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The kid is a moron. If no one knew about the gun being hidden in his truck why could he just not have left it there this one time and then removed it when he got home several hours later? Maybe he thought that this was a bad thing to have done regardless of anyone knowing about it but "GOD"...Maybe he was afraid "GOD" would snitch on him..He needs to be evaluated by a good mental health doctor.He is truly a moron
Agreed. Apparently the principal does not have his hands tied because the assistant principal also previously forgot she had a gun in her car, and she was only suspended for 3 days. The presence of a gun only creates a dangerous situation if a student brings it to school? Glad this is being made a big issue of support by the town, and look forward to the dismissal of these charges.
Quote:
Originally Posted by legalsea
My thoughts:
I think this case will be dismissed without any charges filed (being arrested is not the same thing as actually being charged).
One of the news stories quoted a school spokes-person as saying that Cole was arrested because: “The law is very clear when a person knowingly and willingly brings a weapon onto educational property,” then the student must be turned over to law enforcement.
Thus far, the facts seem to indicate that Cole did not knowingly and willingly bring the shotgun onto the school property. I simply can't see a grand jury indicting this young man. Or a district attorney pursuing it. I think the spokes-person was very careful to use that language for a reason.
I do not like 'zero tolerance' rules. However, this school, and many others, has such a rule, so I must live with it. Wishing it weren't so helps nothing.
The political posts herein are silly. For all we know the school principal may well be a 'tea party' advocate, or a 'liberal'. However, it makes no difference. If you, the reader, were the principal at the school, and you were informed that a student brought a shotgun onto school property, what would your response be?
1. Ignore it, for the Second Amendment allows for individuals to bring guns onto school grounds.
2. Inquire whether the student planned to use the shotgun to kill you, or just some of the more unpopular classmates.
3. Cover your butt and follow the official rules that the local authorities (school board, city council, what have you) put into place.
4. Go to the nearest computer, sign in to CD, start a new thread on the matter, and then read what would be appropriate in light of your political viewpoint.
As much as I dislike what happened to Cole, I can't see what viable option the school authority had, other than call in the police. Again, I do not like 'zero tolerance'. However, it is in place, and if you allow one student 'slack', then you not only open yourself up to a host of problems, but it becomes confusing to all.
I also do not blame the parents. We have little other information (google this case and you will see essentially the same story repeated word or word, with no new information). It does appear to be an honest mistake by this young man, which is why I dislike 'zero tolerance' rules.
It is sad: every time we have school board elections here in Fort Worth, the turnout is miserable. People act like who is elected to these boards does not matter. Only those with a real passion (such as having zero tolerance implemented) will bother to turn out.
Since I must get to work I will answer one upcoming question: I do not think that students should be allowed to bring any weapon onto school property. However, I also do not think that the principal should have his or her hands tied (i.e., having to call police) by the zero tolerance rules. It would have been a non-issue if the principal had the power to simply say "Ok, Cole, drive back home and get rid of the gun, and spend an hour after school cleaning the gym as punishment". Heck, in my day, my principal would have taken the shotgun and said "Well, Legalsea, looks like I have a new shotgun" (he was a miserable man).
I think it's utterly ridiculous to kick a kid out of his school this close to graduating for making an honest mistake and then trying to rectify it.
Obviously a kid who calls his mom to pick up the weapon has no ill intent.
We ALL make mistakes. There was no inherent danger here. The kid was trying to do the right thing. While there should be some penalty for carelessness, this is way over the top.
Honestly, where's the empathy for this guy from some of you?? How would you feel if it was your kid?
I think we need to stand up for the future of all kids, not just gun victims. Otherwise we're awfully hypocritical.
The kid is a moron. If no one knew about the gun being hidden in his truck why could he just not have left it there this one time and then removed it when he got home several hours later? Maybe he thought that this was a bad thing to have done regardless of anyone knowing about it but "GOD"...Maybe he was afraid "GOD" would snitch on him..He needs to be evaluated by a good mental health doctor.He is truly a moron
I was unaware that god has a position on gun control. What part of the bible would this come from?
I drove my fathers car to highschool back in the late 90's because he needed my truck, and he always kept an M1 Carbine in his trunk. Luckily I never said anything about it, and didn't even think about it back then.
The lockers arent yours, thereby they are more than allowed to search them whenever you want. I dont buy the story about the searching of the cars, sorry.. Never heard of that in my entire life.
Student cars parked in a school parking lot are subject to search. Courts have said that police can search a car without a warrant in the school parking lot, because there was probable cause to believe they would find evidence of a crime. In that case, the school first allowed police officers to bring dogs in to sniff lockers for drugs. Next, the dogs sniffed in the parking lot, and alerted the officers to a specific car. Police officers opened and searched the vehicle and found drug paraphernalia inside. Since the police had probable cause after the dog sniffed the car, it was okay to search the car even though the student was inside the school.72
With probable cause, the POLICE, (not the school) can search the cars, without it, its private property.
Why are we arguing about this? The fact is is that cars are searched on school grounds without warrant and dubious probable cause everyday. Also every school I have been to has had a resource officer working at all times. Are we really going to speak in theory when the boundaries of these rules always get stretched and broken without recourse? What is the point?
it's interesting that intention has no bearing on these types of cases.
For example. It's agaist the law to speed. If I race to the hospital with an injured loved one, and a cop clocks me at 15 over the limit, should he:
A. pull me over and give me a ticket, afterall I broke the law.
B. escort me to the hospital
And? You sleep ok at night thinking it's fine, nothing we can do, a rule is a rule?
Get your head out of your arse.
In most legal cases, INTENT, is a prime issue.
He made a MISTAKE and tried to correct it using COMMON SENSE, he called his Mother to come and get it.
The punishment come no where close to "fit the crime"
When this ruling is challenged and overturned, we will come back and be ecstatic to see all you people with no common sense at crow.
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