Gov. Kotek Praised “Everytown Data” Before the Bend, Oregon, Mass Shooting; CNN Cited Its Data Day of Killings
Republished with permission from AbleChild.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek had a confident message when she celebrated the Community Safety Firearms Act in November 2025: “You all know that the data backs us up.” She also thanked Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for their “fierce advocacy.”
Nearly eleven months later, with the Democratic governor campaigning for reelection, three children and a teacher were killed at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. CNN placed the attack within a national school-shooting tally, drawing on Everytown, Education Week and the Gun Violence Archive the day of the killings.
The connection raises an accountability question: When an advocacy organization statistics help frame legislative messaging and news coverage, is the public receiving an explanation of violence or a numerical backdrop for a gun-control argument?
Counting shootings is not the same as identifying what would prevent them.
At the October 16 news conference, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said he would name the attacker only once! Early coverage nevertheless carried conflicting versions of the name before subsequent reports identified him as Griffin J. John II, 16, a former Silver Rail student.
An inaccurate identification creates an obstacle for journalists researching an attacker’s history. Limiting repetition makes a clear written identification more important, not less.
Another significant disclosure came from Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook: the attacker had previously been a special-education student at Silver Rail. Officials also confirmed that the shooting occurred in a special-education classroom.
A 2025 education-journal article cites research finding that students in special education were four times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than students in general education.
That supports not only asking about medication history but also systematically recording verified exposure, treatment changes and toxicology findings to help established motives. FDA antidepressant warnings identify an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in some young people, and medication guides flag new aggression or violent behavior as symptoms requiring immediate attention. These warnings warrant investigation and accurate data collection.
The chief should have explained whether investigators were obtaining and preserving relevant mental-health and prescription records, including any documented medication changes, and examining them alongside the physical evidence.
Krantz acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the attack: “Everyone wants to know why, including us.… We may never get that full answer, but we want it.” Investigators continued examining motive and how the teenager obtained the weapon.
Krantz sounded defeated when the investigation had barely begun. He limited the naming of the attacker while basic identification became confused, and he left unanswered whether investigators were obtaining mental-health records, prescription histories and toxicology evidence. Before the public even knew what investigators had examined, the chief was already warning that the motive might never be understood. That was a staggering admission at a briefing that should have laid out how police intended to find answers.
News organizations reported that the shotgun used in the attack had been purchased by the teenager’s mother. NBC News, citing two senior law-enforcement officials, reported that she bought it around his birthday in August.
Reporters approached his mother, identified as Shauntai May Nickerson, at her apartment on Friday. She expressed sorrow and declined to explain how her son obtained the weapon. Police said they were still investigating his access to it.
CNN described Nickerson as a health aide at a local nursing home. A LinkedIn profile bearing her name lists her as a “Med Aide” at Touchmark Living Centers, Inc., in Bend, Oregon. The employment information is self-reported on the profile.
Police should have addressed the leaked information about the mother’s reported shotgun purchase at the briefing by confirming what investigators knew and correcting anything inaccurate. The misleading data on mass murders pushed on the day of the killings doesn’t help stop or prevent violence.
CNN’s tally measured shootings on school grounds, including parking lots, buses and accidental discharges that injured someone other than the shooter not just classroom massacres and mass killings. It is way to broad and completely lack mental health drugs.
Presented beside the Bend attack, that broad count pushes a guns-only explanation without examining psychiatric-drug exposure or treatment changes, variables Everytown’s public dataset does not systematically record. The tally counts gunfire; it cannot establish what caused it.
Everytown began tracking school gunfire in 2013, before Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action combined under the Everytown banner in 2014, with Michael Bloomberg’s financial backing. Its database sits within an advocacy network that promotes gun restrictions and participates in political campaigns. It is not an independent government statistics agency.
In 2024, its charitable Support Fund, which maintains the database, reported $37.35 million in revenue, including $35.80 million in contributions. Its separate Action Fund reported $57.12 million. Those figures fund the organizations broadly; they do not establish the database’s cost or identify its specific donors.
