Four people — three children and a teacher — were killed at the Bend school on Oct. 15, along with the suspected shooter, a 16-year-old. A father who entered the school and shot the suspect was credited by police with preventing further deaths. Both candidates visited Bend after the shooting and attended a candlelight vigil at Drake Park.

Kotek, a Democrat seeking another term, has defended Oregon’s gun-safety laws while saying it is too early to know what might have prevented the shooting. Speaking to students at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego last week, she said gun violence can be prevented and called for continued legislative action. She later declined to identify particular measures, citing the ongoing investigation.

“I don’t think any of us should be politicizing this incident,” Kotek said in an interview on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” She also pointed to Oregon’s existing prevention policies, including expanded background checks, safe-storage requirements and red-flag laws, which allow firearms to be temporarily removed from people considered a danger.

Drazan, who is running against Kotek again after their 2022 contest, has said laws already in place should have prevented the school shooting but were not followed. The Bend-La Pine school district prohibits guns on school property. Drazan has said she does not yet have a policy prescription, while calling for consistent safety standards across school districts and school resource officers.

The candidates’ disagreement reflects a familiar divide. In their 2022 debate, Kotek backed additional restrictions, while Drazan argued that Oregon already had some of the nation’s toughest gun laws and called instead for stronger mental-health support. She opposed Measure 114, which voters approved that year. The measure would require permits to buy firearms, expand background checks and prohibit high-capacity magazines, but it has not taken effect amid legal challenges. The Oregon Supreme Court is expected to weigh in.

Since that election, Oregon lawmakers have banned so-called ghost guns — firearms without serial numbers, including some 3D-printed guns — and rapid-fire accessories such as bump stocks. Drazan was not in the Legislature for the ghost-gun vote and did not vote on the rapid-fire-accessory measure.

Former state Sen. Ginny Burdick, a longtime advocate for tighter gun laws, said Oregon could strengthen enforcement of existing rules as well as improve its mental-health system. She argued that reducing the number of guns in circulation should also be part of the discussion.

State Rep. Alek Skarlatos, a Republican, praised the father who stopped the shooter but noted that carrying a firearm into a school zone violated Oregon law. Skarlatos said there would be time for further discussion about school safety.

Political scientist Chris Shortell of Portland State University said past mass shootings have not shown a clear pattern of shifting elected officials’ policy positions. With polling suggesting a close governor’s race, the Bend shooting may weigh on voters, but the candidates’ public comments have not yet produced a detailed debate over what new measures should follow.

Oregon voters approved Measure 114 in 2022, but its unresolved court challenges leave key questions about the state’s gun laws unsettled even as candidates face renewed demands for action.