10/17/2026
A few days have passed and the pain has not gone away. For many, what happened in Bend at Silver Rail Elementary, the pain will last a lifetime. We pray for all of the families, staff, and first responders. I cannot even begin to imagine what they have been through the past few days.
As more information comes out, we learn more and more about how protocols, policies, protective measures all failed. While some may have worked, none worked as well as an armed response from a hero, a parent who risked his life and most importantly his freedom, to do what was right. He answered the call and did what needed to be done. Life-altering for him, I’m sure, but righteous nonetheless.
As more time passes, the typical response from those who are partially responsible for this situation through policy changes starts with the same tired rhetoric. Which has created this problem. In 2021, the Bend-Lapine school district banned guns on school property, even with a valid CHL (Concealed Handgun License).
Then in 2025, the Oregon Legislature double downed on this policy by creating a new law that would take away Oregon’s preemption law, and increase penalties for a law-abiding citizen who carries a concealed handgun on to school grounds. It is now a felony. My point is that all of these policy or laws that have been put in place by the majority ruling party has put a target on the most sensitive places in our state, the public schools.
The shooter violated secure storage laws. The mother of the shooter broke the law by giving a sh***un to her son, that was used to commit murder. She should be held accountable and prosecuted immediately. There has to be legal consequences for negligence. Next, the shooter brought a gun on to school grounds, a felony and committed a slough of other offenses. Not one single law passed in the name of “public safety” did a single thing to keep those kids safe.
The school district spent millions in security upgrades, just to have those measures defeated by a 16 year old kid. Who hopped the fence with a pump-action sh***un, and went on to slaughter innocent people. The level of rage that I feel while writing this post because of their failures is incomprehensible
What worked? An armed citizen, risking life and limb to protect complete strangers. This is not a partisan issue, this is simply a good vs evil issue. Guns inside the schools, especially in the hands of trained, competent hands is a good thing. This needs to be understood by those who are in denial. It is a deterrent and if done correctly the kids will never know.
So it’s time for a policy change. As Oregonians we are done with being dictated to on how our kids will be protected by those who live in fantasy land. Your utopia does NOT exist. Evil is here, it walks among us. It kills who we love most. We do NOT need to live like this, we just need to live in reality. Guns are here, they aren’t going anywhere. So let’s pivot and use the guns the way that they were designed, to protect.
People who call for more control are the problem. Do NOT take the bait. They are the reason this happened. It’s time the adults enter the chat. I wrote a bill yesterday that would fix all of this. Now to make it become a reality, because I would do anything to save them.
In memory of all who were lost. We will never forget and we will work to help prevent it in the future. ❤️🇺🇸
