“We really don’t know the motive and why he was carrying it in school,” the local police chief told the assembled press. Gee, we can think of a couple of motives. Like wanting to protect his students and himself. Or the fact that the teacher in question, Jason Adams, taught in a Newtown, Connecticut middle school. Of course, many will argue that particular location only makes the fact that he was caught with a concealed handgun while on the job that much worse . . .
“This matter is very serious and troubling, both the Newtown Public School system and the Newtown Police Department took immediate steps to address the matter,” the Newtown School System said in a statement that police released. “The teacher was immediately detained by security personnel. The teacher has additionally been placed on administrative leave pending an administrative investigation. Both agencies have been working closely together to investigate the incident and are taking precautions to ensure the continued safety of our students, staff and community members.”
There’s no way to know what Adams’ intentions actually were, though we’ll probably be hearing much more about this before the situation is resolved. And here’s a surprise:
Police said school policy strictly forbids the possession of firearms on school property.
Adams will do doubt lose his job and local parents – at least those interviewed for the story – were appalled.
“I’m shocked,” Liz O’Connell, a student’s parent, told NBC Connecticut. “I think it’s horrible, obviously I don’t know the reason why but it was a stupid mistake.”
[h/t FirearmConcierge]
Detained by security personnel? I’d like to know about the school’s supposed ‘security personnel.’
Newtown hired more security for schools after the Sandy Hook shooting, although I have no idea how much, nor what their training or armament consists of.
Trusting one’s life, liberty and happiness solely to government “security” is neither very safe nor very smart.
Evidently retired law enforcement, armed.
Armed security?? But…but….guns in the schools! Think of the children!
I wonder how he was caught. I’d imagine that he’d have been pretty careful, unless he was crazy. Metal detectors?
Likely printing, or someone brushed against him and realized it wasn’t a roll of quarters in his pocket…
The times I’ve been made while CCW it was always through direct physical contact. Someone putting their hand on my hip while they squeeze past me, hand lands directly on my gun which doesn’t feel much like a squishy love handle.
Ah, I’m a tad autistic so I have always evaded physical contact (and even close proximity) like the plague (like Melvin Udall). Decades of practice have made sure this doesn’t happen, so it didn’t even occur to me.
I’d guess loose lips. He may have mentioned to someone that he carries at school, someone he trusted. Down the road, maybe they had a falling out and they dimed him out.
That’s just speculation on my part, but I have known that to happen before.
That’s what happened to me 16 years ago. Not in a school though and I didn’t even know that we had had a falling out until after. I learned my lesson. It sucked real bad.
“Caught with a concealed handgun…” Obviously it wasn’t very well concealed.
You can throw your shirt tail over your sidearm during the occasional visit to the Post Office and most likely get away with it. But when you work with the same people all day, everyday, in a prohibited place, even the seemingly benign bulge from a holstered pocket pistol is going to get noticed by someone, eventually.
Be careful out there.
^^This. Plan ahead – especially if you plan on carrying in a place where discovery will earn you a very uncomfortable conversation minimum, or a misdemeanor criminal charge at worse.
True, although I make it a habit to leave my gun behind anywhere that could risk federal charges (post office) or charges serious enough to lose my rights like a class A misdemeanor here in TX. Especially somewhere like a post office that involves standing in line for long periods of time with a bunch of people who have no respect for personal space. For me at least, that’s an unacceptably high level of risk. If somewhere is so dangerous that I feel like I need to risk a felony or high level misdemeanor charge to protect myself, I should seriously rethink why I need to go to that place.
There are still lines at the post office?
People go to the post office?
I can buy stamps at wal-mart, ship packages from ups or fed-ex, and send letters from my mailbox. What’s the point?
Actually, this tells a lot. It tells that this teacher believes that Sandy Hook was real and that there might be “other” nuts around to invade his school. If he knew that Sandy Hook was a fraud and just a gov’t psyop to be anti-gun, he would figure that nobody would attack his school until he were given the script for the “play”.
