School Safety at LBCC

The LBCC Our Revolution Club held a public forum, “School Safety and Gun Violence,” from 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7, in the Fireside Room.

LBCC Our Revolution Club Advisers Bert Guptill and Dr. Robert Harrison organized the event that attracted a room full of local community members. Everyone there held passionate and diverse opinions on the approach to gun safety, but the main focus of the forum was to formulate ideas that will implement school safety guidelines for LB students and staff.

Guptill opened the forum by comparing the democratic and republican party platforms regarding gun control and the different positions on gun violence.

“About 30 years ago the NRA has fallen into the pockets of big business, gun manufacturers, and a particular person known as Lapierre who has been the manager for 25-30 years and fought every bit of constructive gun legislation,” Guptill said.

“It’s time for common sense gun control.”

A majority of the audience applauded after his short speech. Most of the audience sat silently and listened as Guptill spoke about how changes needed to be implemented.

The Director of Public Safety and Loss Prevention Marcene Olsen also talked at the forum. She wanted to emphasize that she was not there to present an opinion.

Olsen spoke about LB’s current gun legislation and how LB’s approach to protecting students and staff on campus revolves around the “run, hide, fight” plan of action. This is where in the circumstance of an active shooter, you either run, hide in a locked location, or fight off your attacker. Olsen said she fully supports the current legislation regarding the gun rights on campus, implying there are no foreseen changes in the near future.

The Oregon legislature states that students with a concealed carry permit are allowed to carry their guns on campus. LB staff are under no circumstances allowed to carry a gun on campus, including public safety officers. While Olsen supports this, she said that concealed carry holders should be conscious about potential risks on themselves and others around them.

“Employees cannot carry weapons at LBCC because they are not sure how employees would handle the guns and if you are carrying a gun, then you are taking on a public safety role,” Olsen said.