CNN’s audience deserves to know that its statistical source belongs to a well-funded political advocacy network. Using a massacre to amplify Everytown’s statistics without explaining the limits of its data is unethical and risks obstructing prevention by directing attention away from factors the database does not examine.
“Today, we’re not just signing a bill. We’re saving lives,” Governor Kotek declared. But a shooting tally cannot substantiate that promise. Presenting incomplete incident data as proof of causes or solutions is misleading and risks leaving preventable dangers unexamined while the death toll continues. Cover Story Photo Credit.
AbleChild is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has recently co-written landmark legislation in Tennessee, setting a national precedent for transparency and accountability in the intersection of mental health, pharmaceutical practices, and public safety.
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That pic is a roomful of Anti- American woke losers who have no business in our government… Blow the trumpet Gabriel!!!…
Anti-second Amendment organization lies about firearms.
Oregon Governor is a lesbian Marxist Democrat.
Had a good guy concealed carrier with a gun had not killed the shooter a dozen more kids could be dead today.
Fact!…
most all in the picture are lesbians or some form of pervert
And they see this Photo and get excited because they think it represents "Moms" across America. But those aren't any moms I know, but just the Pride Army females with fake TShirts.
No pervert should serve in office. They scandalize children by their immoral, God-mocking example.
I know a few AWFL's from Oregon, they all admit there is only ONE reason they voted for Kotek, you'll never guess.
Because she's one of them.
They were collectively on the rag.
A lot of good guesses, but the reason they all gave was because she is a lesbian, can you think of a better reason to vote for someone ?
Any reason is better than that.
Huh? That would be the reason why I wouldn't vote for
herhim….I mean her/him, she/he…..aw forget it!THE SEPTIC TANK STAINED ONE VOTE THE SAME. ALL OF THESE GROUPS/GANGS VOTE THIER AGENDA….NOT AMERICA FIRST. ALL WHILE CRYING THEY ARE OPPRESSED, THEY SEEK THE POWER ONLY TO OPPRESS NOT FURTHER THE VERY COUNTRY THEY LIVE IN.
THEY SEEK TO MAKE ANY NON GANG MEMBERS SUFFER IN AGONY UNTIL DEATH. THE TRIBAL MENTALITY IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH CIVILIZATION.
Round up the leftists and get them out after the red wave.
Big Pharma is a threat to humanity
I'd truly like to know who is seriously looking into big pharma on this particular front.
The statistics are clearly and blaring present.
WTH?!
That's Mr. Kotek to you. Just another example of LGBTPedo incompetance. Mr. Kotek belongs in a mental institution.
Absolutely.. IT is a man and dresses like a circus ring master with tails.
Leftists are inorganically or fraudulently consumed with the world as it isn't rather than as it is.
You mean you dont believe in unicorns that fart rainbows?
What! You mean unicorns don't fart rainbows? Awwww damn!
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
The locked front door failed to have a gun behind it.
The killer knew it.
But these people are ignorant or mentally incompetent domestic enemies. What they feel is up to them, and concerns only them. They need not have time spent in listening to their ignorant musings.
Toxic masculinity.
Dumb deich.
All of these organizations are money laundering schemes
JUST LIKE MADD. NOT ONE LIFE WAS EVER SAVED. THE STATES HOWEVER GARNER MASSIVE DUI FEES,FINES,LAWYER AND LABOR INCOME.I THINK A DUI WILL COST A KID 35-45 THOUSAND DOLLARS AND SAVE ZERO LIVES. A SIMPLE BREATHALYZER AND SOME PARENTAL ENFORCEM,ENT WILL AND HAS SAVED LIVES. BUT THE GOVERNMENT GOT INVOLVED AND STRIPS BILLIONS FROM CITIZENS IN THE NAME OF SAFETY.
EVERY TIME YOU HEAR ITS FOR THE CHILDREN OR SAFETY THAT JUST MEANS SOME ONE IS GETTING RICH.
