Oregon School Shooting Renews Democratic Calls for Gun Control
Lawmakers cite the use of a shotgun purchased by the shooter's mother in the incident that killed four people.
Following a deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, several Democratic lawmakers have renewed their calls for stricter gun control measures. A 16-year-old gunman reportedly used a shotgun purchased by his mother in the attack that killed three children and a teacher before being fatally shot by an armed bystander.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon stated, "The best way to honor these victims is to at long last pass common-sense gun laws that reduce the risks of more children, parents, teachers and staff forced to live in fear of similar nightmares for their schools." Suzanne Bonamici, a Democratic Representative from Oregon, echoed this sentiment, saying, "No parent should have to wonder if their child will come home at the end of the day. Children deserve to feel safe — and be safe — in school."
Representative Janelle Bynum, whose district includes Bend, spoke at a vigil for the victims, ages 5, 8, and 11. She questioned, "When are we going to step up and say enough of killing our babies? When are we going to say that we need safe schools, that we need to make sure that people who should not have firearms don’t have them? When are we going to stop making excuses?"
Other Democrats outside of Oregon also urged for action. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico commented that gun reforms passed after the Uvalde school shooting did not go far enough, adding, "Much more must be done. Not a single child should be lost to gun violence. Ever."
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a proponent of federal red-flag laws and universal background checks, noted the frequency of school shootings. "No family should ever have to suffer like this—and there have been over 50 school shootings just this year," she wrote on social media. "Congress must do much more to prevent gun violence."
Authorities are still investigating the full details of the shooting, which began with a report of a gunman firing shots outside the school. Police arrived within minutes, only to find that a bystander had already engaged and killed the teenage suspect. Another child and a teacher were critically injured in the incident. Classes and activities were canceled across the Bend-La Pine school district following the event.