Bend School Shooting Kills 4 as Oregon Governor's Race Sharpens Gun Fight
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 16
Bend School Shooting Kills 4 as Oregon Governor's Race Sharpens Gun Fight
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 16
Summary
Four people were killed Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, thrusting gun policy to the forefront of Oregon's tightly contested governor's race less than three weeks before votes are counted.
The attack lands in a state where more than half of adults live in a household with a gun, even as Oregon has some of the nation's strictest firearms laws.
A 2022 ballot measure that would ban high-capacity magazines and tighten background checks and permitting remains on hold, with the Oregon Supreme Court expected to rule on its constitutionality at any time.
Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat seeking a second term, and Republican state Senator Christine Drazan both responded with calls to protect children, signaling gun violence will intensify as a closing issue in the razor-thin race.