Editorial: Gun on school campus is a lesson learned

By: Naeem Mcfadden | SCNow
Published: September 02, 2009

On Aug. 20 Marion County law enforcement officers, S.C. Highway Patrolmen and Mullins fire fighters responded to a very serious situation at Mullins High School.

As reports circulated early Thursday morning of students witnessing a young man on the grounds of the school and carrying a pistol, fear and concern spread like wildfire.

Five schools in Marion School District 2 were placed on lockdown and the search for an unknown perpetrator led to an evacuation of nearly three blocks in the city limits. Yes, it was that serious.
It’s a violation of state law to carry a firearm on school grounds, except for law enforcement personnel. Even individuals with permits to carry concealed weapons are prohibited from carrying them onto school grounds.

Without the law saying so, it would still be wrong to bring a weapon to a place designed for education, safety and fostering a positive learning and social environment.

Any kid wanting to impress others or present themselves in a macho “bad-guy’ image should be prepared for the consequences that comes along with being the “bad-guy.” Displaying a gun to other students puts those other students in the awkward position of reporting what could turn out to be a tragic event or of saying nothing at all.

The good thing is, we have agencies that respond in a moment’s notice and are trained to deal with the matter.

“We’ve been training for several years now for situations like this, several times a year, but you know you never can tell what it’s going to be like until it actually happens,” Marion County Sheriff Mark Richardson said.

For everyone involved in securing Mullins High School among the other schools, along with the city streets, a lesson was learned. However, the person charged with the crime doesn’t seem to have learned much of anything, as he was picked up again by Mullins Police officers a week later for violating a court order to not venture into Marion County.

The question citizens are asking is why was a juvenile charged with a serious offense released into the very environment that failed to address an obvious problem with discipline and common sense.

Hopefully, we all have been taught another valuable lesson – and that’s to seek help when it’s desperately needed.