The decision to lift a firearms ban in Oregon’s St. Helens School District near Portland has some moms unhappy.
The newly-elected school board decided to reverse its decision to ban firearms on campus for teachers who have Concealed Handgun Licenses. The ban was implemented by the previous board last March. Sarah Finger McDonald is a spokeswoman for the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action, a gun control advocacy group. She says the District was vague about its intentions to lift the ban.
Finger McDonald: “The School board meeting allowed for comments from the Superintendent, but they didn’t open the discussion up to community members, to parents, or to teachers.”
Finger McDonald says the majority of teachers and staff supported the ban when they were polled last March.
Finger McDonald: “So we feel like the decision was made quickly without a lot of public input. And sets up a situation where you are bringing guns into a school environment, that’s a really distracting environment, and you are potentially setting up dangerous situations.”
About 20% of Oregon School Districts have gun restrictions on campuses. The issue is expected to be brought up again during the next board meeting later this month.
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