How would you feel if you found this "Emergency Notice" on your local school web site?
The purpose of this message is to inform you that today, Wednesday, January 15, 2014, a student transported a rifle to school and brought it into the High School building. The rifle was in a transport case. When the case was opened in a classroom, the teacher immediately secured the weapon and police were notified. The weapon and the student are now in police custody. No students or staff were threatened or injured during this incident and the police continue to investigate this incident. As a District, we wish to reassure you that all of the students and staff are safe. If you have any questions, feel free to call your school's main office.
This is the actual notice about what just happened at Indian River Central School District in upstate New York.
This comes one day after two students were seriously wounded by a child with a shotgun at a middle school in Roswell, New Mexico, as diaried by NMDad here and by DragonLady1954 here.
Thankfully the student who snuck into school with a rifle at Indian River High was spotted by a teacher and apprehended before any shots were fired. Details are sketchy at this point, but here is information from CNY Central:
Quick action of teacher prevents tragedy when Indian River student brought gun to class
INDIAN RIVER, JEFFERSON COUNTY -- A 15-year-old student at Indian River High School snuck a rifle into the school today, where the quick actions of a teacher prevented tragedy, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies say.
Deputies say the student had a detailed plan, which was set in motion months ago. At the end of class at about 12:50 pm, the student opened up a case that had the rifle, which he was able to get into school earlier in the day.
The student and the rifle were detained, and the school was put on lockdown...
(Emphasis added.)
And from the
Watertown Daily Times:
Student with rifle disarmed at Indian River Central School
UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2014 AT 3:28 PM
Indian River Central School officials notified parents at about 2 p.m. that a student took a rifle to school today, but a faculty member “immediately secured” the gun and police were called.
In an email to district residents, James Koch said the rifle was in a case, which was opened in a high school classroom. The teacher in the class immediately confiscated the gun. Both the rifle and the student are now in police custody...
Am hoping to add updates as additional information becomes available.
Please feel free to provide any news you might discover about this event, and share your civil thoughts about how events like this should fit into our national discussion about firearms, school safety, and gun culture.