The Push To Decrease Kids' Access To Guns

On Monday, Oct. 21, a 12-year-old at Pilot Butte Middle School brought a loaded handgun to school. Police later said the child, “brought the gun to school with a plan to use it and had identified a list of targets” and the gun came from home. The child’s parent was cited for failing to secure the firearm – the first such citation issued by the Bend Police Department to a parent for their child getting ahold of their gun.

After the incident, Bend-La Pine Schools sent a district-wide newsletter about its safety measures and, at the top, provided a brief overview on the importance of safe firearm storage – reminding parents that gun cable locks could be obtained for free from Bend PD or the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

But a recently formed gun safety advocacy group, Central Oregon Gun Safety Advocates, would like to see the district offer gun locks directly to families. Brandy Steelhammer, one of the founders of the group, said that though people can get locks from local law enforcement, some gun owners may hesitate to go to the police.

“I feel like the district has been really responsive in this moment after Pilot Butte,” Steelhammer said. “What we know is that the district didn’t create gun violence problems. This is not the district’s issue to solve, and unfortunately, they are the victims. Just like American children are the victims in this epidemic of gun violence.”

As a government entity and leader in the community, Steelhammer said she would like to see BLPS continue to educate families on the issue and have gun locks available at the district office and at select school events.

After the close call at Pilot Butte Middle School, Steelhammer helped send a letter to the district acknowledging its quick action and asking staff and board members to continue talking about the importance of proper gun storage, in addition to making such messaging a district-wide policy. The letter, dated Oct. 30, was signed by over 100 community members, including healthcare professionals and local and state elected officials. In a continued effort, some group members plan to attend the next school board meeting.

“The onus is on gun owners and families that choose to have guns in their homes. If they’re not locking those guns up securely, our children are finding those and not only to potentially hurt someone else, but more likely those kids are hurting themselves,” Steelhammer said.

The data support her claims. Since 2020, gun violence – including suicide and homicide—has been the leading cause of death for young people across the nation. In Deschutes County, the numbers are a bit different. Unintentional injuries or accidents, mostly motor-vehicle-related accidents, is the leading cause of death, according to Bethany Kuschel, Deschutes County Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator. However, among 10-17 year-olds, death by suicide was responsible for 58% of deaths, according to the 2023 Deschutes County Suicide Trend Report, and 65% of those youth used a firearm to kill themselves. The suicide rate is startling, far outpacing the state suicide average for the same age group, 29%, and the national average of 19%. Experts say– like the child who brought a gun to Pilot Butte Middle School – children who use guns, usually get them from home or a close friend’s house.

“The Oregon Healthy School survey has data that says one in five Oregon 11th graders could access a loaded firearm within 24 hours, and we know that, that is from their homes or friends’ homes, because, of course, they can’t be purchasing it,” Kuschel said.

Children’s easy access to guns is a problem that Kuschel said the county is trying to address in partnership with organizations like the Central Oregon Suicide Prevention Alliance and the Central Oregon Secure Firearm Storage project.

At the state level, lawmakers are also looking at how they can tackle the issue and are considering legislation for the next legislative session.

“We’re starting to put together a package of gun safety measures and we’re having conversations about a variety of things from Measure 114 implementation to gun dealer licenses and regulations to what our safe storage laws should look like,” said Bend’s Rep. Jason Kropf (D-OR 54)

“The onus is on gun owners and families that choose to have guns in their homes. If they’re not locking those guns up securely, our children are finding those and not only to potentially hurt someone else, but more likely those kids are hurting themselves,” —Brandy Steelhammer

Ballot Measure 114, passed in 2022, requires photo ID, fingerprints, safety training, a criminal background check and a permit issued for the firearm purchase from local law enforcement. It also bans high-capacity magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. However, the law was put on hold last year when a judge in Harney County ruled it violated the state’s constitutional guarantee of the right to own weapons for personal protection. The case is currently before a three-judge appeals panel in Salem.

Steelhammer said she is looking forward to stricter gun safety measures, and feels a similar pressing desire for change among the community following the incident at Pilot Butte Middle School.

“What we’re seeing is an urgency in our community, of paying attention to gun violence prevention,” she said. “What can we do now on the preventative side? Because we’ve had some close calls.”

A representative for Bend-La Pine Schools said the Pilot Butte Middle School case is still under investigation. The 12-year-old was arrested that day on suspicion of attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, disorderly conduct, and first-degree theft. Bend PD said the charges were passed to the district attorney’s office and the case remains open.

Resources for suicide prevention:

Calling the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Texting a trained crisis helper at the Crisis Text Line. Text SAVE to 741741.
Calling the YouthLine at 1-877-968-8491.
An LGBTQ young people-specific line is available through the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.

—This story is powered by the Lay It Out Foundation, the nonprofit with a mission of promoting deep reporting and investigative journalism in Central Oregon. Learn more and be part of this important work by visiting layitoutfoundation.org.