(Anderson) Herald Bulletin
Bonnie Trahan proved an excellent point when she took a gun inside an Anderson school recently.
She was meeting with the principal at St. Mary’s School to discuss a threat that had been made against Trahan’s son. Trahan said she forgot that she was carrying a gun but started to draw it to show how easy it is to bring weapons into school buildings.
As she pulled the Glock from her hip and placed it on a table, the message was clear: Even parents can do silly things.
She now faces a felony charge for bringing a gun onto the property of a school. If a student had done this, and no one was hurt, counseling would be advised. If a parent, who knows better, commits such a ridiculous act, then who would argue against a tougher disciplinary action?
There’s a larger issue here. It is still too easy for anyone to bring a gun inside a school building, anywhere.
Even if Trahan meant well in protecting her son, there was a chance for a disastrous situation to take place.
A gun slips onto the floor. The owner of the weapon falls, or suffers a health problem. And forgetting
that you have a gun?
The list could go on and on. And that’s even if the person with the gun — inside the school — is licensed and trained to capably handle a gun.
As most of us would now agree, there is a better way to handle discussions with school authorities about protecting children. Those talks should never involve drawing out a weapon.
Others might argue for properly trained teachers and staff members to be armed. Others would want armed security teams inside schools. The arguments are becoming all too familiar.
In this case, for a gun owner to forget that she
is carrying a weapon, or even displaying one to
prove a point, indicates a huge lapse in gun safety training. She might well be one person who doesn’t deserve a gun license.
But this case also makes another point: Lapses in judgment can affect a gun owner. Most owners are responsible, cautious people.
But all it takes is one to walk through a crack in the system. And that one person can deter the rest of us from believing guns should be allowed in schools.
Distributed by Hoosier State Press Association. Send comments to