This Just Makes Me Mad

I stumbled on this old editorial (from the Medford Mail Tribune, 12 Sept 07) from the blog The War on Guns. There are so many things about this that make me mad, it's hard to figure out where to begin. A quick summary:

The teacher reportedly is afraid of her ex-husband, whom she has served with a restraining order. After district officials reminded the teacher of district policy and told her not to bring a gun to school, she contacted the Oregon Firearms Federation and a Portland attorney, who says he will ask a Jackson County judge to declare the district's policy illegal. He says state law specifically declares that only the Legislature has the power to regulate firearms.

The Legislature also both banned guns from schools, and exempted concealed carry permit holders from that ban.

Many of the usual anti-gunner "guns don't belong in schools" arguments follow. What really makes me mad though, is this:

The chances of an accidental shooting — or a gun making its way into the wrong hands, with tragic consequences — are far greater than the chances of an intruder bent on mayhem. And let's not forget — this isn't just about teachers. If the loophole remains, any person with a concealed handgun license could bring their gun to the next football game or parent-teacher conference. Is that a good thing?

He seems to ignore the fact that she's not afraid of just a random intruder. She's afraid of a specific person, namely her ex-husband. Although the article doesn't mention that he's made any specific threats against her, the fact that she's gotten a restraining order means it's very likely that he has.

He also ignores the fact that an "accidental" shooting, or the gun "making it's way into the wrong hands" can only happen if she takes the gun out. It's not going to "go off" in the holster. It's concealed. Even if, because of this idiot's article, someone knows she has it and wants to take it away, they won't know where she has it.

But what really, really pisses me off is this:

In the meantime, there is the question of the Medford teacher's situation and what risks it may pose to students, regardless of whether she is armed. If she is so afraid of her former husband that she feels the need to carry a gun at school, what threat might he pose to her students? Parents would be justified in asking that question, and school officials should be prepared to answer it.

He suddenly remembered that she's afraid of a specific person, and uses that to call for parents to complain as a way to try to get her fired for someone else's actions! There is no reason for this except sheer damned vindictiveness. She hasn't done anything herself except to dare to challenge the "holy writ" that "guns don't belong in schools."

I don't know how this story turned out, or how it stands today. But if this bastard succeded in getting her fired, every teacher in the country should be worried. If someone threatens you, whether you did anything or not, you may find your self out of a job!