No longer facing the prospect of being expelled, third baseman Sawyer Shepherd, center, made his first stop back at school to visit his teammates. (Photo: John Hacker/Carthage Press)
Guns dot com
Sawyer Shepherd, the 18-year-old senior suspended from Carthage High School in rural Missouri over having his disassembled turkey gun in his truck, will graduate with his class.
As previously reported by Guns.com, Shepherd had been suspended for 10 days and was facing possible expulsion following an early morning turkey hunt before school after which he accidentally left his unloaded shotgun locked in his truck. An anonymous tip called into school administrators led to the youth owning up to his mistake when confronted and then being forced out of school due pending review of his case.
In a happy conclusion to an incident that could have derailed the high school senior’s graduation, the youth is now being given a second chance.
“He is now back in school, back on the baseball team, attending prom this Saturday and graduating with his class,” Shepherd’s attorney, Juddson McPherson, told Guns.com Thursday. “Had the presumed punishment gone unamended, Sawyer would have been expelled from school for a year and not been able to finish his baseball season, attended prom or graduated with the rest of his class.”
"after which he accidentally left his unloaded shotgun locked in his truck"
This is an example of the lying pro-gun writers always twisting things in their favor. I'd like to know if anyone really believes the kid "accidentally" left the gun in the truck, whatever that even means.
"The next step for the attorney, he pledged, is to help make sure this is not repeated in other schools across the Show Me State.
ReplyDelete“While no one is arguing that students should have guns in school buildings, properly storing unloaded firearms in a locked vehicle for hunting purposes before or after school should certainly be allowed in the State of Missouri, just as it is under federal law,” McPherson said.
Going forward, McPherson said he will be working with Missouri state Rep. Mike Kelly to introduce amendments to the state’s Safe Schools Act, which mirrors the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act.
“There is currently an exception to federal law for an unloaded gun that is stored in a locked vehicle or locking gun rack. Unfortunately, Missouri does not have the same provision, McPherson said. “This amendment will be an important step in preserving the well-established hunting heritage in Missouri.”
Hopefully this can be addressed in the next legislative session. He was doing something which was quite legal and was instead potentially being punished for violation of school rules.
I thought you gun rights guys were the ones who like to point out that there's no difference between hunting guns and others? Now, all of a sudden, we're to be able to tell the difference, besides reading the gun owner's mind as to what he plans to do with them.
DeleteI thought you gun rights guys were the ones who like to point out that there's no difference between hunting guns and others?
DeleteWhat does this incident have to do with some supposed "difference between hunting guns and others"?
The proposed legislation would merely make Missouri's gun laws a bit less draconian, putting them in line with federal law.
Ssgmarkcr's quote says nothing about a "difference between hunting guns and others". It spoke of the purpose of a stored gun:
Delete“While no one is arguing that students should have guns in school buildings, properly storing unloaded firearms in a locked vehicle for hunting purposes before or after school should certainly be allowed in the State of Missouri, just as it is under federal law,” McPherson said.
I'm also not getting the hunting guns vs. (I'm presuming) evil assault weapon thing regarding this event. Keep in mind that Mr. Shepherd is an adult and any other adult can leave a firearm in their unloaded firearm in their vehicle in the school parking lot and conduct business at the school with no punishment.
DeleteHowever, his status as a student somehow makes the presence of a firearm in his vehicle something worthy of expulsion and losing a year of academic progress in his life.
What don't you guys get? The issue is about prohibiting guns from the school property and you guys are saying because they were hunting guns and the kid was just returning from hunting it should be ok. I'm saying that's inconsistent with your other claims that there's no difference between hunting guns and the others (the ones used for school massacres, for example).
DeleteI don't see where any of us ever alluded that the type of gun makes it ok. You made that part up to call us hypocrites.
Delete"The issue is about prohibiting guns from the school property and you guys are saying because they were hunting guns and the kid was just returning from hunting it should be ok."
DeleteActually Mike, I don't think that. My opinion is that if its legal for other citizens to store an item in their vehicle, be it a firearm, tobacco, etc., then they shouldn't be punished just because they are attending classes there.
Mr. Shepherd wasn't charged with any crimes, he was being punished by the school administration.
I'm saying that's inconsistent with your other claims that there's no difference between hunting guns and the others (the ones used for school massacres, for example).
DeleteIt's not about some supposed difference in the guns, it's the difference in the people and their behavior. Leaving a, disassembled, unloaded shotgun locked in one's truck after an early morning hunt is the behavior of a hunter, not a perpetrator of massacres.
