"Angry" parent brings gun to school (Western NC)

[Green Lantern]

All right, I'd appreciate the help of fellow THRers to do one of two things here after reading this story:

1) Convince me that I'm wrong to try and defend this woman, and I'll drop it.

2) If I AM right in saying that she's being railroaded, please help he contact local people here to help shine the light on the colossal farce of "gun free school zones!"

http://wlos.com/newsroom/nc/topstory/topstory1.shtml
(I'd guess the link is subject to change later)

• NORTH CAROLINA NEWS


Parent Brings Gun To School

W.D. Williams Elementary in Swannanoa, went on lockdown briefly Wednesday, after a parent admitted there was a gun in her car. The woman was at the school to meet with the principal over a trunacy issue with her child, when she made a comment about having the gun. Officials called 911 and the school was locked down. The incident happened around 1:45 pm and a recorded message was sent out after 5:00. Parents applaud the way the situation was handled, but say they should have been notified sooner. Sheriff's deputies will meet tomorrow with school officials and the district attorney to discuss possible charges against the unidentified woman.

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 21 2007, 11:47 PM

This is a much, MUCH "sanitized" version than what was on the WLOS news last night. She was referred to as an "angry" parent. But they did have to admit that even the school officials said that no one was in danger, she never intended to bring it inside. But an unidentified school official was interviewed and said that the school was still gonna press charges against her because of something to the effect of "we can't risk having weapons around our children."

The linked story is SERIOUSLY lacking compared to the newscast, but from the account of the latter it looks like the woman forgot about the laws against guns at schools, but it hit her in the middle of the meeting. And rather than just keep her mouth shut, she said something to the people she was meeting with so she could GO OUT AND CORRECT IT - IE, get the gun OFF school property.

It's not too far of a strech to imagine that she was being less than civil over her child's attendance issue, so maybe the school wants to "railroad" her for revenge, which they can EASILY do under NC's "guns & schools" laws?

 

[pacodelahoya]

Not enough info for an opinion.

Why did she mention that she had a gun in her car?

Did she mention the gun in her car as a threat? IE; don't piss me off, I have a gun in my car.



I have ex inlaws in NC, as far as I know, they all carry guns in their cars, much like putting a flashlight of a blanket in there in colder climates.

If in fact she didn't make a threat as you claim the newscast says, then I would probably be on her side.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

If she forgot it was in her car, then remembered and felt the need to remove it, she obviously knew having the gun on school property was wrong. So why did she talk about it? Why not say, "I think I left my headlights on" or some other excuse to go out to her car. Or why care at all? Was there an impending search of her car? Even if she wasn't threatening, and was just mentioning it because she felt she should go out and fix it, mentioning it at all is just stupid.

If I ever had my gun someplace where it shouldn't be, I can't think of a single reason why I would ever bring it up.

 

[hagar]

Total overeaction. A lot of things make me angry, including the ridiculous level of political correctness gripping this country, and I carry a handgun on a daily basis and so far have avoided shooting anybody. The only mistake she made was to be honest and admit that she had the gun. It is sad to say that in these days and times, you have to lie to keep out of trouble.

 

[USMC - Retired]

As much as I hate the "School Zone" gun laws, I still have to say she was in the wrong. Unforunately she broke the law and even worse pointed it out herself. While I don't feel the law is good, that does not give me reason to break it. I may not agree with the speed limit on the road I take to work every morning but that does make it ok to ignore it. She broke the law and no matter what her reasons or extenuating circumstances she will have to pay the penalty for her actions. If I speed and get a ticket, whether or not I think the speed limit was fair, I still have to pay the fine. The best thing to do is give her moral support and work to get these rediculous laws off the books. Taking a stand for someone breaking the law only weakens our posistion and makes us appear to support unlawful behavior. We need to focus on fixing the laws, not covering our butts when we ignore them. My two cents, I'm sure many here will not agree so I will don my asbestos skivvies now. Flame on.

 

[vis-à-vis]

If I ever had my gun someplace where it shouldn't be, I can't think of a single reason why I would ever bring it up.

