SUFFOLK
Last week, charges against a high school senior who took a gun onto school property in August were dismissed.
Pamela Pouchot could have told you it was going to happen.
As soon as she learned about the case, she tracked down Michael A. Colon Jr. and his family to deliver a message. She told them that, no matter what the police might say, it's not necessarily illegal to have a gun on school property. Then she went about trying to talk to the Suffolk commonwealth's attorney.
"I'm good at research," Pouchot said, sitting in her Yorktown home. "I found the kid."
Pouchot doesn't like guns. She and several acquaintances formed The Virginia Committee for Gun-Free Schools in the late 1990s. They went to the General Assembly to lobby for the cause and got so little attention, she said, that she gave up - except for a few times.
It's not that she wants to see students who do such a thing go free, Pouchot said. She wants to bring attention to the fact that having a gun on school property isn't always against Virginia law.
"I want the community to get mad," she said.
She did the same thing in 2006 for a student at Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk. Both students were charged with violating section 18.2-308.1 of the Code of Virginia, though the law allows firearms in Virginia schools if the weapons are in a vehicle in a "closed container," including a locked trunk. The charge was dropped in that case as well.
"The judge felt that the case fit one of the noted exceptions," Suffolk prosecutor Scott Alleman said of Colon's case. "It was an unloaded handgun, in a vehicle, in a closed container. The statute says what it says, and we respect the judge's decision."
Pouchot got interested in the issue when she and a friend attended a "big game show" at a school in the small York County community of Grafton. The two women were there in protest. They didn't like the great tusks, huge horns and massive pelts displayed at the show, and they didn't like the fact that hunting is tied to guns. It has no place in a school, she said.
She said Colon told her that his weapon - a .45-caliber handgun - was in a bag in the trunk of a friend's car.
Suffolk police charged him, and he was suspended from Lakeland High School with a recommendation for expulsion, according to city spokeswoman Debbie George.
Colon was expelled, his mother, Eileen Thomson, said Tuesday. His plans to join the Navy have been put on hold because the Navy requires a high school diploma and won't accept a GED, she said.
"Chewing gum isn't illegal, but if the School Board makes it so, you can get expelled for chewing gum in school," Pouchot said.
Like many school systems, Suffolk's takes a hard line in such cases. Its policy calls for any student who brings a weapon onto school property to be expelled for at least one year.
Pouchot still gives out her Virginia Committee for Gun-Free Schools business card, but she's written "retired" across the top. She doesn't lobby legislators anymore, but she can't stay away from the issue altogether.
"As adults, we have an obligation to protect children," she said. "But when I see something like the Suffolk situation, I like to let the students know what their rights are."
That situation, she said, could have been a tragedy. She blames the hunters of Virginia for the lawmakers' failure to change things. She's talked with parents, she said, who see no problem with youngsters taking guns to school, for example, if they're planning to go hunting as soon as they get out.
Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com
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Gertz
I never intended for you to agree with me. However,I do belive that it is your ultimate goal to make sure that all firearms are banned from law abiding citizens except by Gertz approved people such as police, judges, prosecutors and tough cheese for the rest of us. This is pretty much how liberal activists start out. Take a little at a time until the ends justifies the means. Just as Adolph Hitler did in 1935. The rest is history.
Open carry of firearms apparently offends you. Your opinions offend me. John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, and Barack Obama offend me. So what! I don't care. You or I don't have a right not to be offended. I am not out to have you banned from expressing your views on this blog or any other. Debate is healthy and debating you is something I look forward to each day.
that isn't my assertion, it's yours
"What is ridiculous is your assertion that an object (a gun in this case) will break out of it's locked container, aim and fire itself killing numerous people."
Your attempt to paint me the fool continues to backfire. The problem is simple, you can't stand it when someone disagrees with you, and this article isn't about automobiles it's about guns on school property. I will never agree with you, and by now I hope you know it. The more people open carry, the more who will get sick of it, and that law will see change, just as this one will. More and more people are finally learning as I did, that it's legal to have a gun in a vehicle on school property. The law is obsurd! Funny part, I'm not trying to take your gun away, but there are changes that need to be made. You don't have to agree and I never asked you to. Please don't expect me to agree with you.
