On Thursday, a 16-year-old killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. The children were 5, 8 and 11, and the teacher was 25-year-old Megan Lambert. Police identified the gunman as Griffin J. John II. He used a shotgun his mother bought around his birthday in August, law enforcement officials told NBC News and the AP. A teacher threw her phone at him and tackled him. Kaylub Giamanco, a father of two students, grabbed his pistol, followed the teen inside and shot him dead. The school district has banned guns on its property since 2021, even for people with concealed-carry licenses. The police officer assigned to Silver Rail covers several schools and wasn't there that day. Police and the FBI are still investigating how the teen got the gun. Authorities haven't announced charges against the mother or Giamanco.

The Armed Father Shows Gun-Free Zones Don't Work

Gun-rights advocates say an armed citizen stopped the killing in a district that bans guns on campus.

A man with a gun saved lives. President Donald Trump called Giamanco a hero. "Thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it," he said. "Thank God we had him; otherwise it would have been much worse." The NRA said Bend shows why "law-abiding" gun owners matter. Kostas Moros, legal research director at the Second Amendment Foundation, backed the father's choice. "We think, yes, when you can save lives, you should," he said. He added that he doesn't "want to encourage anyone to be reckless."

Gun-free zones draw attackers. John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, said "these gun-free zones actually serve as a magnet for these attacks rather than stopping them from occurring." Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote, "Gun free zones are deadly."

Democrats are using a tragedy for politics. Aidan Johnston, federal affairs director at Gun Owners of America, said "Democrats are shamefully weaponizing this tragedy in Oregon to advance their political agenda on gun control."

A 16-Year-Old Should Never Have Had That Shotgun

Democrats say the hero story skips over how a teen got a gun in the first place.

Congress should pass gun laws now. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said "the best way to honor these victims is to at long last pass commonsense gun laws." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants federal red-flag laws and background checks on every sale.

Lawmakers should show the courage the father did. Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.), whose district includes Bend, asked when lawmakers will act to keep guns away from people who shouldn't have them. "When are we going to practice that same bravery that that bystander had?" she said.

Gun-free schools keep kids safer. Everytown for Gun Safety says "having guns in the classroom increases the likelihood that a student will access a gun." Melissa Barnes Dholakia chaired the school board when it passed the ban. She said it let the district keep its promise of "gun-free schools."

One Rare Rescue Shouldn't Set School Policy

School-safety researchers and police trainers say an armed civilian stopping a school shooter almost never happens.

No civilian had done this before. James Densley is a professor at Metro State University in Minnesota and co-founder of the Violence Prevention Project. His team looked at about 400 K-12 school killings since 2000 and found no case of a civilian shooting an attacker. He says Bend appears to be the first. He says that when someone stops a school shooter before police arrive, it's "almost always by someone with no gun." That person is usually a teacher, custodian, coach or student. In Bend, a teacher fought the gunman too.

Civilians should run away. James Keith is with ALERRT, an active-shooter training center at Texas State University. "What we're teaching people is get away, don't stop," he said.

Police can mistake a hero for a shooter. Jim Fuda of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound said Giamanco likely saved lives. But he warned that officers rushing in could mistake an armed parent for the shooter. "What's his training?" he asked.

Where This Lands

Trump, Lott and the NRA say Bend proves that armed citizens stop killers and gun-free zones don't. Wyden wants new gun laws, and Bynum wants guns kept away from people who shouldn't have them. Everytown defends keeping guns out of schools. Densley says Bend is the first time in about 400 school killings that a civilian shot the attacker, and Keith tells civilians to run instead. Police still haven't said how the teen got the gun.

Sources