Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
An armed father who stopped a deadly Oregon school shooting has reignited the national gun control debate. This time, the disagreement played out on Katie Pavlich Tonight.
Gun rights advocate and former Top Shot champion Chris Cheng squared off against former Clinton adviser Richard Goodstein. Both condemned the tragedy, but they offered different explanations for what went wrong and how to prevent another attack.
The debate followed the October 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon.
Police say 16-year-old Griffin J. John II killed three children and a teacher inside a special education classroom. Two others were wounded.
The attack ended after a teacher fought the gunman and armed father Kaylub Giamanco entered the school with a .40-caliber pistol. Giamanco shot and killed the attacker.
Authorities credited both individuals with preventing additional deaths.
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Cheng: An Armed Citizen Prevented More Bloodshed
Cheng argued that the incident demonstrated the importance of armed citizens being able to respond when violence erupts.
He noted that the school was already a gun-free zone, yet those restrictions failed to stop the teenage attacker.
Cheng said additional gun control laws would not necessarily prevent similar attacks. Instead, he pointed to the father’s intervention as evidence that responsible firearm ownership can save lives.
However, Cheng also acknowledged an important unanswered question: How did a 16-year-old obtain the shotgun?
He agreed that safe firearm storage deserves attention and said investigators need to establish how the teenager gained access to the weapon.
Cheng cautioned against drawing conclusions before those facts are known.
Goodstein: More Guns Aren’t the Answer
Goodstein took a different position, arguing that stronger firearm restrictions and secure storage practices deserve greater emphasis.
He pointed to the shooter’s access to a firearm reportedly purchased by his mother.
Goodstein also cited the mass shootings at Fort Hood, Uvalde, and Parkland. He argued that the presence of armed security in those incidents demonstrated the limits of relying on armed defenders.
“More guns is not the answer,” he said.
Goodstein raised concerns about armed bystanders mistakenly shooting innocent people. He maintained that firearm access, rather than the availability of additional armed citizens, should be central to preventing violence.
He also referenced America’s firearm death toll compared with the United Kingdom.
Pavlich pushed back, arguing that gun death statistics include suicides and that firearm restrictions can interfere with lawful self-defense.
Oregon Already Has a Safe-Storage Law
One important detail emerged from the discussion.
Despite suggestions that Oregon lacks mandatory firearm storage requirements, the state already has such a law.
Under ORS 166.395, firearm owners generally must secure unattended firearms using a qualifying lock, locked container, or gun room.
Violations can carry additional consequences when minors gain unauthorized access.
That distinction matters because the law’s existence does not establish whether it was followed in this case.
According to the Bend Police Department, investigators were still determining how the teenager obtained the shotgun and ammunition.
Police also confirmed that Giamanco retrieved his legally secured handgun from his vehicle before entering the school.
Mental Health Enters the Discussion
The debate eventually shifted toward mental health and the broader causes of mass violence.
Cheng argued that communities need better mental health resources and support systems for troubled individuals.
Goodstein countered that mental health challenges exist worldwide, while America’s firearm death toll remains substantially higher than that of many comparable countries.
Both agreed that preventing future shootings should be the priority. They differed over whether firearm restrictions or other prevention strategies should receive greater emphasis.
One statistical claim also deserves clarification. Pavlich suggested that roughly three-quarters of firearm deaths involve suicide. According to CDC data analyzed by Pew Research Center, the actual figure for 2024 was approximately 62%.
The Oregon tragedy has now become another flashpoint in a familiar national argument.
But investigators have established one critical fact: A teacher physically confronted the attacker, and an armed father ultimately stopped him before he could continue shooting.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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