When I was doing Auxillary work with the Sheriff's Office, one of the Deputies who had taken me under his wing told me after an arrest, "what you don't say, you're not responsible for." It was one of the best pieces of advice I have ever recieved. It is applicable everywhere.

 

[glummer]

Taking a stand for someone breaking the law only weakens our posistion and makes us appear to support unlawful behavior

I’m not sure it’s that cut & dried. Think “Underground Railroad.” Escaping slaves were breaking the law, and those who “took a stand” to support them probably helped build public opinion against the laws.

 

[crazed_ss]

Story sounds odd.. why would she mention a gun being in her car? Was she scared it was about to be randomly searched?

It sounds like she was angry and brought up the fact that she had a gun in the car as some kind of threat. If that's the case, then I wouldnt defend her.

 

[45Frank]

I live in the area and I have to admit she was wrong or should have said nothing. How many people in NC have picked their kids up from school and had a gun in the car ? I'll bet atleast 70% of the people do it's a fact most southern born NClinians just have a gun in the car.

In the same area a few years back the school officials made an example of a student who was hunting either before ar after school and had a shotgun in his P/U. He was expelled and never alowed to Graduate with his class.

You must remember little is run by locals anymore even in the rural south it's all YANKEE. They leave the north and bring their ways and problems with them, and usually their kids who are truent to begin with. Then they'r going to make it all safe just the North that they couldn't wait to leave. :banghead:

 

[Outlaw Man]

I agree with pacodelahoya. If she mentioned it in a way that was intended to be a threat she should be punished to the full extent of the law. I don't know why she mentioned it, but if it wasn't as a threat I don't see why they shouldn't show her some leniency. I'm not sure of the applicable state (and local, if no preemption) laws, though.

 

[LAR-15]

I believe NC law does not allow guns on campus for any reason except JROTC and the police.

You can't even drive through a campus with an unloaded, cased rifle in your trunk.

 

[308win]

If she had the firearm on school property and that is prohibited then she broke the law. Ohio's CCW law is explicit about firearms and school property and it is your responsibility to know the law.

 

[doubleg]

Last week I was at a car dealer ship trading my car in and a worker who was helping me clean my stuff out found 200 rds of .45 ammo I forgot about.:banghead: He was nice about it though. In some other states I would have been cavity searched by the SWAT team. IE. California.

 

[crazed_ss]

Last week I was at a car dealer ship trading my car in and a worker who was helping me clean my stuff out found 200 rds of .45 ammo I forgot about. He was nice about it though. In some other states I would have been cavity searched by the SWAT team. IE. California

Nah.. no SWAT Team here..

I just traded in my Camaro for a Corvette. When we were finishing up, the dealer says, "You got everything out of your old car?.. Money, Cell Phone, Guns?"

At first I was kinda offended because I thought he was assuming I was a gangbanger or something.

Then he explained and said, "You wont believe how many people keep guns in their car and forget about them. I always have to call people and tell them to come pick them up because they left it in under the seat or in the center console"

 

[Neo-Luddite]

The school, hate to say it, had no choice once she said it.

Remember the larger context of the story--she's being called to the carpet for the behavior of her child. For most people in that situation, they become defensive of their child to a greater or lesser degree because they are being indicted in the principal's office as surely as if they were a teenager again. Parents who have kids in trouble at school can oftentimes be hard to deal with because the apple doesn't (usually) fall far from the tree. And in fairness, some school admin types (not most) are petty tyrants who have napoleon complexes and little knowledge of how to make people feel at ease when problems with their kids are being dealt with.

My bet: the gun wasn't mentioned by accident. She probably felt cornered and powerless--and defensive. I doubt it came out as an overt threat in any way.

I'm just playing junior psychologist here, but I've seen similar behaviors in similar situations. Usually the 'gun' is more subtle, symbolic in nature, and hidden in the subtext.

 

[SamTuckerMTNMAN]

HOLY COW!!!

I agree with you completely. The sheriffs dept knows what a load of crap this is too. Most of them remember what it was like not too long ago here in Buncombe county when kids brought their shotguns to school in the truck. It really wasnt too long ago. North Buncombe had to close the raffle but they auctioned off an uzi last semester HAHA! She was stupid for mentioning it but they should have been civil and used some common sense, and at the most simply followed her out explaining why it was important, and watching to make sure she complied with the legal requirement and took it elsewhere.

