Grand Island police carry AR15 at school yesterday.

[huskergun]

What the hell are they expecting a freakin army. This is outragous




http://www.omaha.com/article/20100204/NEWS01/702049857/1009/news01

Grand Island school board..308-383-5900
Grand Island Senior High school...308-383-5583

[A-FIXER]

This is crazy....

[SemperFiGuy]

That Muzzle is Definitely NOT Pointed in a Safe Direction!!

Not on that Tiled Concrete Surface.

Shots Would Rickershay for About an Hour.

And.......He's the MEANEST LOOKIN' HALL MONITOR I EVER DID SEE!!

[akclark]

I disagree. This is not crazy. And an AR15 is not an assault rifle.  Its just a rifle that looks scary to the timid.


Your falling into the same black-gun fear as the pinko liberal media.

[Roper]

I tend to agree w/ akclark given the circumstances of why law enforcement was there in the first place.  Assuming that the LEO is highly trained, I think it was a good idea to have a visible presence.

That Muzzle is Definitely NOT Pointed in a Safe Direction!!

Not on that Tiled Concrete Surface.

Shots Would Rickershay for About an Hour[/shadow]

For the sake of learning, how else would the LEO position the AR?

[DaveB]

It is just a show of intimidation, has no place in a school. This is just another reason the kids are growing up anti-gun. Forcing the sheeple to believe that guns are bad and only police shoud have them. All show and nothing else. A pathetic demonstration by the GI law enforcement, the local government, and the school system.

[NE Bull]

I just think the AR was a lil much, A couple uniformed, armed officers (even if he was only carrying a 'block' on his hip) would have been plenty. IMO

[Dan W]

For the sake of learning, how else would the LEO position the AR?

How about Slung on his back. No need for the poorly executed SUL position. It is hardly an active shooter or a  CQB situation during the photo op.

I have no issue with he presence of the rifle, just the faux  "show of force" the picture is trying to convey.

It would be much like a CHP holder walking around the grocery store with a pistol at low ready... there could be a threat, who knows?

Hell, even an honor guard carries rifles. The mere presence of the rifle in a school doesn't bother me at all

[SBarry]

I disagree. This is not crazy. And an AR15 is not an assault rifle.  Its just a rifle that looks scary to the timid.


Your falling into the same black-gun fear as the pinko liberal media.

I agree with you 100%. The PoPo had the evidence their was a threat of retalitation for a shooting. They had to be there in case those threats were acted upon. If they only carried their glock 22s, and the gang bangers brought AKs, we would be all over them for not having enough gun to stop the threat and save lives. The mere presence of that modern sporting rifle may have stop any retaliation that day and in the days ahead.

I do think the rifle should have been slung over his back, or in a single point sling pointing down, not across the hallway where kids are walking.

[Roper]

I am 100% w/ Mr. Barry on this one.  I appreciate the LEO's stepping up and being ready, the downside is people's negative reaction, the upside is they were ready for any threat.  Agree that they don't get style points.  We should be supporting law enforcement and their choice to confront bad guys w/ force and not taking a chance with children's lives.

[OnTheFly]

The presence of firearms on school grounds does not bother me.  It happens every day with the officers who are assigned to each school and (though not visible) with all the CHP holders who are now allowed to drive onto the school property to pick up their kids.

The problem is that this image will re-enforce the anti-gunners stance.  Guns in society=kids bringing guns to school=our children having to go to school with the threat of guns pointed at them.  To an anti, the image of a weapon not slung over the shoulder or holstered implies a greater threat.  Also, the sight of an EBR is disconcerting since everyone knows they are more deadly than those hunting type firearms (Yes...that is sarcasm).  The photo was likely taken during a brief time when such weapons were in the school, but it may make people think the school is in permanent lock-down.