Um… are… are you…. serious?
Whichever case you believe to be reality, there are an awful lot of unsupported assumptions in that reasoning:
1 – He was teaching in the same elementary school during Sandy Hook (the article says MIDDLE school teacher).
2 – Government psy-ops protocol requires informing the whole target community of the game plan.
3 – Its impossible for school shootings to happen outside of a govt. psy-op, so there are no other possible threats he might encounter.
4 – (this is the good one) No Psy-Op coordinator would have the foresight to create a follow-up psy-op to help legitimize shortcomings in the original Op – this whole story could be just a continuation of the same conspiracy (dun-dun-DUUUUUUN!!).
5 – There is no such thing as coincidence.
Pass the tinfoil please.
I’m not saying that he was right in his IGNORANCE as to what REALLY happened at Sandy Hook. I just find it interesting that he’s clueless and was comfortable being that way.
With all due respect i didnt have a clue whether you believe or not believe that Sandy Hook was or was not a psyop or a reality?
Jet fuel can’t melt moon beams!
Who knows what his motives may have been. If they were bad intentions, glad he was caught. If he really was concerned for his students’ safety as well as his own, it really sucks that now he’s lost his job and probably his right to own a firearm. Surely he wasn’t running his mouth to anybody about it. It’s bad enough to inform people you’re CC’ing (kind of defeats the purpose, right?), but a whole new retarded to brag about it in a prohibited place. Whenever I carry, I’m the only one that knows it.
“If they were bad intentions, glad he was caught.”
Say, wha…..?
So, you think he was ‘waiting for the right moment’ before embarking on a murderous rampage?
If he had ‘bad intentions’, there would be dead kids.
Geeze…
Just covering all the bases man. If he were up to no good, glad he’s caught- if he wasn’t, it sucks for him.
Armed guards are simply the people that active shooters kill first. Feigning a benign need would draw an officer in close for the coup de gras would be easy. True security comes from people with CONCEALED firearms. Thank you Mr. Adams. You were doing your part. Too bad you were caught. School security is a joke. There is no way to truly secure a school without having it resemble a prison. Security needs to preserve the open and “fun” character of a school. This is best achieved by hidden protectors among the flock.
“Armed guards are simply the people the active shooter kills first..”
Cite one instance of that happening please.
Terrorist attack, yes.
Strong arm robbery in gangland, sometimes yes.
Basement dwelling loser who comes to school with a gun? Not once.
In some cases there has been back and forth between a shooter and security/police, but that has always triggered the end of the incident – either through suicide by cop or by the shooters own hand.
“Basement dwelling loser who comes to school with a gun? Not once.”
In fairness, the basement dwelling losers tend to shy away from places with armed security, altogether. John Lott has noted multiple examples of mass killers who documented a change in their chosen target venue because of a security presence.
Isn’t that exactly what happened at Columbine? It is my understanding that the two murderous fiends originally planned to first gun down the school’s SRO in his office, and then go on with their rampage. As it turned out, the SRO wasn’t where they thought he would be (and actually did engage them in a firefight while they were entering the school, but was unable to stop them). Then, they went and murdered a bunch of people. It would have been nice if there had been a few more armed people among the faculty and staff of the school.
“(and actually did engage them in a firefight while they were entering the school, but was unable to stop them).”
I have never actually heard all the excuses from Columbine, but that reeks of BS. We supposedly had an armed security officer on scene for several hours, who was “unable” this or that, but who emerged uninjured. I consider that to be strong evidence that he ran away. VERY strong evidence. As in, how many rounds did he fire in this supposed “firefight”, and who says so? I do remember seeing a quote from the first cop on the scene, to the extent of he saw a kid with a gun, so he moved to the front of his cruiser so that he would be hiding behind the engine. While listening to children being executed.