Gertz
Spare me and the rest of us of this rubbish Gertz. I know perfectly well what damage guns can do. Just like an automobile which is a 4000 pound missile, both have the ability to do harm. What is ridiculous is your assertion that an object (a gun in this case) will break out of it's locked container, aim and fire itself killing numerous people. Just as an automobile will start itself up without keys, drive itself to the nearest school bus stop and mow down the students standing there right? Absolutely absurd. Because of your hatred of guns and responsible people who own them, you try to find excuses that law abiding citizens should use marshmallows and nerf balls to defend themselves from preditors. Or perhaps be executed like Elisabeth Kelly Reilly by people who don't care what the law says, what the consequences are of breaking it, and the end results. Police couldn't get to Kelly to save her when the seconds counted or appear by magic to stop this preditor in the nick of time. But if she had a gun, thank goodness she left it at home because that's the only place Gertz says she can have it.
people hurt people....
Guns can't do any harm if people don't use them. But just like with everything else someone is going to want to challenge the point. The point is that no law was broken and still he was prosecuted. Yes, case dismissed but how do you change the fact that he will have to try and get a job with a dismissed charge. No one seems to see the WHOLE picture.
what harm can it do????
What harm can it do for a student to be allowed to keep a gun in his vehicle while parked on schoop property??
I really shouldn't even respond to the insanity of this question, but who can resist such a foolish notion.
Who knows that students are scared, perhaps you haven't been following any of the other articles regarding school violence.
Maybe you don't think a gun can do any harm, but a baseball bat, or pen can, but a gun can do more damage to more people within a new minutes than a bat or pen will every do. Your comment is ridiculous at best and childish at the very least. It sounds like you have no understanding of what damage a gun can actually do.
school policy
Who makes this stuff up and then allows for the policies to be applied? If you look at the facts: the law of Virginia says he broke no law but the school policy says he did. What?!! Which is it? The school hired an officer who just didn't know what the exemption laws were and now we can continue to complicate the students lives. Don't worry the kids are not out to get the adults....the adults have to make sure that they guide their kids right. There is a place and a time for everything but even with the simplest of things guidance is key.
What harm can anything do
What harm can anything do locked in the trunk of a car? Suppose it was a baseball bat? Suppose it was a ball point pen? I can use a number two pencil as a weapon and I can carry that INSIDE the school. When was the last time you went into a high school? 1961? How do you know who feels safe in school and who doesn't. Part of the problem is that liberals run the school system and teachers unions. That means no disipline. One law doesn't fit everyone. You just can't help passing judgement on someone for something they "might" do. Which is the case for this student as well as Dan Moore in Norfolk.
the commonwealth allows guns on school property
The Commonwealth of VA allows guns on school property. They allow a student 18 years old to keep a gun in his vehicle while parked on school property. It's the law! It's a law that neeeds to change.
I find it very sad that people are not as outraged as I am that this is legal. With all the violence we have in our schools we need to do everything we can to prevent such a thing in and on school property. Our students and teachers need to feel safe in our schools, but they don't. Many of our children are afraid to go to school. What kind of society are we, to allow such a thing?
Gertz asks "What more
Gertz asks "What more constitutional right do you think he should have gotten? It is not against the law for an 18 year old student to leave a gun in his vehicle while parked at a public school."
He should have been left alone.
the kid was not found guilty
What more constitutional right do you think he should have gotten? It is not against the law for an 18 year old student to leave a gun in his vehicle while parked at a public school.
off the subject..
So how do you contact someone to help you defend your constitutional rights? This kid was not treated fairly; regardless of who approves or doesn't approve....
Believe me, Gertz
There is nothing those of us who value our 2nd Amendment rights would like better than to have you as a spokesperson for the other side.
