Enough is enough, says an armed U.S. Army veteran in Indiana who has decided to take student and teacher protection into his own hands after the horrifying Florida school shooting and threats of school violence rocked his own town.
Mark Cowan says he is keeping watch outside North Side High School in Fort Wayne with his AR-15 and a handgun – at least until added security is in place. Cown told WANE-TV 15 that he’s standing guard to protect students and defend them against anyone who might threaten their safety while they’re in school. He has been in contact with local police and the school resource officer.
“I [decided] to get my butt off the couch and come out here and keep an eye on these kids and teachers. They deserve it,” Cowan told the news station. “They all deserve a right to go home every night without fear of what’s going to happen during the day.”
In addition to being an Army veteran, Cowan is a member of Oath Keepers, an organization of former police officers, first responders and veterans.
“These kids mean a lot to me,” Cowan told WANE-TV 15. “These teachers mean a lot to me … this is my community, and they need protecting. And our law enforcement, as good as it is, can’t be everywhere. So it’s people like myself and the other Oath Keepers that say, ‘I’m gonna take up that slack.'”
However, the school district doesn’t appear to be thrilled by Cowan’s efforts to provide more security.
“We take the security of our schools very seriously,” Fort Wayne Community Schools spokeswoman Krista Stockman told WANE-TV 15. “We understand he has a right to be out there, but we do not believe it adds to the safety of our students. At North Side, as at all of our schools, we have security procedures in place. In addition. at North Side, we have armed police officers in the building every day.”
As WND has reported, the idea of having armed military veterans and law-enforcement officers act as guards to improve school safety is not new. Action star Chuck Norris, an Air Force veteran, has promoted the idea for several years in his exclusive weekly column.
“Which one of our fine law enforcement or military personnel (in any branch) wouldn’t consider it their greatest duty and honor to take a paid or volunteer shift as a guard infront of our schools protecting those precious souls?” Norris asked in his Feb. 19 column.
And in 2013, Norris pointed to Israel, arguing that it’s a “beacon of light for how to protect our children in public places.”
“Israel mandated armed guards at the entrances to all schools in 1995, and those guards are backed up by special police forces,” he wrote. “Despite that school defenses are primarily intended to thwart terrorists, they also deter any would-be psychos who would cause harm to their children.”
Norris continued: “Back at the home of the brave, the U.S. faces multiple mass shootings on academic campuses and the majority still refuses to post any type of armed guard or even unarmed security at schools to protect our children. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 70 percent of public schools do not have a police officer, and more than half (57 percent) have no security staff. There is an old-fashioned term for that lack of security response in these times: stupid.”
"And our law enforcement, as good as it is, can’t be everywhere."
Even when it is there, it quite often just cowers and hides.
That is rather an extreme gross generalization that really doesn’t say anything and definitely proves nothing.
Would it be possible for you to specifically characterize “quite often” in both frequency of occurrence and number of LEOs involved....then cite specific incidents, other than the most recent school shooting?
Would it be possible for you to specifically characterize “quite often” in both frequency of occurrence and number of LEOs involved....then cite specific incidents, other than the most recent school shooting?
Ever hear of Columbine? How many dozens of "heroes" cowered outside while many died? One teacher was shot in both arms and could have been easily saved, but he bled out while the "heroes" waited for the donut delivery.
"And our law enforcement, as good as it is, can’t be everywhere."
Even when it is there, it quite often just cowers and hides.
Would it be possible for you to specifically characterize “quite often” in both frequency of occurrence and number of LEOs involved....then cite specific incidents, other than the most recent school shooting?
Ever hear of Columbine? How many dozens of "heroes" cowered outside while many died? One teacher was shot in both arms and could have been easily saved, but he bled out while the "heroes" waited for the donut delivery.
Yes, I have heard of Columbine. Do you ever think about learning the facts surrounding a situation before you shoot off your mouth?
How many dozens of "heroes" cowered outside while many died?
You have a profound propensity to grossly overstate things while using exaggerated hyperbole. You first use the term “quite often” when I asked …
Would it be possible for you to specifically characterize “quite often” in both frequency of occurrence and number of LEOs involved....then cite specific incidents, other than the most recent school shooting?
… then you only cite “one incident” which in no way fits your “quite often” categorization and then you infer there were “many dozens” of police officers arriving at Columbine when the news reposts show there were only seven police officers.
Police were at the school right away. Within five minutes of the first shots fired, the sheriff's deputy assigned to work at the school was in the west parking lot. He exchanged gunfire with Harris who retreated into the school. That deputy was soon joined by six other policemen who took positions around the building. None of them entered the school. 1
Seven police officers are definitely not “many dozens” of police officers.
… while the "heroes" waited for the donut delivery.
Your gratuitous remark was uncalled and definitely unwarranted because it was lacking in good reason. It was therefore insulting to your intelligence since you did not avail yourself the judgmental opportunity to learn the facts.
Sheriff Stone said that by taking positions around the building and waiting for SWAT teams to arrive, his officers were doing what they were trained to do. 2
My thanks to GrandIsland for the following enlightening information and clarification on police procedures upon arriving at the scene of an active shooting.
Gatlin: What would be the “normal” protocol for an officer arriving at the door of a building with active shooting going on inside the building?
GrandIsland: Prior to Columbine, active gunman incidents were handled by arriving officers contained the incident AND WAITED FOR SWAT. This was standard for many years prior. As you know, that strategy caused quite a lot of bad public relations, after Columbine. After Columbine, the standard training was that arriving officers wait until at least 4 officers are on scene, then the form a diamond formation, and SEEK AND DESTROY. That training a few years later was changed to arriving officers, even if it's just ONE officer, upon arrival, IF THERE IS ACTIVE SHOOTING TAKING PLACE, enter the building with only one objective, seek out the active shooter(s), and destroy. 3
And so, Mister Rearden, There were not “many dozens of "heroes" cowering and hiding in fear” or “waiting for donuts” outside Columbine while people died. There were seven police officers doing what they were intensely trained to do, securing the perimeter and waiting for SWAT. As so stated, that trained procedure turned out to be wrong and it was smartly changed.
I hope that in some small way I have been able to shed some light on your dilemma so that in the future you will be able to make the right difficult choice when deciding between conclusions….the right one and the wrong one.
For your edification, I submit the following article with the aspiration that it will be intellectually beneficial for you.
Mark Cowan, the Oath Keeper standing guard outside an Indiana school pleaded guilty in July, 2017, to a misdemeanor battery change according to Allen County court documents and he was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation, which is still ongoing.
Cowan has decided to leave his AR-15 at home and will call the authorities if he observes anything suspicious.
