32-Year Veteran School Guard Leaves Gun In School Bathroom
2013/01/17
By McAllister
Students with guns @ SoonerPoll.com
The NRA made it clear – guns in schools will make them safe. “The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” Well, unless that good guy leaves his gun in the school’s bathroom so he can neither protect his charges nor keep them from having access to his gun.
On January 13th of this year…just four days ago the Chatfield School in Lapeer, Michigan followed the directive of the NRA…to the letter. They hired an armed guard, an experienced Sheriff’s Deputy to take charge of security for their 500 child school. The announcement said “Thirty-two year retired Sheriff’s deputy in charge” and it was observed by the local Tea Party spokesperson that “a visitor to Chatfield School might mistake Clark Arnold for a smiling, kindly grandfather waiting for one of its nearly 500 students.”
Arnold, a 32-year veteran of the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Dept., as well as a firearms instructor, has been hired by the 16-year-old charter school academy as the county’s first armed school security officer. The decision was applauded by Bruce Cady, a trustee on the Chatfield Board of Directors, who added, “Absolutely. The decision was made for the good of the kids. We took the wellbeing of the kids and their safety into consideration. The events that have been happening in the schools is [sic] very concerning and that’s why we took the action we did.”
Just three days later…a report from the Flint Journal says that “A security officer at a Lapeer charter school left a firearm unattended in a school bathroom on Monday, Jan. 14, a school official said.
Further, “the security officer “made a breach in security protocol” and left an unloaded weapon in a restroom for a few moments,” said Chatfield School Director Matt Young.
Young said the school has been in contact with local authorities about the matter and wouldn’t discuss any possible repercussion for the officer, calling it “a personnel matter.” Young also declined to name the security officer.
Lapeer resident Tris Fritz, who has children in third and fifth grade at the school said “I think that some kid might not think it’s a real gun. They might think it’s a toy. They’re going to be curious, that’s the nature of a child. I know people are human and they make mistakes,” Fritz added. “That’s kind of a big mistake.”
This brings back the question of responsibility…who is responsible for an error that can cause death?
The County prosecutor Byron Konschuh said since nobody was harmed, the incident likely would not constitute a criminal charge. So again…NOBODY. And the failures that kill nearly 500 children a year, failure to properly maintain control of your weapon continue…without consequences.
The instances of children being shot and killed by guns that have been either left around or gotten into the hands of the wrong person (because it's owners were irresponsible) are far higher than a gun saving their lives from a bad guy.
It's getting to be absolutely insane.
And don't tell me that the protection from a hypothetical situation outweighs the REALITY that so many children die every year from irresponsible gun ownership.
In. Sane.
This is why guns should not be in our schools but hey, if a kid had gotten a hold of the gun finding bullets wouldn't have been a stretch hmm?
it can take an experienced person 30 seconds to put a loaded magazine in.
heck I am far from expereineced and I can do it in under a minute.
Quoting JoshRachelsMAMA:
"the security officer “made a breach in security protocol” and left an UNLOADED......"""
Did I read that right?! What the heck is his purpose at the school then with an unloaded firearm? How are the students protected?
Stupid.
Quoting UpSheRises:What's the big deal?
Guns make us safer!
There isn't any easy answers here. No matter whether armed security is in schools or not there could always be a what if. I really think it's going to come down to armed security being needed in our schools and other places because instances are happening more often. Educating the children in the schools about safety and how dangerous a gun can be will definitly be needed. A school in Va Beach, VA recently had a loaded handgun found on their playground. It was preschoolers who saw it and they ran to tell the teacher who then called police who came and removed the weapon finding that it was loaded. Police had chased a suspect past that schoolyard the night before and apparantly he had tossed his gun over the fence. Just months before the local police has visited that school and talked with the students about gun safety and dangers and what to do in a situation where they found a gun. The students in this case had listened and followed those instructions. Education may not always work 100% but it can work and it's better than doing nothing.
Quoting colins_mom:it can take an experienced person 30 seconds to put a loaded magazine in.
heck I am far from expereineced and I can do it in under a minute.
Quoting JoshRachelsMAMA:
"the security officer “made a breach in security protocol” and left an UNLOADED......"""
Did I read that right?! What the heck is his purpose at the school then with an unloaded firearm? How are the students protected?
Stupid.
This is all too convenient for me to believe, I'm just not that naive. I wonder how much he was compensated to do this?
Quoting Kate_Momof3:The instances of children being shot and killed by guns that have been either left around or gotten into the hands of the wrong person (because it's owners were irresponsible) are far higher than a gun saving their lives from a bad guy.
It's getting to be absolutely insane.
And don't tell me that the protection from a hypothetical situation outweighs the REALITY that so many children die every year from irresponsible gun ownership.
In. Sane.
Quoting IndigoOwl:
You wouldn't be saying "what's the big deal" if your kid had been shot by another student or shot another student or themselves as a result of this man's irresponsibility. Nope, you'd be suing. I just love people like you. You keep me laughing and shaking my head in disbelieve daily.
Quoting UpSheRises:What's the big deal?
Guns make us safer!
Quoting rccmom:
The more armed guards we have, the greater the chance for such mistakes, and worse. Plus, still no absolute guarantee of the school being safe from shooters.
My thoughts exactly. I've never understood why people the solution to our gun problem is to throw more guns at it.
Sorry, Republicans — Nobody’s Getting Impeached
- sweet-a-kins
on Jan. 18, 2013 at 7:21 AM