Enough is enough, says an armed U.S. Army veteran in Indiana who has decided to take student and teacher protection into his own hands after the horrifying Florida school shooting and threats of school violence rocked his own town.
Mark Cowan says he is keeping watch outside North Side High School in Fort Wayne with his AR-15 and a handgun – at least until added security is in place. Cown told WANE-TV 15 that he’s standing guard to protect students and defend them against anyone who might threaten their safety while they’re in school. He has been in contact with local police and the school resource officer.
“I [decided] to get my butt off the couch and come out here and keep an eye on these kids and teachers. They deserve it,” Cowan told the news station. “They all deserve a right to go home every night without fear of what’s going to happen during the day.”
In addition to being an Army veteran, Cowan is a member of Oath Keepers, an organization of former police officers, first responders and veterans.
“These kids mean a lot to me,” Cowan told WANE-TV 15. “These teachers mean a lot to me … this is my community, and they need protecting. And our law enforcement, as good as it is, can’t be everywhere. So it’s people like myself and the other Oath Keepers that say, ‘I’m gonna take up that slack.'”
However, the school district doesn’t appear to be thrilled by Cowan’s efforts to provide more security.
“We take the security of our schools very seriously,” Fort Wayne Community Schools spokeswoman Krista Stockman told WANE-TV 15. “We understand he has a right to be out there, but we do not believe it adds to the safety of our students. At North Side, as at all of our schools, we have security procedures in place. In addition. at North Side, we have armed police officers in the building every day.”
As WND has reported, the idea of having armed military veterans and law-enforcement officers act as guards to improve school safety is not new. Action star Chuck Norris, an Air Force veteran, has promoted the idea for several years in his exclusive weekly column.
“Which one of our fine law enforcement or military personnel (in any branch) wouldn’t consider it their greatest duty and honor to take a paid or volunteer shift as a guard infront of our schools protecting those precious souls?” Norris asked in his Feb. 19 column.
And in 2013, Norris pointed to Israel, arguing that it’s a “beacon of light for how to protect our children in public places.”
“Israel mandated armed guards at the entrances to all schools in 1995, and those guards are backed up by special police forces,” he wrote. “Despite that school defenses are primarily intended to thwart terrorists, they also deter any would-be psychos who would cause harm to their children.”
Norris continued: “Back at the home of the brave, the U.S. faces multiple mass shootings on academic campuses and the majority still refuses to post any type of armed guard or even unarmed security at schools to protect our children. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 70 percent of public schools do not have a police officer, and more than half (57 percent) have no security staff. There is an old-fashioned term for that lack of security response in these times: stupid.”
Poor guy. He means well,but sooner or later the professional LEO's are going to get tired of him eating their cookies,and he is going to get a beatdown and conviction to keep him from ever legally owning another firearm,or he is just going to be killed.
I figure the poor fellow will be killed. It was stated that he introduced himself to the local cops patrolling the area and the school resource officer.
But some off-duty cop that doesn’t know who he is or what he doing is not going to just drive by and think: Oh look there’s a guy standing across the street with an AR- 15 and just wave to him while yelling have a nice day. The off-duty cop will draw down on the guy and order him to drop his weapons. If the guy makes any indication of a wrong move, then....BAM, BAM.
Yes, his intentions are good....but his actions are stupidly death threatening to him.
But some off-duty cop that doesn’t know who he is or what he doing is not going to just drive by and think: Oh look there’s a guy standing across the street with an AR- 15 and just wave to him while yelling have a nice day. The off-duty cop will draw down on the guy and order him to drop his weapons. If the guy makes any indication of a wrong move, then....BAM, BAM.
I'm not sure how they can stop him or do anything else. Obviously, he is on private property and the school and the local cops have no power to prevent a legal gun owner from creeping out the kids and teachers by hanging out across the street with an AR-15 and pistol.
Of course, you never know, maybe there are kids or teachers in that school who do feel more secure, seeing a heavily armed guy standing watch quietly across the street.
Even so, I can see how this is problematic, a heavily-armed neighborhood watch kind of thing. I don't think the idea will be popular. People don't want self-appointed armed guards at their schools.
I'm not sure how they can stop him or do anything else.
I did not say and neither did I mean to imply they would stop him. I am assuming that he is on private property with permission on fhe owner. If not, then I am assuming he is more than 100 feet from the school on public property.
I am merely pointing out the possibility of some cop driving by and not know what he is doing there and challenges him and he could possible be shot.
Of course, you never know, maybe there are kids or teachers in that school who do feel more secure, seeing a heavily armed guy standing watch quietly across the street.
I believe I read the school does not want him there.
Even so, I can see how this is problematic, a heavily-armed neighborhood watch kind of thing.
Again, I say it could be problematic for him and for the reason I stated.
Within 1000 feet on any public property. That's the law.
I always thought it was excessive. And it criminalizes anyone driving down the street with a gun in their vehicle.
Tooconservative
More than excessive, it's unconstitutional, --- and if my memory serves, that 1000 ft 'rule' has been successfully challenged several times in lower courts..
Eventually, the SCOTUS will have to shoot down this type of infringement, or else. ---
