Posted on 08/30/2019 1:14:41 PM PDT by Red Badger
A 16-year-old student at a Colorado high school was informed by the school district Wednesday that he was not allowed to return to classes until the school could conduct an investigation into an anonymous tip that he had posted "threatening" content online. Current Time 0:11 Duration 0:51 Trump Slams 'Totally Fake' Washington Post Report That He Floated Pardons For Border Wall Construction
In a story that has gained national attention from conservative sites, including RedState, the parents of a junior at Loveland High School learned Wednesday that their son could not appear on campus until the Thompson Valley School District (TVSD) conducted a full investigation into a "Safe-2-Tell" anonymous tip prompted by a Snapchat post by their teen son.
As reported by Complete Colorado, 16-year-old Nathan Myers and his mother Justine Myers went to a shooting range on Tuesday, a moment that Nathan celebrated by posting a video on Snapchat showing some of the guns they were going to bring, including hand guns and an AR-15. The caption for the post read, "Finna be lit," which he explained to Complete Colorado is just slang used among his peers meaning he's "excited" about the chance to go to the range with his mom, who he hadn't seen in a few weeks due to his parents being separated.
"While we were at her house getting ready to go, I took a video of five or six pistols and an AR-15," Nathan told the outlet. "None of them were loaded, they were all in their cases."
"We had a great day," said Justine, a self-described gun enthusiast. "This is what we do. Nathan has been shooting many times with us. We are huge Second Amendment supporters."
Nathan also posted video of them at the range:
When they returned from shooting, Justine learned from messages left by Nathan's father that police officers had come to the house asking about his initial Snapchat post.
"His father told them he was out shooting with me, I am an avid shooter," Justine explained. "So, the officers said he wasn't in trouble and left."
Though the family thought the issue was settled, the next morning they were informed by the school district that Nathan could not return to classes.
"I called to ask why I couldn't go, and they said it was a safety concern because the student who reported it was scared I was going to shoot up the school," Nathan said.
The Myers say Nathan has never had any conflict with another student, enjoys a large circle of friends, and has no criminal record.
The Myers' "threat assessment hearing" with TVSD was scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday.
Pro-Second Amendment site Rally for Our Rights' Lesley Hollywood reports that she spoke with Justine, "as well as two different attorneys who specialize in Second Amendment issues," and found that the school "is legally within their rights at this time."
"According to the attorneys, the school has a protocol that must be followed when a report of a threat comes in through Safe 2 Tell or other means, even if the report is completely false and there is nothing parents or students can legally do about it, even with a lawyer," she reports.
Complete Colorado notes, however, that Colorado-based pro-Second Amendment organization Rocky Mountain Gun Owners "posted on Facebook that it would supply the family with legal representation if the students story 'bears out as first reported.'"
Complete Colorado reached out to Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams to get his reaction to the situation. After sending him the Snapchat post with no context, the outlet asked Reams for his interpretation of the post. He said he thought it just seemed like a kid excited to go to a firing range. When he learned about the school district's response, he expressed disbelief.
"This is exactly the mechanics of the Red Flag Law," Reams told the outlet. "Someone filed an anonymous complaint, without the other person knowing it was being filed, but instead of him being deprived of his Second Amendment rights, hes being deprived of his ability to go to school without due process."
The teen simply "exercised his First Amendment right to use his Second Amendment right," said Reams, adding, "I hope this doesnt make him fear that in the future."
You MUST go to school, unless we tell you that you MUST NOT go to school. We are in charge. Is that clear?
Yes...and no.
Yes, if Safe 2 tell is being used to report genuine threats.
No, if it is being used to harass students who are exercising their 2nd Amendment rights responsibly.
The student marksman’s student record is going to contain an entry. Why should the informant get a pass?
Anonymous reporting is the point of abuse. None of that. Not publically disclosed should be the only protection extended and it should be extended to both parties. Let the report’s truth or falsehood be recorded in the informant’s record.
To quote General Raige (Will Smith character in the “After Earth” movie), “Fear is a choice.” We need to hold the gun fearers responsible for their agenda of claiming and promoting unreasoning, paralyzing fear every time they see a firearm (real or pictured or a mere empty handed gesture).
So sure, hold the threat assessment.
But no free ride for the pants wetting informant. Make sure both students records are annotated OR, alternatively, no student’s record is annotated.
The student marksman should not have a cloud placed over his life by a report based solely on subjective feelings of a fear filled student who simply saw a photograph of him engaged in a responsible use of a constitutional right. And the fear filled student should learn that being unnecessarily fearful or using supposed feelings of fear to spark fearful behavior in others has consequences for them as well.
I hope the lawyers will insist on this point.
We should avoid bearing false witness, as it makes us as bad as them. Now, if we can bait them into actually revealing their hatred for the Constitution, 2A in particular, we can use that.
It seems like I grew up in a different galaxy. When I was in grade school, junior high, and high school, many of my fellow students used a local target range. We even had a gun club at my high school.
******************
I hear that!
When I grew up, all of us had gun racks in the back window of our trucks, with either a rifle, shotgun, or .22 in the rack depending on what season was open at the time.
Literally almost every pickup in my high school parking lot had at least one firearm in the back window. Almost EVERY SINGLE ONE......and how many shootings you might ask? None, NOT ONE SINGLE ONE.
And this is exactly why red flag laws are so bad.
Now someone can red flag them and their entire gun collection confiscated without due process and no hope of seeing it again.
There was time when young girls would keep a diary and NOBODY was to read it. It was secret. Nowadays they post everything about their lives online for EVERYBODY to see.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Just nuts
I went to school in Colorado (Denver). We used to go shooting after school all the time. Guess its a good thing social media wasnt available
Of course it will. That is the entire point of "Red Flag" laws.
They are a method for harassing any visible gun owners with anonymous complaints and expensive sanctions.
It's what the Democrats mean when they say "common-sense gun control". They use "public safety" as the cover lie to mask their true intentions. But increasingly they don't even try to mask their true intentions.
finna
[ˈfinə]
CONTRACTION - US dialect
going to; intending to.
Usage example: "I'm finna make a scene"
Pull him out of that school pronto! If they don’t they’re just asking the school (government) to ass-rape them until they submit to the Progressive globalist agenda.
What does this have to do with fascism? If you are going to use a term of art, should should first understand the meaning.
Good! The taxpayers need to feel the pain of their stupid decisions until they knock this crap off.
NEVER. EVER post pictures of firearms and particularly yourself with firearms on social media. Nothing good could ever come of it
In fact just dont post on social media. I dont get why some people have to vomit every aspect of their lives all over the internet
The kid should follow this up and invite is class and schoolmates to the range with their parents to enjoy an afternoon shooting. That will weed out the snowflakes. Everyone else can have safe fun.
Or, anonymously “tell on” every single child in the school.
They’re lucky people aren’t posting the phone number of that school. I’d hate to see what would then happen.
I heard some interesting things about education in Poland during the Communist regime by a friend who grew up there. Granted the math, science, and language was far ahead of the US. But there also was the obligatory communist propaganda. The teacher would deliver the propaganda indoctrination, and subtly indicate to the students that it was the Party Line Bovine Scat. Then again realizing that it was due to the Soviets occupying Poland, and most Poles strongly resented that, unless they were useless Party hacks.
Can I just report the entire telephone directory of Newark and Camden? ;-)
Well, Maybe someone should.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.