VOTER BLOCS COST BILLIONS…….NO ONE SPENDS THAT KIND OF MONEY WITH OUT EXPECTING A RETURN.
THE ALPHABET CREW,ANTI XYZ CREW, HOMELESS ORGS EVEN FOOD DONATION GROUPS ALONG WITH INVADER SUPPORT GROUPS ARE ALL MONEY MAKING MACHINES LIKE YOU SAID.
Governor Kotex
She/it should hookup with Tampon Tim!
In the recent and final gubernatorial debate Kotek replied to being pressed on Oregon's near the bottom in K-12 performance with, "Yeah, but Trump"
Just sayin. How has this idiot, especially with her last name, not been laughed out of office? I mean dang, such low hanging fruit. She definitely has blood on her hands.
A gaggle of sick, pathetic, anti-American misfits.
Female governors. I rest my case
this POS is beyond an embarassment to ALL oregon citizens. She pushes disarmament while pretending to support gun rights. Make sure this pos is shown the door in Nov.
The people still in Oregon are f'n all nuts anyways.
…voteforafairy virtue signaling extraordinaire…guns dont killpeoplepeoplekillpeople…
…themanginasareasfaggotastheginersare…
They brought bend into portland zone and the killing starts, this is what liberal's brought to this once red town now its a blue pit of hate
What a picture of all the lgbt perverts that run the state, make me want to puke
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/488abbc524b3b81a36e2f4fb4df950d9d8e8bbf54846a75a9e66ef259625bada.png “It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies…” — George Orwell
…yeacount5manginerstheonesittingatthedeskisquiteobvious…datbedubutch…
It's not the metal objects (cars, trucks, guns, etc.) that are the problem. It's the people holding them. They are the problem. Hello? Governor Kotex, are you paying attention?
Leftists in general are the problem,
those in the photo are the problem
in particular.
Gov. Kotex is a bloody evil fool.
Parents of children in Oregon public schools had better organize continuous patrols around the perimeters of the state mandated free fire zones their children attend. There are enough chemical and hormone addled fatherless children in that state with access to firearms to wipe out the whole school age population, and no government action will protect those schools.
I have visited there. What used to be a working person's town has now become a leftist pool of vipers. The mayor is a leftist nutjob who can't be bothered to clear the homeless away. Opportunists have been moving into the city in large numbers and driving through there looks like a nirvana grunge concert.
Seems to have coincided with the advent of the Portland and Seattle greenies that moved there for the Skiing and kayaking
The homeless are a reliable source of mail-in votes.
the data NEVER backs up their stupid policies. and sadly, its not the leftist politicians who get killed, its innocent civilians. time to vote red and let these blue states choke on their bs policies.
AI systems run by progressives haves shut down any interaction to its initial Democrat favoring explanation of the Bend OR shooting.
Gov. Kotex is perfect
Never underestimate the Oregon Trial Card holding hive mind sheep of Portland re-electing the kotex.
Is Kotek her real name? C'mon man! Does she have any relatives named Summer Eve?
Bring back the Smith-Mundt Act. Media will not be able to lie and would be held accountable for their actions.
The Act was developed to regulate broadcasting of programs for foreign audiences produced under the guidance of the State Department, and it prohibited domestic dissemination of materials produced by such programs as one of its provisions.
White demorat women are the worst!
Quite the staff….
I reckon they are all lesbians?
A picture speaks a thousand words about how Oregon is such a @*&^'ed up state to live and work in.
Her last name fits her
No one deserves to lose more than Tina Kotex.
Governor Kotex also thinks Maduro's arrest was a trajedy since his gun control was so effective in making Venezuela a progressive utopia also……
No surprise gov. Kotex is on the side of oppression… she needs the violence to push gun control.
Once again… “If women ran things, everything would be great!” fails to materialize.
There’s what… four Y chromosomes in that photo? And yet kook gun incidents still happened. It’s the gun control version of that European “Stop, don’t touch me there” psa.
