“Our thoughts are with the students, their families, first responders and the Rockford and greater Spokane community as they deal with the aftermath of yesterday’s deadly shooting at Freeman High School.

Schools should be a safe place for all students, where they can learn and thrive and be safe from any violence. Yet in just a few moments, the lives of so many students and their families—especially the family of Sam Strahan—were altered and will never be the same.

Keeping our communities and schools safe should be a paramount duty that every community member owns. While details in this tragic event are still unfolding, we know one thing for sure. To prevent senseless tragedy, we must protect our children by ensuring they do not have access to guns.

Moments of crisis can quickly turn deadly with easy access to firearms, especially when children are involved. The impact of gun violence reverberates long past the shooting itself, and communities across our state are far too familiar with its devastating impact. Working together to protect children by removing access to firearms, we can save lives.”