Something to Think About
Gun policy
Volunteers resign after board rejects ban on concealed permit guns
By Stephen Floyd Two members of a policy committee for the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) have resigned in protest after the board rejected a proposed ban on concealed carry firearms amid confrontational discussions. Superintendent Policy Workgroup members Dawn Tacker and Melissa Seifer Briggs resigned May 23 following the board’s May 9 regular meeting, during which policy proposal KGBB was voted down 4-3. The policy would have banned all firearms except those carried by law enforcement, eliminating an exception for individuals with concealed carry permits. State law allows concealed carry in public schools, but legislation passed in 2021 gave school boards the option to ban the practice. Supporters of KGBB saw it as an opportunity to improve student safety, however, the proposal generated staunch opposition from a majority of SFSD board members and was criticized as a token effort to send a political message.
The Silver Falls School District Board met May 9, and on a 4-3 vote rejected the ban on concealed carry handguns proposed by the Superintendent Policy Workgroup. COURTESY SILVER FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT
“People who are going to engage in an unlawful use of a firearm aren’t going to give a crap that we passed the policy,” said Board Chair Jonathan Edmonds during the May 9 meeting. “So it’s symbolic more than it’s substantive.”
Ban starts with cold reception The workgroup proposed KGBB in February as part of a policy package addressing a broad array of issues, from
specialized academic programs to workplace harassment to head lice mitigation. The workgroup itself was created in 2020 to help the district manage a backlog of required and recommended policy revisions, with members appointed by and serving at the discretion of Superintendent Scott Drue.
Aaron Koch, who argued the policy did not address any known problems. Tacker would later tell the board the intent of KGBB was to prevent students from having access to firearms on district property, and to discourage well-meaning firearm owners from recklessly intervening during a crisis.
During the policy package’s first reading before the board March 28, KGBB generated opposition from Edmonds and board members Owen Von Flue and
During the policy package’s second reading April 11, Von Flue made a motion to table KGBB, effectively killing the proposal, on the grounds that it was unlikely current
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4 • June 2022
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