Krantz acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the attack: “Everyone wants to know why, including us.… We may never get that full answer, but we want it.”
They know why. They do not want to say it.
Kotek… what an unfortunate name! lol
Here is a fact. To date elected governments have killed between 500 million to a billion of their own citizens.
When taking the reins of power they compel their populace to surrender their arms. “There will be no need for arms under our society”.
Yet those in power remain armed.
Soviet Union 1922-1991 EST 50-100 million DEAD.
Germany 1930’-1945 EST 11 million DEAD
China 1945-Present EST 200-500 million DEAD
Cambodia pol pot EST 1.2-3 million Dead
Cuba 1959-present EST 500k DEAD
Venezuela- 1999-2026 ROUGH EST 100-200k DEAD
N Korea EST (unknown) but guesses are over 1 million DEAD.
There are other nations in Africa, South America, which share in the brutality. Their numbers are not as high.
These are NON combat statistics. Mao’s China took the arms then starved opposition. Stalin disappeared, starved, or outright had families wiped out. Pol Pot had people murdered for being smart or wearing glasses for starters. All those listed nations shared the same view, confiscate or heavily restrict arms.
Nothing is more deadly and dangerous than a weak individual with power.
We don’t want the automobile melted when an impaired driver wipes out a family. I don’t want my means or your means of stopping a brutal government like those listed coming to power here.
The ONLY thing that stops bad guys with guns is good guys with guns…..and vehicles where appropriate.
Another shooting sponsored by your friends at Pfizer.
Governor Kotex…beach always on the rag….
look at that group of liberal hags that run the state of Oregon. We’re so screwed if we let them steal another election. Middle aged white liberal women should be nowhere near a position of authority.
TINA IS A BEACH
Looks like Tim.
Apparently a teacher, Kathy Smith, spotted the psycho killer approaching outside but she did not get her gun and alert the other staff to get their guns and fill the monster with lead. Oh, that's right, Oregon school districts ban guns on their properties. How's that working out ?
I don't want to be in a position where I need to get a gun. It should already be on me.
you'll be dead while you try to unlock the gun from its box and than open the other box for the clip, and don't forget the key for the trigger lock on it, darn whats the combo to the gun safe? Your going to be looking down on your body after you become a chost while you get to your gun you Lawfully have put away under oregon law
Yup A SPECIFIC SINGULAR case to charge and encarcerate the mom for life. She bought her R 3+ AR DED son likely on meds an Arsenal. This also shows how little background checks actually prevent gun crime. Any mong 0l0id can just send his mom in to circumvent that.
Yup A SPECIFIC SINGULAR case to charge and encarcerate the mom for life. She bought her R 3+ AR DED son likely on meds an Arsenal. This also shows how little background checks actually prevent gun crime. Any mong 0l0id can just send his mom in to circumvent that.
Looks like a room full of communists.
Come on man who would vote for this bag of trash unless your getting paid or just STUPID
Leftists are essentially suicidal. Like targets at a county fair.
Lezzzzbos are Mrs Satan's concubine.
We won't prevent school shootings until the school staff can shoot back.
Unfortunately leftist are not known for having any commonsense, so that will never happen.
OREGON deserves a man hating governor named Kotek’s, it suits them.
I've heard that the politics in Oregon are about as bad as they can be, and on BOTH sides of the political fence. Example: the People of Oregon, via the ballot, said that no more than 10% (I think that's the number) of ANY politicians campaign contributions can come from outside the state, from pacs, from unions, and perhaps some other sources I've forgotten. This was the People of Oregon voting for this, and with over 70% in favor of it. No one in state government can legally touch it, and needless to say, they (the government) opposed it. They lost, BIG time. So how did they react to losing it? They simply ignored it. I have to wonder…is that how Kotec got elected as governor? And who else might be on such a list?
I will never sign petitions for Fake Federal Hearings. I understand the idea…to seek change and accountability. But Federal Hearings are a joke…the last time something concrete come from them is….not in my memory.
Is it another case of the shooter being on poison pharma psych drugs?