Rural Oregon School Districts Distribute Firearm Safety Guide
Leaders across Wallowa County partner with state agencies to promote secure gun storage, mental health support and campus safety.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- November 06, 2026
Education officials representing all four public school districts in Wallowa County and the local education service district have launched a coordinated safety effort focused on responsible firearm storage and student mental health.
The initiative, developed in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority, provides local families with a resource titled "Keep Kids Safe: A Firearm Safety Guide for Oregon Parents and Caregivers."
District administrators noted that while schools maintain active emergency response protocols, tragedy prevention relies heavily on measures taken outside the classroom. In rural communities where firearms are common for hunting, recreation and personal defense, administrators emphasized secure storage inside the home as an essential safeguard against accidental shootings and school violence.
The coalition includes Wallowa County Education Service District, Troy School District 54, Wallowa School District 12, Enterprise School District 21 and Joseph School District 6.
In addition to distributing storage guidelines, the districts are collaborating with area healthcare providers and law enforcement agencies to expand behavioral health counseling, threat-assessment protocols and general student support services across the county.