Gertz
It shall be done!
Actually I don't mind the attention...
As stated before, I've defended myself and my girlfriend at the time with a gun. So I do not mind the "exposing" that you are doing. And as a matter of fact, I don't think any of us mind the "exposing" that you are doing. It is as simple as a search at your local courthouse to pull the laws. And from those laws I carry. I'm not paranoid, I don't go out thinking I'm going to be robbed. I don't live in fear. I live in reality. One that states the cops can not always protect and serve and according to the Supream Court they do not have to protect and serve. So just like I lock my doors at night (ohhh God I must be paranoid), lock my windows (dear Lord, I'm worse then I thought), and lock my car doors (this must mean I have to move), I take the steps needed to ensure mine and my families saftey.
I guess a woman who carries pepper spray or a taser must be just as paranoid as those you demonize without even knowing...
Oh yeah
And just like you, I love attention too. So feel free to bring all you have.
this little old lady
doesn't own a cat, and can be your worst nightmare when it comes to drawing attention to our current gun laws. Many people don't understand them, but they will before I'm finished. Shut Up? Not in your life time Rob, Move? Again not in your life time, Rob.
What the likes of you can't stand is all the attention I can bring to our gun laws, and I haven't even gotten a good start. That's the problem, you don't want people to know how you can strut around town with a gun on your hip. Well, don't just do it in Norfolk, try Portsmouth, Suffolk, and God yes, Yorktown, and Williamsburg, and every city inbetween. I want you to, I want you to have open carry rallies at Malls, public events, I want you to display your gun openly all around Hampton Roads, I want people like you, junior, to see for themselves what our laws allow, and then lets see the public reaction. Now, junior on this blog IT IS OVER, but please carry on.
People love people who open carry. Women find it sexy!
One can say that all 65 year old ladies are bitter, just as easily as one can say all gun advocates are insecure. It's these broad brushes that people paint others with that make bitter old ladies that do so inintolerable. Then again, why would one need a gun when they have their many many cats to protect them.
Law
VA law states "It shall be unlawful for any person under 18 years of age to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport a handgun or assault firearm anywhere in the Commonwealth. ". The article does not give the age, but that is something to consider.
please continue to open carry
Please continue to open carry your gun when ever and where ever you want to. In the long run you will find it counter-productive, and the general public will get sick of your display of a gun. So I beg you, please continue!
This discussion has ended as far as I'm concerned, but do keep up the good work.
unbelievable...
Even when the law is followed people still have a problem with it. Last time I looked no one gets arressted because someone didn't like what someone else did....in this case the law was followed. The exemption rules exist for a reason don't you think or else it would not have been included in the statue. When legislation allows for schools to make policies for students to follow and then refers to the State Law but doesn't adopt the ENTIRE LAW (to include all exemptions if any); what exactly are we trying to say?
Gertz
As long as they are in full compliance with Virginia state law, you can tell them I said it was OK.
What is unbelieveable is that you advocate people being harrassed, and arrested for following the law, just because you disagree with it. What a shame.
Question for anti-gun folks regarding insecurity...
Gertz Point - please do not mistake my question as any sort of personal attack against you because that is not my intent.
You posed the question, "How about the insecurity of the person who has to feel safe to constantly want to carry a gun?"
Let me modify your question...
How about the insecurity of the person who has to feel safe to constantly wear a seatbelt, install fire alarms, place their child in a baby seat, lock their doors at night, carry a cell phone "just in case", or stay away from seedy parts of the city?
I don't carry a firearm to protest, I carry one to protect.
I am a husband and a father. It is my duty to protect my wife and children from harm. Would you suggest I tear out my fire alarms, ignore seatbelts, unlock my doors, etc.?
A firearm is the best choice when it comes to personal protection. What better suggestion do you have Gertz regarding protecting my family from criminals?
re: orion get it together
Gertz Point wrote:
I was quoting Mayor Adrian Fenty. You can't expect to read every other word and fully understand what was said. Now can you?
