Pocatello School Lockdown: Parents Respond With AR-15s

[Bailey Guns]

Different culture when it comes to guns here...not only from parents but from LE having to deal with armed parents. Probably a total fustercluck from a responding LE standpoint but I get the anxiety the parents were probably feeling:

Sheriff: Parents, don't bring guns to school lockdowns
May 25, 2018

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Law enforcement officials in eastern Idaho have issued a public safety warning after several parents responded to a recent school lockdown armed with AR-15 rifles and a pistol.

The Idaho State Journal reports that Marsh Valley High School was placed on lockdown Wednesday due to allegations a student was carrying a pistol.

Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen says some parents — alerted by students locked in classrooms via text and calls — decided to show up to the school carrying AR-15 rifles.

Another parent was carrying an unholstered pistol, which resulted in a confrontation with a state trooper. That parent was asked to leave school grounds and has since apologized to the trooper.

Nielsen says it is a "very bad idea" for parents to show up to a school lockdown armed with guns because it could cause law enforcement officials to think they're active shooters and open fire.

"When you want to do something and you're frustrated, you can't take the law into your own hands," he said. "It's best to let us take care of incidents like this because if you respond you will be more of a hindrance, you could be harmed, and you're going to make it tougher for us to protect the kids."

Authorities say a brother and sister, both students who attend the high school, were driving to school Wednesday when the brother pistol-whipped his sister and then threatened her. Once at school, the brother stayed in the car and the sister went inside to tell her friends she was afraid of what he might do next.

Bannock County Sheriff's office was alerted and about 20 officers went to the school, which was placed on lockdown. Authorities found the brother within 30 minutes and he was taken into custody.
Nielsen added that the armed parents could have been arrested but weren't.

"Do not self-deploy to assist us," Nielsen said. "We believed we had a kid who had just injured his sister and who had a gun. This wasn't a test. We believed there was the possibility of an active shooter."
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Information from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[CoGirl303]

This is a direct result of the cowardice of the Broward County Sheriff's Dept failing to act when they had the chance to take the shooter down.

Parents are edgy and anxious and want to do more than just stand helplessly by, but a very bad choice imo.

It's one thing to show up and say, my AR is in the car, can I assist? and a completely different thing to just show up rifle in hand. Use some common sense.


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[Squeeze]

Wow. In a way, I'm not surprised. Parents want to protect their own. As much of a bad idea as this is, I think it falls under "good initiative, bad judgement". Now, that being said, people can't ignore the fact of the deputy who not only failed to react at Parkland High School, but then later lied about it. That sticks in people's minds. I know I will not forget nor forgive him for his cowardliness.

[BPTactical]

Neva been dun befo......

https://me.me/i/1973-a-student-and-t...school-2942902

[CS1983]

Small correction ^^, it was a bomb threat. The general point stands, though.

[Bailey Guns]

Neva been dun befo......

https://me.me/i/1973-a-student-and-t...school-2942902

Yeah...I'd say the social and political environment is just a little different 45 years later. I'm sure parents 200 years ago might've responded to a schoolhouse with guns for various reasons. Doesn't make it the same as today when guns, especially AR-15s, are considered to be the root of all evil by many in society.