Yet another option for a deputy with a brain would be to hold until she left the premises if she lived a ways away or the meeting was really important.

The parents who "should have been notified sooner" are tools.

ST

ps - NEO LUDDITE GOOD POINTS psych analysis probably correct...

pps And in fairness, some school admin types (not most) are petty tyrants who have napoleon complexes and little knowledge of how to make people feel at ease when problems with their kids are being dealt with.

damn you are on the money...

 

[JWarren]

I wouldn't defend her.

What the hell was she thinking about saying she had a gun in her car? It was inappropriate to say so, as I cannot think on any reasonable series of events in discussing a kid skipping school that would make it relevant to bring up that she had the firearm.

Having a firearm or not should operate on a "Need to Know" basis-- and I won't even get into her bringing one to school.


That said, I do know how our society goes nuts over any mention of a firearm.

It's way off the subject, but anytime there is a discussion of guns at school, it reminds me of my high school days:

Going to school in a rural area, it was almost assumed that ever guy that drove a car or truck to school had a firearm in it. A lot of guys would hunt in the mornings before school and go straight to school from the woods (seriously.)

On one occasion, I rode with my sister before I was taking my own vehicle to school. I was planning to go home with a friend to do some plinking with a new .357 I purchased. I had it on my sister's car.

Well, my sister needed to check out of school due to an illness and knowing that I had things in her car, she took my bag with the revolver in it to the front office. The kind ladies in the front office brought it to the classroom I was in and delivered my bag to me. My face probably drained of color as they handed me that bag. I kept it with me in class-- and that was the longest period I ever had.

After class, I went back to the office and asked to see the principle. I sat down and talked to him. I told him what just happened and that I had the bag with me. I asked him what I should do.

He laughed over the issue, and told me to give him the bag where he would lock it on his desk drawer and told me to come get it after school to bring home.

God, the world has changed. That was in 1987, and in a school where the administrators not only knew every student, but likely their parents as well.


John

 

[hexidismal]

Although it is very little info to go on, I would have to say that mentioning the gun in this situation at all was most likely intended at the very least as some vague threat. While there are plenty of good reasons to drop the useless "gun free zones", this woman sure wasn't helping us on the issue.

 

[Daps]

I'm trying to figure out why she even mentioned she had a gun in the car...Even if I did I wouldn't have said anything, just kept my mouth closed..

Think the conversation got heated and she mentioned it....

 

[Master Blaster]

Why defend this woman, she is an idiot.

She threatened folks by saying she had a gun when she was pissed off.

 

[WayneConrad]

Breaking a wrong law is not wrong, just painful. If the problem is that she had a gun in her car, the law is wrong, not her.

If the problem is that she mentioned the gun as a threat, then that's both wrong and illegal. In that case, good law, bad person.

 

[Jeff White]

I can't think of any reason for her to casually mention that she had a gun in her car. I can however, think of all kinds of scenarios in which she could have mentioned she had a gun in her car as a threat.

If she mentioned the presence of the weapon in the context of a threat, what was the school supposed to do, get the PE teachers to stand outside the door to tackle her if she went for the gun, physically detain her in the office until the sheriff arrived?

If you get in a heated discussion that turns into an argument and the person you are arguing with mentions they have a weapon in close proximity, how will you take it, as a threat?

Jeff

 

[ojibweindian]

It's always wise to fly low and beat the radar.

 

[RNB65]

I've thought about it a bit and I must say I'm not finding much sympathy. If her mentioning of having a gun was meant to imply a threat in any possible manner, she should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If her mentioning of having a gun was purely accidental and not meant to be a threat, then she's an idiot who needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut and play dumb. Either way, I'm not feeling sorry for her.

 

[WayneConrad]

If her mentioning of having a gun was purely accidental and not meant to be a threat, then she's an idiot who needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut and play dumb.

This is what we call "blame the victim." If, indeed, she wasn't making a threat. I agree with Jeff White that it's hard to imagine she wasn't.