Gertz, I don't know which is more terrifying, the fact you follow [blindly] your party line or the fact you really haven't a clue about world history or the statistics of private gun ownership. When individuals are allowed to own guns in a particular area, the crime rate drops precipitously.
I fully understood what your post said as well as the fact you believe everything the anti-gun lobby propagates.
I suggest you look to your posts in the various blogs, compare it to the history of the past 70 years and you will see a startling similarity; you prefer a fascist government to personal liberties...
It's Simple; don't make it complicated!
Rules are rules whether you like them or not. Fact: Guns are not allowed on school property. Fact: Drugs are not allowed on school property. Fact: Sex offenders are not allowed on school property. The rules and regulations are there for a reason and due to recent history, a purpose. The rules don't necessarily make them right; however, they are the rules. We can not continue to speak of yesterday, yesterday has long since disappeared (let's face it yesterday had it's own set of problems)...smoking is also not allowed and I might add pretty much everywhere. Today is today...not yesterday. If people do not like the laws then I suggest the people try and change them. Whatever your course of action may be, do not teach our younger society how to buck the system. That my dear is the problem with todays society in general. No respect for the system and always a loop hole to crawl through. And yes, lawma
not alright....
It is not alright to carry a gun on school property, however being said that, it is NOT ILLEGAL either if it is in a "locked container" which it was. This is not about insecurities or hunters...the school police officer didn't know her law and that is why he was arrested. There is always more to a story...
by all means
By all means inform students it's OK to carry a gun to school in their car, and when the police ask what's going on, they can tell the police that Keith said it was alright, I read it on the Pilot Blog. The irresponsibility of such a comment is unbelievable. But you know, that's what's it's going to take. Students carrying in cars, adults walking around town, in and out of store's, and when and where they want to for the general public to finally speak out and get VA laws changed and more regulated on guns.
Gertz again.."How about the
Gertz again.."How about the insecurity of the person who has to feel save to constantly want to carry a gun? This article is about schools and guns."
How about the insecurity of the person who "assumes" that a person who carries a firearm whether openly or concealed, or a student who has a firearm lawfully secured in their vehicle, is out to knock over a Seven-Eleven? The Doc is right. Perhaps counseling would help. Those Psyc classes in college could have had a devistating effect.
Wrong
If so, then the article states it was a handgun, which under Virginia law is illegal to possess if you are under 21, correct?
Anyone 18 and older that can legally purchase a firearm can open carry a firearm.
What is the legal age to purchase or possess a firearm?
A person must be at least 18 years of age to purchase a rifle or shotgun. To purchase a handgun from a licensed firearms dealer, you must be at least 21 years of age, pursuant to federal law. For statutory regulations concerning underage persons possessing firearms, refer to Virginia Code §18.2-308.7, possession or transportation of certain firearms by persons under the age of eighteen.
Virginia does not require firearm registration nor is it necessary to obtain a permit before carrying a firearm or other such weapon openly about the person except where prohibited by statute. Pursuant to §18.2-308 of the Code of Virginia,
How the left was one...
It has nothing to do with insecurity. I used to go storm chasing in Fredericksburg. in 97 I got my Concealed Carry Permit. My girl-friend and I went out taking pictures of lightening one afternoon and we stopped off of route 3 near this empty field. A guy stopped his car and he got out to see what we were doing. Nothing wrong with that.
I told him we were out taking pictures of thunderstorms. He said cool and went back to his trunk. He took out a baseball bat and proceeded to walk back to me. I flipped up my shirt and put my hand on the butt of my Leagelly Owned, Registered, with Concelead Carry Permit. He saw my hand and my gun, stopped, and went back to his car and left.
I didn't bother to ask if he was practicing softball.
But I was not paranoid. I was exercizing my 2nd ammendmit right and, my girlfriend and I walked away alive, not dead...
paranoia phobia?
How about the insecurity of the person who has to feel save to constantly want to carry a gun? This article is about schools and guns.