I'm not a hunter, but isn't a turkey shoot basically a clusterfuck where you hide in a blind until the dogs flush the birds out and you slaughter as many as you can? This is Dick Cheney stuff. Where was the student going to store the dead turkeys while he was in class? The kid was lying. I mean, wouldn't it just about have to be a lie by definition? Early morning turkey hunt? Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteNo. We don't need attorneys "working" with republican politicians to fix bad state laws. Not really. I'm pretty sure that in a constitutional republic it is okay for states to make their own laws. Of course we can all be happy the kid can graduate. That doesn't mean that we have to change the laws so that it never happens this way again. NRA can STFU.
Interesting point about the kid lying.
DeleteI'm not a hunter, but isn't a turkey shoot basically a clusterfuck where you hide in a blind until the dogs flush the birds out and you slaughter as many as you can?
DeleteA turkey shoot is a very different thing from a turkey hunt. Turkey shoots have evolved basically into a target shooting contest in which a frozen turkey is awarded to the winner.
Also, turkey hunting is rarely done with dogs (I don't believe it's even legal in most states).
I assume the kid had returned home after the hunt and before class, and forgot to take the shotgun out of the truck. Entirely plausible.
Kurt: "I assume the kid had returned home after the hunt and before class, and forgot to take the shotgun out of the truck. Entirely plausible."
DeleteThat's exactly what the report says happened:
The controversy began last Tuesday when Shepherd, a Carthage senior and member of the baseball team, went turkey hunting before school started, as reported by local media. After bagging a bird and posting a picture of the harvest to Facebook, the youth went home and cleaned up then went to school – forgetting his unloaded and disassembled shotgun in its case beneath the seat of his truck.
Nice. Then I guess everything is okay.
Delete" and forgot to take the shotgun out of the truck. Entirely plausible."
DeleteC'mon, Kurt, you can't really believe that. After hunting in the early morning a decision would have been made to either stop home to maybe change clothes and clean up as well as leave the guns there - or not. There's no forgetting involved, unless of course you want to stretch all credibility to give the criminal the benefit of the doubt.
C'mon, Kurt, you can't really believe that.
DeleteI can, and do.
Very easily.
Another problem is the arrogant expresson on the kid's face. He's off to a good start disregarding laws he doesn't feel like obeying.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem is the arrogant expresson on the kid's face.
DeleteOh, for shit's sake, please be kidding. He's just happy to have his life back.
But you know what? I hope he is proud of defying an evil law, even unintentionally.
What the H, Mike? That's a picture of him on his baseball team- presumably taken before this whole incident.
DeleteIt's not clear when the picture was taken, nor does it matter. His arrogant smug expression is perfectly consistent with your beloved attitude about "bad laws."
Delete"It's not clear when the picture was taken, nor does it matter. His arrogant smug expression is perfectly consistent with your beloved attitude about "bad laws."
DeleteI actually had the impression from the caption that it was a recent photo. As for the smug impression, I think its a look that all teens strive to perfect. Or it could just be your typical cocky look you often see from athletes in team sports.
Indeed, Ssgmarkcr. The caption says the photo was taken after being reinstated on the team. I missed that on first pass. That might be why Mike things he should hang his head in shame while the rest of his teammates smile- though he did say it doesn't matter even if the picture were taken before he broke a school rule. I can't see him winning over Mike in any case. Had he scowled or gave a blank stare, then he'd be looking like a smug too-cool-for-school badass who thinks "bad laws be damned". And had he put on a sad puppy face, then he'd be a sarcastic arrogant ass who thinks "bad laws be damned". Am I about right, Mike?
DeleteNo, you're wrong. If he'd affected an expression of contrition instead of the smug, self-congratulating, beating-the-system face we see in that picture I would have had no complaint.
DeleteBut he didn't "beat the system". He served a 10 day suspension, and below you said that expulsion would be too severe a punishment. What the hell do you want from him?
Delete"If he'd affected an expression of contrition instead of the smug, self-congratulating, beating-the-system face we see in that picture I would have had no complaint."
DeleteMike, I don't think you hang out with teens a whole lot. There isn't a lot of contrition to be found in them these days.
Mike, I looking at the tags you attached to this article and I know of one other of your posts that they seem to apply to.
ReplyDeletehttp://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2015/03/republicans-and-democrats.html
I'm perceiving a bit of a double standard here. In one case, the rules were broken (that we know of) in an instance of either forgetfulness or lapse of judgment. In the other, someone made a conscious decision to not follow the rules because they weren't convenient and continued to break those rules over a period of four years.
In one you seem to feel that even investigating the details of the rule breaking to be somehow unfair. And in the other, you seem almost disappointed that he wasn't expelled and forced to put his education on hold for a year. Perhaps you can share your feelings on whether such a punishment is fair.
No, I don't think the kid should suffer a severe punishment. But, I also don't buy the forgetting excuse.
DeleteOk, so he served his punishment for breaking a school rule, but you think he should never smile again? Perhaps wear a scarlet letter?
DeleteOk, so he served his punishment for breaking a school rule, but you think he should never smile again?
DeleteThat's awesome.