Fly

[Sotex]

I'm going to disagree with some of the posters here.  What would happen if the rifle was slung, and some idiot youth attempted to snag it?  A long gun is more defensible in the hands from a grab attempt.  The particular sling on that rifle did not lend itself to being slung while the rifle is in hand.
The officer's trigger finger is in proper register on the frame.  I am curious about his support hand, however.  Is he perhaps covering an empty mag well?  I don't see how a 20 or 30 round mag can be inserted with his hand like that.  Having said that, it would not bother me if I did see a full sized magazine loaded.  The story says that they had specific threat indicators.  Most school hallways are pretty damn long for pistol shots with a bunch of no-shoots running amok.  I'd be more upset if he was sporting a shotgun.....just because it would not be the appropriate weapon for the task at hand.

[A-FIXER]

As my thought on this is that if the.... so called threat was sufficent to bear arm then the school day should have been suspended, until the matter could be investigated properly and deemed false or true, I send my daughter to a christian school no police presence and glad I do having police at the school is BS as far as I believe. Not that I am anti-gun but just thinking Its too much for school I can not believe the young people of today are so different than when I was growing up only that we respected the authortities and adults not to say we were mindless but knew where we stood in hte scheme of things. And if today adult were more inclined to instill character in the kids then we would be better off not to say I didn't do things but 1/2 the time I just didn't get caught and when I did I knew the price I would pay...so I stand firm if the threat is to be real then different venues should be follower and know this just because you see a GUN in school doesn't mean something won't happen it is just an EXTREME idea to simply resolve to a unknown rumor.....

[DaveB]

Like the police are going to open fire in a crowded school. Although the threat was not a joke, the show was. There was NO reason to give the kids a false sense of security in the school. If the threat was that great, the school should have been shut down until it was over, you don't go putting my kids in danger just to show off! Just one step closer to a total police state.

[David Hineline]

I got not problem with protecting our children at all.   There has not been a student hurt in a school fire in probably 40yrs, they have drills, alarms, practice what to do in a fire, but in regards to school shootings which happens all the time we might put one fat resource officer  in a school who can run scared ****less outside like in the Columbine shooting.  Europe has police in the schoools and police with machineguns walking the airports.  We don't value our children enough to protect them to that extent.  I bet where ever President Obama's children attend school there are machineguns present.

[partsman]

I tend to agree w/ akclark given the circumstances of why law enforcement was there in the first place.  Assuming that the LEO is highly trained, I think it was a good idea to have a visible presence.

That Muzzle is Definitely NOT Pointed in a Safe Direction!!

Not on that Tiled Concrete Surface.

Shots Would Rickershay for About an Hour[/shadow]

For the sake of learning, how else would the LEO position the AR?

Why was he there in the first place?  I can't seem to find that out.  And for the sake of education, Why not point it at the ceiling with the bullet in his pocket like Barney Fife.  AND,  I thought there was a law "no firearms within 500 ft of a school."  I didn't realize they inserted unless you are a cop into the law.  Why not have a dog?  Nobody screws with my German police dog.  She also doesn't go off accidently like the sniper cops rifle did.

[sjwsti]

Want a little dose of reality about school violence, read Terror at Beslan.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Terror-Beslan-Russian-Tragedy-Americas/dp/0976775301

Many experts agree that this type of attack will happen in the U.S. The author recomends the type of security you see in that picture as the only way to defend against it. Obviously this wasnt a threat of terrorism, but a credible threat nonetheless.

And as for how the officer is holding his weapon he is doing nothing wrong. A sling is for getting the weapon out of your hands so you can use them. In this situation it should be in his hands. 

It seem that the critics of how this "looks" or how it makes kids "feel" will be the first to cry "someone should have done something!!" after the fact.

- Shawn

[David Hineline]

I thought there was a law "no firearms within 500 ft of a school."  I didn't realize they inserted unless you are a cop into the law

That law would be wrong, so while I support everyone having a gun at school, that has to include cops.

[partsman]

I thought there was a law "no firearms within 500 ft of a school."  I didn't realize they inserted unless you are a cop into the law

That law would be wrong, so while I support everyone having a gun at school, that has to include cops.

If you want to change the law  I'll back you 100%!  But the law is the law now for everybody, no exceptions for police.

[sjwsti]

Im not going to do your research for you but any "law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity" can carry a firearm into a school gun free zone. 

- Shawn