Where Are Bend's 'Gun Free Zones' and How Do They Work? - The Source

Schools and some local governments in Bend have banned the concealed carry of handguns in recent years. That’s been the subject of discussion and criticism in the wake of the deadly Oct. 15 shooting tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary, when a 16-year-old gunman killed three students and a teacher before being wrestled by another staffer and fatally shot by a parent who followed him into the school. Local officials told the Source state law protects the parent from being charged with any crimes for his actions.

Still, some lawmakers and gun advocates across the state have been quick to decry Bend-La Pine Schools’ “gun-free zones,” arguing they only make school property less safe in the event of an armed attack.

But gun safety advocates and local governments have stood by the concealed carry restrictions as a tool for preventing gun violence. And after the shooting, some local leaders say they’ll consider expanding gun-free zones to more places.

Those possible changes could come as more Deschutes County residents opt to carry handguns. In the span of less than a week after Silver Rail, more than 200 Deschutes County residents applied for new Concealed Handgun Licenses, about double the number who applied for a license over a three-month period earlier this year.

The permit allows individuals to carry a hidden firearm on their body while in public.

Carrying firearms on school grounds has long been outlawed by federal law, with the exception of concealed carry. But in 2021, the Oregon State Legislative Assembly passed SB554, which created consequences for gun owners who don’t properly lock up their firearms and allowed school districts and universities to remove concealed carry exemptions from weapons bans on school campuses. The Bend-La Pine Schools board of directors adopted such a policy that same year.

The ban doesn’t apply to law enforcement, or guns “unloaded and locked” in a car. The policy says the district must clearly post signs that guns aren’t allowed on school grounds.

A sign inside the Bend-La Pine Schools administrative headquarters indicates firearms aren’t allowed, including concealed carry. Credit: Scott Maben

In a Facebook post three days after the shooting at Silver Rail, Oregon state Rep. Anna Scharf (R-Amity), called out Democrats for opposition to a slew of school security bills in 2023, and said the laws to create gun-free zones made the school a “soft target” for the shooter, who hopped a fence and shot through glass panes of an exterior door to gain access. She told the Oregon Capital Chronicle that the district’s no-gun signs did nothing to stop or slow the mass shooter.

Critics have also pointed out that Kaylub Giamanco — the father who followed the shooter into the school with his own pistol — had to violate the gun-free policy to stop further violence.

“They’ve basically prevented any good person from having a gun in those locations, because now they’ve created a criminal penalty for that person being armed,” said Derek LeBlanc, founder of the Oregon Gun Owners Action League, a gun rights advocacy group based in Springfield.

In emergency situations, Oregon law allows citizens to act as they believe necessary to prevent loss of life. That’s the case for Giamanco, who won’t be charged with any crimes, said Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels.

“The evidence is clear that Mr. Giamanco’s actions were intended to, and did, save lives in that school,” Gunnels said in an email.

Bend Police and other officials — including President Trump — praised Giamanco for his actions to stop the Silver Rail attack. Experts said what he did was rare: out of 634 “active attacks” since 2000, about 4.5% ended when an armed civilian shot the attacker, according to research by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.

Comprehensive studies on the relationship between gun-free zones and mass shootings are lacking, according to a January review by the RAND Gun Policy in America Institute. The research institute points out that analyses have come to vastly different conclusions about how often attacks occur in places where guns are banned, although one 2024 study found about half of active shootings occur in gun-free zones. That study, published in a peer-reviewed health journal, concluded it’s “unlikely that gun-free zones attract active shooters.”

Supporters of concealed carry bans argue the point isn’t to get an active shooter to stop in the act, but to reduce the chances that deadly weapons are involved if a conflict escalates.

“When properly enacted and enforced, they give security personnel and law enforcement a clear legal basis to address unauthorized firearms before someone makes a threat or commits violence,” said Ruth Hebert, a founding member of Central Oregon Gun Safety Advocates, in a statement.

“Law enforcement need tools to be able to remove weapons before risky situations escalate. For example, many shootings happen after school hours, such as at football games or events near school campuses,” Hebert said.

Bend-La Pine Schools was one of the first to take up the concealed carry ban, but dozens of other districts have done so since then.

In five years, law enforcement has never taken action on a concealed carry violation on school grounds, according to Scott Maben, a spokesperson for the district. A few years ago, staff spotted someone with a concealed handgun dropping off a student, and the situation was “addressed promptly through a conversation” to clarify the no-guns policy.

Another handgun incident occurred just one week before the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary. On Oct. 8, a staffer at La Pine High School arrived to work with a handgun in their possession and later told the district they forgot to remove it. In a letter to parents, the district said it worked with Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies to safely remove the gun. The staffer was placed on administrative leave and then resigned, the district said, but declined to provide more details about the incident.

In 2025, the Oregon Legislature expanded options for outlawing concealed carry, giving local governments the power to create “gun-free zones” in buildings where public meetings take place. The Portland City Council took up such a ban in the wake of Silver Rail. Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang told the Source he’d be “open to evaluating” such an ordinance for County meeting buildings, and Bend Park & Recreation District Board Chair Cary Schneider said he anticipated a “healthy conversation” on safety measures.

The Bend City Council banned concealed carry from City meeting buildings in February. In an email statement Monday, Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler thanked lawmakers for giving local options to ban concealed carry, noting that City Council meetings can draw crowds that become passionate, upset and divided.

“I firmly believe that allowing more guns everywhere does not enhance our overall public safety, and especially not in places where contentious meetings occur,” Kebler said in an email.

Kebler added that she’s meeting with gun safety groups to discuss possible actions the City could take.

The City hasn’t yet installed signs giving notice of the concealed carry ban, said Jacob Larsen, a spokesperson for the City.