Students defend classmate expelled for gun
PRINCETON, N.C. (WTVD) — A Johnston County high school student has been expelled for bringing a gun onto school property, but the school’s student body is coming to his defense.
David “Cole” Withrow is a senior at Princeton High School. He was set to graduate in just a few weeks, until his arrest Monday for bringing a gun to school.
Cole, who is an Eagle Scout and an honors student, said he forgot to take his gun out of his truck after skeet shooting. When he got to school and realized the gun was in his car, he went into school to call his mom so he could leave and take the gun home.
The school found out and Cole was arrested and expelled. SOURCE
Edit to add, and this is GREAT news: Eagle Scout Expelled Due to Forgotten Shotgun WILL Get to Graduate High School AND Gets Full Scholarship
OK, I get it, some say the kid tried to do *the right thing*, but he says that he *forgot* he had a shotgun in the truck. He forgot he had a SHOTGUN? In his truck? The truck that he was driving to school every day?
In this time of anti-gun rhetoric from all over the anti-gun Left, he forgot that he had a SHOTGUN in his truck?
I have, on occasion, forgotten to take a pill, forgotten a birthday, forgotten to pick up the cleaning, but I NEVER forgot I had a gun, or where it was. This *I FORGOT* excuse IS a LOAD crap.
Some have pointed out that OUR generation carried guns in the rack, in the back window of our pickup trucks and that we had them parked in the school parking lot, and we did, I had a double-barrel 12GA and a Winchester 30-30 in MY gun rack, and they were BOTH fully loaded too, that was in the late ’60′s and early ’70s.
That was a different time in America, an innocent time that we may NEVER see again.
The kid messed up and is paying the price. I have NO criticism of the school OR their reaction. The kid didn’t *forget*, this isn’t a ’Sorry Mom, I FORGOT to clean my room’ thing. If you’re a parent, you’ve heard that excuse too.
You do NOT forget a gun, if you do forget a gun, or *claim* to have forgotten, you aren’t ready or mature enough to own a gun or be trusted with one without direct supervision from a mature ADULT that is well trained in gun protocol.
The *I forgot I had a shotgun in my truck* thing is really a load of crap and makes all responsible gun owners look stupid. The Cardinal Rule of gun ownership is to ALWAYS know where your guns are.
And to go a step further; I don’t buy into that *I forgot the gun was in my luggage* crap either. Irresponsibility is irresponsibility, regardless of who it comes from.
Would we accept as an excuse of ”Oops, I forgot and left my baby in the hot car all day”?
NO, we would NOT! No one buys the *I was SO busy and had SO much on my mind, I forgot my poor little baby*. It’s a load of BS.
Responsible gun owners don’t buy this *I forgot I had the gun in the car* thing either.
You do NOT forget a gun, if you do, you have no business WITH a gun, and to make this very clear, I am 59 years old; I have carried a gun nearly EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE since I was 18 years old. So far I have had one negligent discharge, it was 100% MY fault, but I have NEVER forgotten, misplaced or *forgotten* a gun.
Gun ownership and possession bears a lot of responsibility. This young man didn’t accept the responsibility of following ALL the rules, even the silly ones.
I am one of the most PRO-Gun people you’ll ever meet, but as said, with guns comes some serious responsibility, and hopefully, serious common sense.
The school has well stated rules. Do I agree with them? NO, I do not, but they are there and you work within the rules or you pay the price.
Some of you may not know, but nearly every person that has ever been arrested was *totally innocent* and didn’t mean to do whatever it was they did, it was a mistake, and “Can’t ya give me a break?” kind of thing.
Cole just got himself a healthy dose of the REAL WORLD, and can bet on this; Cole will NEVER forget where a gun is ever again, for the rest of his life.
I agree about having “forgotten” about the gun, and I agree that he should be punished.
However, unless he is a trouble-maker who a problem for the school, expulsion is pretty final. And if he really was trying to “fix” the problem, maybe something less than expulsion might be appropriate. I think the school could have suspended him and even had him arrested and fined.
Does he deserve not to graduate?
Thank God that in America we can agree to disagree.
Oh, make NO mistake, I believe the school went WAY out there in their response. The young man deserves punishment, but not THAT MUCH punishment… I don’t think we disagree on this one, I just didn’t state ALL that I was thinking.. My bad..
Good! I am so glad to hear that.
The kid did something dumb, especially in this day and age.
To me, his biggest mistake was not keeping his mouth shut. If he would not said a word, he could have driven home after school and put the gun in his room or where ever he kept it. Shoot…Shovel….Shut Up
OK. I responded to this on FB and I agree the kid did something really stupid but in this case I hope the kid gets a break. From what I have read it seems like he had no bad intentions and he has already learned a lesson he will remember for the rest of his life. He may not be one of them but there are a lot of people who are too stupid or clueless to own a gun. I’l give a couple of examples.
I have read several instances in the police reports for the town in Montana to which I want to move that people have left their guns on the front seat of their unlocked car on Main Street and had them stolen.
I was in Bass Pro Shop in Denver and a man walked in and asked the clerk if anyone had found a rifle as it was missing and he thought he left it there. These are true instances of people being at least as stupid as this kid. Stupid things happen all day, everyday.
The lesson he received will remain with him, as well as the other kids.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Fred - if you can’t remember where it is, you shouldn’t have one.
Just saw where Withrow has found out he will be able to graduate on time. Although he will have to attend an alternate school for his remaining two weeks and he will not be able to attend graduation ceremonies with his friends.
I forgot my gun. (A Deputy)
I forgot that I had put my baby on the roof of the car. (A nurse!)
I got the meds mixed up and gave him mine. (A Doctor!)
Just three of the deadly excuses that I heard over the years from people that really should have known better.
HGPSurf, that has happened more than once at Bass Pro. At least three times that I am aware of, and in Combat City no less!
Patrick Sperry…..I was shocked when I heard the guy say that at Bass Pro. Hard to believe it happens often since you have 3 incidents to add to mine. Also, anyone who leaves a gun in plain sight in an unlocked car is a complete fool. I am sure there are others that make these seem minor.
You cannot afford to be stupid with firearms, plain and simple. But expulsion? No.
BZ