A deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, left three students and a teacher dead before an armed bystander shot and killed the teenage gunman. Sarah Alegre provides updates from the scene. Democrats renewed calls for tougher gun laws after three children and a teacher were killed in an Oregon school shooting, but gun-rights advocates say the circumstances of the attack bolster their case against new restrictions. The teenage shooter reportedly opened fire with a shotgun purchased by his mother before an armed father-of-two-students, Kaylub Giamanco, pursued him into Silver Rail Elementary School and fatally shot him. Second Amendment advocates argue additional gun restrictions would not have stopped the killer and could make it harder for armed civilians like Giamanco to intervene. [snip] Gun-rights researcher John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), separately argued that restrictions on carrying guns can leave potential victims defenseless. “These gun-free zones actually serve as a magnet for these attacks rather than stopping them from occurring,” Lott told Fox News Digital. [snip] “Oregon already has nearly every gun-control measure on the anti-gun wish list — including an A- rating from groups that push them — yet that did not prevent this attack,” the NRA said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The armed bystander who pursued the shooter inside and ended the threat is the clearest reminder that, when seconds count, a prepared law-abiding citizen can stop a killer.” [snip] Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., whose district includes Bend, also called for action while acknowledging the armed bystander’s intervention. “When are we going to practice that same bravery that that bystander had?” Bynum asked during a vigil, after urging action to keep guns away from people who should not have them. Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., also cited the shooting in calling for additional gun laws and urging the Supreme Court to change course. [snip] The Roberts court has issued consequential gun-rights rulings, including District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down the District of Columbia’s handgun ban in 2008, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen, which struck down New York’s requirement that applicants show a special need to obtain a license to carry a handgun in public. The political fighting is unfolding as investigators examine how the teenage gunman gained access to his mother’s shotgun, a key question in determining whether existing or proposed gun laws could have made a difference. [snip] Lott also pointed to a 2021 change in Oregon law that allowed individual school districts to prohibit concealed carry permit holders from bringing guns onto school property, arguing that such restrictions can leave schools more vulnerable. Before that change, Lott said, Oregon teachers with concealed carry permits generally could carry guns at schools, although some districts imposed employment-related restrictions. He estimated that roughly 25 of the state’s 197 school districts have adopted prohibitions since then. [snip] “Having somebody in uniform is like having a neon sign above them that says, shoot me first,” Lott said. Lott also questioned whether penalties for violating gun-free zone restrictions would deter someone already facing multiple life sentences for murder. [snip] “Law-abiding Americans have the right to defend themselves and their communities rather than rely solely on a sign or sticker. The tragedy in Bend is a clear example of how an armed citizen who is prepared and willing to act can stop an attacker and save lives. Policies that keep responsible people disarmed near schools leave those locations more vulnerable, not safer,” an NRA spokesperson said. Lott maintained that gun-free zone restrictions can therefore disadvantage lawful gun owners without meaningfully deterring someone planning a mass shooting. Fox News Digital’s James Cirroneand the Associated Press contributed to this report. (*) Full article: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-latest-gun-control-push-runs-inconvenient-fact-about-how-school-killer-stopped Post navigation Harvard Trains Rising CCP Elites Through Partnership With Top Chinese Department, Congressional Investigation Finds We Can’t Stop Laughing at Ilhan Omar as Her LIES Finally Backfire!