The SRO didn’t run away. If memory serves was already outside the building (I think by the football field) observing some kids that may have been about to cause some minor schoolyard trouble when he heard the shots ring out. He went and engaged them and exchanged gunfire and Klebold and Harris went inside. Police protocol at that point was, unfortunately, to set up a perimeter and wait for SWAT so that was his next step.
If I recall correctly, the guy who shot up that Navy yard in the DC area did exactly that, and he added the gun of the uniformed guard to his shooting spree. Do you need me to name a second one.
Ebby123,
Here is another example: Red Lake, Minnesota school shooting in 2005.
The attacker first killed his grandfather at home who was a tribal police officer. Then the attacker went to the high school and promptly executed the security guard at the school entrance before going on to kill more victims inside. Although the security guard was not armed, I don’t think it would have mattered since the attacker had no qualms killing his grandfather at home and taking his grandfather’s firearm/s to perpetrate his attack at the school.
‘Released on his own recognizance.’ Obviously no malicious intent, but I’m guessing that’s a felony in CT. No bail for a felony?
Bail is not required for someone the judge doesn’t think is a flight risk, no?
Straight from the horses mouth:
“Sec. 53a-217b. Possession of a weapon on school grounds: Class D felony. (a) A person is guilty of possession of a weapon on school grounds when, knowing that such person is not licensed or privileged to do so, such person possesses a firearm or deadly weapon, as defined in section 53a-3, (1) in or on the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school, or (2) at a school-sponsored activity as defined in subsection (h) of section 10-233a.
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to the otherwise lawful possession of a firearm (1) by a person for use in a program approved by school officials in or on such school property or at such school-sponsored activity, (2) by a person in accordance with an agreement entered into between school officials and such person or such person’s employer, (3) by a peace officer, as defined in subdivision (9) of section 53a-3, while engaged in the performance of such peace officer’s official duties, or (4) by a person while traversing such school property for the purpose of gaining access to public or private lands open to hunting or for other lawful purposes, provided such firearm is not loaded and the entry on such school property is permitted by the local or regional board of education.
(c) Possession of a weapon on school grounds is a class D felony.”
IANAL but my reading over the years leads me to believe the line can be rather blurry between class D felony and class A misdemeanor. IIRC class A misdemeanors and all felonies are disqualifying crimes.
A comment below made me think, that a teacher is a school official and school official is not really well defined above or in the statute history, although it may be defined elsewhere. An argument can be made as a teacher, he is a school official, and therefore it is within his power to grant himself permission to carry a firearm at school.
Heh people who actually hurt people get out without bail all the time…
The idiots bulldozed the Sandy Hook school. Perhaps should have done the entire town. Its just so scary for those with no spine.
yeah, thats what I am thinking too….
Did anyone ask why he voted last year?
Did anyone ask why he did or didn’t go to church or mosque or synagogue last weekend?
Did anyone ask why he walked down the sidewalk today, or drove to the coast last summer?
Did anyone question his motives for reading the newspaper yesterday?
Why would a free citizen be expected to provide an answer to why they were exercising a civil right?
*MIC DROP*
Because the Constitution as we know it doesn’t really exist in most of the upper east coast.
Although that is where it was written.
Here’s the evidence schools North East school districts care not one wit about protecting children. He was outed by a fellow teacher horrified of the gun itself without regard of intent of the carrier. Mind boggling stupid reaction in an attempt to preserve & protect students. Keep in mind, police are called after the fact dead teachers and students litter the ground with their bodies and blood.
Right. After all, I’d bet even in CT, this man carries a penis with him everywhere he goes too!
Concealed.
Even in a school.
I’m sure when the Democrats figure that out, there will be one more thing outlawed in CT.
Assault with a friendly weapon.
