InternalWarning(
-	            "unknown event handler '%s' in SetErrorHandler()", name);
+		        "unknown event handler '%s' in SetErrorHandler()", name.c_str());
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/EventRegistry.h b/src/EventRegistry.h
index 2a570dd8bc..fb4c1d8ca8 100644
--- a/src/EventRegistry.h
+++ b/src/EventRegistry.h
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 #ifndef EVENT_REGISTRY
 #define EVENT_REGISTRY
 
+#include <map>
+#include <string>
+
 #include "Func.h"
 #include "List.h"
 #include "Dict.h"
@@ -17,28 +20,26 @@ public:
 	void Register(EventHandlerPtr handler);
 
 	// Return nil if unknown.
-	EventHandler* Lookup(const char* name);
+	EventHandler* Lookup(const string& name);
 
 	// Returns a list of all local handlers that match the given pattern.
 	// Passes ownership of list.
-	typedef const char constchar;	// PList doesn't like "const char"
-	typedef PList<constchar> string_list;
-	string_list* Match(RE_Matcher* pattern);
+	typedef vector<string> string_list;
+	string_list Match(RE_Matcher* pattern);
 
 	// Marks a handler as handling errors. Error handler will not be called
 	// recursively to avoid infinite loops in case they trigger an error
 	// themselves.
-	void SetErrorHandler(const char* name);
+	void SetErrorHandler(const string& name);
 
-	string_list* UnusedHandlers();
-	string_list* UsedHandlers();
-	string_list* AllHandlers();
+	string_list UnusedHandlers();
+	string_list UsedHandlers();
+	string_list AllHandlers();
 
 	void PrintDebug();
 
 private:
-	typedef PDict<EventHandler> handler_map;
-	handler_map handlers;
+	std::map<std::string, EventHandler*> handlers;
 };
 
 extern EventRegistry* event_registry;
diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index d4d612779c..530da45b97 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -982,17 +982,15 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
 	if ( zeek_init )	//### this should be a function
 		mgr.QueueEventFast(zeek_init, val_list{});
 
-	EventRegistry::string_list* dead_handlers =
+	EventRegistry::string_list dead_handlers =
 		event_registry->UnusedHandlers();
 
-	if ( dead_handlers->length() > 0 && check_for_unused_event_handlers )
+	if ( ! dead_handlers.empty() && check_for_unused_event_handlers )
 		{
-		for ( int i = 0; i < dead_handlers->length(); ++i )
-			reporter->Warning("event handler never invoked: %s", (*dead_handlers)[i]);
+		for ( const string& handler : dead_handlers )
+			reporter->Warning("event handler never invoked: %s", handler.c_str());
 		}
 
-	delete dead_handlers;
-
 	if ( stmts )
 		{
 		stmt_flow_type flow;