Michigan Dad Decides to Open Carry .45-Cal. Handgun at His Daughter’s School

The Blaze ^ | May. 1, 2013 | Jason Howerton

[cripplecreek]

Seeking to make a point about firearms, a Michigan man decided to open carry his .45-cal. handgun at his daughter’s school and later uploaded the footage to YouTube. The father says he made sure to first notify the school, the Michigan State Police, the county sheriff and other local law enforcement officials that he would be exercising his right to carry a gun.

The man behind the video told TheBlaze on Wednesday that he was not legally required to alert police or school officials that he would be carrying a gun. But rather than risk causing a panic, the man decided to let them know he would be legally carrying a firearm on school property.

“Decided to exercise my rights to carry a gun. In a school. As many of you know, federal law prohibits civilians (me) from carrying a gun near a school unless licensed by their state. As a CPL holder I am licensed,” the man wrote in the YouTube video description. “I want to exercise my rights, but not endanger myself or the rights of others while doing it.”

The man also urges others not to attempt to carry a firearm on school grounds without knowing all applicable laws, which vary in different states and counties. The video was uploaded to YouTube on April 25, 2013. It was recorded on the same day, the man who shot the video told TheBlaze.

A woman, who the video claims is a sheriff’s deputy, can be heard expressing concerns about kids seeing the firearm and becoming alarmed. “Obviously, you and I know I can’t stop you…I hope you realize what this is going to do to all those kids down there.”

[cripplecreek]

Full tile, 'Michigan Dad Decides to Open Carry .45-Cal. Handgun at His Daughter’s School to Make a Point: ‘Notice the Lack of Pandemonium From the Gun’

Kind of an odd gun law limbo but the guy is probably right about not doing this without making sure you're covered.

[Jack Hammer]

Wonder how many teachers and staff wet themselves....

[cripplecreek]

The guns in school issue really does need to be cleared up and it was just really bad luck that the bill that would have done it landed on Snyder's desk the very day of the Sandy Hook shooting.



Michigan legislative action thread

[coloradan]

In Israel, kids expect to see their teachers armed, and are not panicked in the least. An argument here against it is, it *would* create panic. This man’s actions might be the first straw in a movement to re-acquaint kids with the idea that guns (not in police hands) can be good, or at least, neutral. So this act might in hindsight, be an important, if not historic, first step in a return to normalcy, from hoplophobia.

[cripplecreek]

This may be of interest.

[JimRed]

A courtesy call is always a good idea if you’re planning to do something unusual that could be misinterpreted by liberal weenies.

[cripplecreek]

We were still bringing guns to school as students into the mid 80s. They had to stay in our cars or in the principal’s office during the day but it wasn’t unusual to see them at the school.

[bunkerhill7]

Up here the kids from 8 years old are taught to shoot a .22 at tin cans on a log at 50 yards.

- no wonder these idiot teachers never seen a gun before-

They are out of the American mainstream tradition that has existed for over 400 years here on the east coast.

[JimRed]

I hope you realize what this is going to do to all those kids down there.”

I don't know about the girls, but if boys are still boys they're thinking "cool, I wonder if he'll let me see it?"

[cripplecreek]

I remember a time when one of my wealthier friends got a 44. Magnum revolver for Christmas and was in the principal’s office as staff admired the gun.

[theDentist]

So, the school had a deputy (armed I expect) on hand for his visit. WOuld the sight of HER weapon alarm the students if she arrived without having called ahead?

[cripplecreek]

Just a couple months ago another Michigan school was locked down because a man was seen in the halls wearing full camouflage. It turns out that he was an airman from the nearby Selfridge ANG base visiting former teachers.

He wasn’t even armed and the place erupted in panic.

[struggle]

I’m a teacher and would like to carry myself.

If people get used to seeing armed teachers, there would not be one more school shooting in America.

[absolootezer0]

I don't know about the girls, but if boys are still boys they're thinking "cool, I wonder if he'll let me see it?"

if my daughters thought anything, it would probably be "my daddy's gun is cooler."

[jpsb]

So all that nose and drama coming from the Blaze about the Saudi “person of interest” was nothing but BS? Glenn Beck, Pat Gray and the Blaze should be very ashamed of themselves.

[Arkansas Toothpick]

Honestly, I have never understood the hysteria regarding open carry on the part of the gun banners. Honest folks open carry, not crooks and thugs. If I see someone with a firearm on their hip, I do not fear them in the least. Unfortunately, there is still a bias against in places that should really know better—here in Arkansas and my home state of Texas are two examples.

[null and void]

A courtesy call is always a good idea if you’re planning to do something unusual that could be misinterpreted by liberal weenies.

What, exactly, isn't subject to liberal misinterpretation?

[mongo141]

“Wonder how many teachers and staff wet themselves....”

______

Most of them, Ignorant frightened pu$$ys. Even worse is the fact that they pass those attitudes along to their students.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

The important part of this story was his wisely notifying those police agencies and the school about his intent.

This is hugely important, to establish good public relations *before* exercising your rights, for the single reason that what you are doing is unusual right now, and people get concerned about *anything* unusual.

It could be called “inoculating” yourself, by turning the unknown into the known.

It matters less what rationalization you use than that you use a rationalization, because people just do not handle the unknown well at all.

Because America has long been in a “minimized gun culture”, many people have lost their familial gun culture, and are perplexed by the sight of guns. It doesn’t help things that in TV and the movies, guns are props, and if you see them, somebody will likely use them.

It can be very easy to inoculate others against gun fear. By printing out a one page guide to state gun laws, you can offer one to the managers in a whole cluster of small businesses in the area, and they are usually pretty good about telling their employees about it.

And such inoculation lasts the better part of a year, at least. So you can relax there without concerned eyes staring at you.

[marktwain]

Prohibiting guns in schools is a direct result of the disastrous Gun Free School Zone act of 1996, pushed onto the American people by Bill Clinton.

School administrators zealously push “zero tolerance” because they are afraid that their funding will be cut if they are found *not* to have pushed it.

There is an exception in the law for people who have been issued carry permits.

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2012/12/disastrous-gun-law-sparked-school.html