So where’s the victim of this horrible crime against humanity? Surely the state will be able to demonstrate some actual harm to somebody.
ill eat my hat if there wasn’t at least half the PTA that came down with a bad case of the vapors…
Damn the crimes against humanity! We’re talking about far, far worse crimes…crimes against bureaucracy, crimes against those that get the vapors!
Anyone knows who we could write to to (politely) express our opinions about that school’s policy?
I’m a concealed carrying teacher myself (it is legal around here) so I’d like to show some support for common sense in these matters.
The legislature to change the law or “school officials” whomever that is, to change policy.
Say Wha-aat? A person trying to protect his life in Communisticut?
I can’t believe a peasant would be so bold!
“We really don’t know the motive and why he was carrying it in school”
Seriously? Maybe the fact that a poorly parented nutjob went complete psycho and killed some of his fellow teachers and their students, like they were cornered, defenseless animals. Maybe, in case some parent does a shit job of raising their children and it happens again, or Jihadists figure out how defenseless school are, he didn’t want to have to die like that. Maybe he wanted an opportunity to save himself and the children he teaches, if that were to happen again.
I swear, I think Liberals are as stupid as they are on purpose because they want to kill off conservatives through increased blood pressure and heart attacks when we read their opinions.
Man I’m glad my kids are grown up. Lot’s of middle school “kids” seem awfully large and violent from what I see. Lots of the shootings in Chiraq are perpetrated by 14 year old…oh wait this was in response to a crazy TWENTY year old with an AR(so we’ve been led to believe). NO-I’m not suggesting it didn’t happen. But their response is typical left-loon by ignoring the best way to combat the chillin’ gettin’ blown away…
He lives in a slave state. This is their future.it will get worse.
I think ln that if he had bad intentions, he wouldn’t have surrendered peacefully. Food for thought.
The horror, how dare this subject attempt to defend himself. Someone arrested for trying to exercise their constitutional rights.
What is “very serious and troubling” is that these folks don’t seem to understand the difference between a solution and a problem and end up attacking the solution.
This guy probably carried that gun for a long time in the school. The horror. He must have killed so many kids.
Oh wait, he didn’t? Huh. That’s odd.
I hope a strong Constitutional attorney will take his case pro-Bono and defend this teacher. Of course it is CT where the Second Amendment does not apply.
I think he just made a simple risk/reward analysis and came to the conclusion that he’d rather take a chance of losing his job than be defenseless to stop a psycho trying to kill him or his kids/students. He should be commended, not villified. Maybe he can now move to a free state where he will not be villified by hysterical hoplophobic cowards, but welcomed as an honest man who made a decision and paid a price for it.
But I suspect the price includes becoming a federally prohibited person/felon, so unless he gets a teaching job in Israel, he probably won’t be carrying in the classroom again.
Teachers here in Texas come to school armed. Not many and it really depends on the tenor of the school (admin, colleagues, etc.) but it happens more than you might think. Of course college criminal justice faculty come to school armed but so do some faculty and administrators. It’s all very discrete but, especially after Sandy Hook, people who work in schools began reaching some tacit understandings about carrying guns.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. He broke the law he should already know very well. (Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.) Nothing to see here.
What other states and teachers do is irrelevant. Those who argue along those lines are no better than kids who disobey their parents because they think they have a right to do whatever they want. It’s a childish statement.
Shall not be infringed?
It is too bad no teachers were armed three years ago.
This teacher was found out when he bent over and exposed his concealed weapon. As a permit carrying resident of Newtown, he only makes all gun owners look unreasonable. Of all towns to do this in his actions were flat out stupid. This is now national news and the gun grabbers will use it as an example of how permit carriers do not obey the law.
If one has a CCW they should be able to carry anywhere. It shouldn’t matter where he was caught, especially since Sandy Hook was a proven hoax.
Next time he and his liberal teacher unions in CT vote for the idiots they do and impose gun safe zones he should look at himself in his mirro in prison and reflect about that decision he made to break the laws of CT. He was caught by a co-worker and he turned him in.
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