Gun control law broken to save lives at Bend Oregon school shooting
Yesterday, a teenager decided that he would illegally obtain and carry a firearm onto the campus of Silver Rail elementary school with a shotgun and shoot innocent people:
Three children and one teacher are dead after a shooter forced his way into an elementary school in Oregon on Thursday afternoon and opened fire, authorities said.
The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old, was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a news conference Thursday evening.
The incident began unfolding shortly before 1 p.m. PT Thursday.
At 12:59 p.m., police received a call from a driver who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun, the police chief said.
Shortly afterward, the Deschutes County dispatch center began receiving multiple 911 calls that a shooter had entered Silver Rail Elementary School.
Krantz said the initial investigation indicates the shooter "forced" his way inside the school by shooting at locked doors.
At 1:01 p.m., the school was directed to go into lockdown, Krantz said.
A minute later, officers arrived on the scene. An officer reported that the suspected shooter had been shot by a community member who had seen the teen entering the school, pursued him and engaged him, Krantz said.
Bystander 'heroically intervened,' governor says
Police have not yet released any information about the bystander who stopped the suspect, but said they would likely share additional information on Friday.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek thanked teachers, staff and first responders who rushed to the scene and thanked the community member who she said "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life."
A man acted in a split second to end the massacre almost instantly, and in doing so, he broke a new (as of 2021) state law and a policy pushed by gun groups.
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The punishment for bringing a weapon on school grounds in Bend-La Pine Schools has always been determined by its own policy, which could include banning a person from a school. Now, under a revised policy for prohibiting firearms, bringing a gun on a school campus - even with a concealed carry permit -- could result in a year in prison, a $6,250 fine or both, under a new state law.
Senate Bill 554, went into effect in September, gives school districts the authority to adopt stricter gun policies. Part of the new law also includes educating the community about secure gun storage and safety.
Heather McNeil is a member of the Bend Chapter for Moms Demand Action, an organization that fights for public safety measures to protect people from gun violence. She submitted testimony to the school board and pushed for the policy to be adopted.
Bend-La Pine Schools is one of three Oregon school districts that have adopted the policy.
Julianne Repman, a spokesperson for the district told NewsChannel 21 why they voted to implement it.
"We just really believe that this is something that helps to create a better environment for teaching and learning," Repman said. "It takes a little bit of stress off our students and staff and those volunteering in our schools to know that we're taking this extra step to create this learning environment that they can really thrive in and not worry about their safety."
Just a reminder that gun control laws and policies don’t affect those wanting to commit harm, but if the hero would have abided by the district policy and state law, instead of ignoring the stupid “feel good” policy/law, more kids and adults would have been killed. Polices like this aim to deter the good people from protecting, not the bad people from killing. This is a perfect example of just how useless gun control laws are (gun free zones), and it technically made a “criminal” out of a hero who stopped it.
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