Kotek talks school safety, gun storage after Bend shooting | Silver Rail | #schoolsaftey #kids #parents #children

BEND, Ore. — Gov. Tina Kotek spoke with Central Oregon Daily News anchor Molly Hendrickson Wenesday, six day after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School that left three children and a teacher dead and another child and teacher injured.Kotek said the state will review safe gun storage and firearm access for people under 18, said an independent review of the shooting is under consideration, and said she is committed to supporting the community’s long-term recovery. The governor did not commit to assigning a school resource officer to every school, but said it is something that will be looked at. Kotek also praised the Bend community for how it has come together to support one another.Here is the full transcript of the interview. You can also watch it in the player above.Molly Hendrickson: “First of all, thank you so much for being here. I’m going to jump right into it. Under certain conditions, it is legal for a 16-year-old to possess a gun in the state of Oregon. Do you agree with that?”Tina Kotek: “I think we have to make sure that we have our adults. This is all about us, you know, adults taking care of our kids and making sure that if a family wants to have a firearm in the household, that it is safe, that anyone who might use it of a certain age understands what the safety issues are. I think right now, we will be looking at everything that is on the books to see what can we do differently to support safety in our communities. I mean, I what I hear from people in Bend today is that they’re so focused on just taking care of each other, but we’re all going to want solutions. And I think we’ve got to look at how we do safe storage and what it means for people under 18 to have access to firearms.”MH: “There’s also a lot of talk about school resource officers. There was one in this school, but that person was among many different schools. Do you think that every school should have a school resource officer? And how would you fund that?TK: “Well, I think the funding is always a question. But more importantly, if you look at how this community reacted, I mean, local law enforcement was there within minutes. And I want to praise the bystanders — the person in the car who saw the shooter called 911. The person who stopped and went in the school. Like, the way people reacted so courageously and in the moment, really made a situation, as you know, it could have been so much worse. In terms of school resource officers, you know, Bend-La Pine has been committed to safety They’ve been committed to safe, safely secured schools. Certainly, we have to look at everything. But seeing the response of the community on that day, in that moment, I’m not sure what more we could have done.”MH: “So you’re not sure a school resource officer on site would have helped that day?”TK: “I don’t think we know. And this is gonna, I think, be part of the analysis of the timing. Would it have made a difference? You also had someone who was familiar with the school. But again, you know, the way the teachers fought back in the classroom, like, everyone tried to keep the kids safe and and yet we have … we’ve had this tragedy. And I was out at Silver Rail this morning. The first lady and I went to pay our respects at the school and there’s no good answer for any of this. And, I’m just so very sad about the pain the community is experiencing.”MH: “We are all so heartbroken here. There were several bills introduced in the 2025 session regarding school safety, everything from requiring law enforcement at every school to studying the safety of entrances and exits. That’s obviously a hot topic right now with the way the shooter got in. Do you … none of these bills made it out of committee. Do you feel like the state failed to make it take meaningful action to have prevented a tragedy like this?”TK: “Well, what I do know, when we had the shooting at Umpqua Community College almost ten years ago, there was a study of what can we do to help our places of education, both higher ed and secondary education, be safer. So there was a lot of upgrades and resources put in at that time for our schools, our community colleges. We have hotlines that people can call if you feel concerned about a student in the school. So I think we want to review what’s in place, look at what best practice could be, and maybe we can do more. But, I feel like the state has done a lot and we still had an incident and we have to do better.”MH: “The state offered schools grants for silent panic alarms. That funding has since run out. Are you looking to fund that or other safety upgrades?”TK: “Well, we definitely have to look at everything. I think what we’re hearing from parents right now is they worry about, ‘Could we have done something different to protect folks in the schools?’ Got to look at that. But it is also about how do we help troubled young people have the services they need. The shooter was a 16-year-old and, for those young people who need more help and more support, we also have to focus on that. And then at the end of the day, making sure that if there are firearms in the home or in the community, that people know what they’re doing, that they’re being safe about them, that they’re storing them safely. And I think that’s something we have to look at.”MH: “A lot of trauma from this incident. Will you commit to state funding for counseling and trauma for the families and victims of this tragedy, not just during the crisis, but in the years to come?”TK: “Well, I’m definitely committed of staying with this community and I think that’s why I’m here a week since the shooting, because the first week is that initial response. Then what happens the next month and three months from now, even two years from now? What I’ve heard from other governors who have had these types of incidents, it is a long term recovery. And so making sure even though Bend has done an amazing job in the first response, they have to be able to sustain that. So what can the state do? I also heard from my federal partners today, our senator and congresswoman, they’re going to look for resources. So I believe everyone’s going to wrap their arms around Bend, make sure have bend has what it needs for as long as they need it.”MH: “This tragedy will drive some parents to pull their students out of school and homeschool them. Obviously that will impact school budgets. So what is your view on giving parents a choice for educating their kids and keeping public education fully funded?”TK: “Well, I know parents will make choices based on, you know, their situation. But I also know that I’m not sure the evidence shows that that’s what happens after school shootings. What I have seen is people love their schools here in Bend. They want to support Bend-La Pine, and I think they will continue to have very strong schools here. Let’s make sure they’re as safe as possible for those students.”MH: “Will you push for any kind of independent review of the shooting and and make those results public?”TK: “Well, that’s under consideration right now. This is the next stage of what’s needed to make sure we understand what happened, what can happen next, how do we support the community as resources continue to come into the community over the long term? How do we manage that? So that is something we are under consideration right now.”MH: “And what would be your message to our community right now?”TK: “I’m really proud to be your governor. The community connection that I’ve seen here and when I was here, the night of the shooting, people are really coming together. I’ve met with some private businesses. I don’t even want to name the businesses. I’ve heard so many stories of businesses saying big and small things they can do for the community. All of levels of government the school district, the education service district, the volunteers. People are just showing up for their community in ways that makes me proud. And I just want everyone in Bend to know that everyone across the state is here to support you, and we will make sure you have what you need.MH: “Governor Kotek, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us:TK: “Thank You.”

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