Demari DeRue is a 16-year-old junior at Columbia Falls High School in Columbia Falls, Montana. She is an honor roll student, a cheerleader and a hunter. On Monday, December 13th, she faces expulsion from school because, after a recent weekend family hunting trip, she inadvertently left her unloaded and secured hunting rifle locked in her trunk, and then drove to school Monday morning and parked on school property.
The expulsion could be for as long as a year, but any expulsion could seriously hurt Demari’s college plans.
Details of Demari’s situation can be read here: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_30256480-0282-11e0-ac8f-001cc4c03286.html
School officials claim they have no choice but to expel Demari. But the facts of this case show the unreasonable nature of the “zero-tolerance” mindset. Further, both federal and state law give discretion to school officials to modify the expulsion provisions in the statutes.
The no firearms rules were created to punish students who present a danger or who intend to commit crimes; not to punish an upstanding honor student who simply had a memory lapse. Further, it was Demari who voluntarily informed school officials when she remembered she had left the rifle locked in the trunk of her car. It is appalling that Demari is facing expulsion because of her honesty.
The hearing for Demari will be Monday, December 13, at 6:00 p.m. (plan to arrive by 5:00 p.m.), in the Administration Building at Glacier Gateway Elementary School, located at 501 sixth avenue west, in Columbia Falls. If at all possible, please attend this hearing and support Demari. Politely tell school district officials that blind adherence to unreasonable anti-gun policies does not make our kids safer, and in this particular case, would be a grave injustice.
Let them know that the only reasonable outcome of this hearing is to completely purge Demari’s high school record of this incident, so she won’t be in a position of trying to explain a “gun crime” to firearm-averse review committees considering college and scholarship applications.
Also, please contact high school officials, the superintendent and the school board and politely let them know that you support Demari, that you oppose any action to expel her and that a complete expungement of her record is in order. Contact information can be found below.
Mike Nicosia Superintendent mnicosia@sd6.k12.mt.us
Alan Robbins Principal arobbins@sd6.k12.mt.us
Scott Gaiser Asst. Principal sgaiser@sd6.k12.mt.us
School Board Members:
Jill Rocksund jrocksund@sd6.k12.mt.us
Dean Chisholm dchisholm@sd6.k12.mt.us
Barbara Riley briley@sd6.k12.mt.us
Darrell Newby dnewby@sd6.k12.mt.us
Gail Pauley gpauley@sd6.k12.mt.us
Jim Henjum jhenjum@sd6.k12.mt.us
Larry Wilson lwilson@sd6.k12.mt.us
Scott Emmerich semmerich@sd6.k12.mt.us
Tags: Gun Control, News, NRA, Politics, School Abuse
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 
December 10, 2010 at 22:03
I have heard of these things happening all too often… Sad, but you know, after Columbine, after Jonesboro, I can almost understand the schools and their paranoia…
Almost…
LikeLike
December 11, 2010 at 08:19
Agreed Fred, however they have had more than enough time to polish out the wrinkles in these programs.
LikeLike
December 12, 2010 at 22:27
Patrick,
Rutherford is in love with Justice Breyer’s take on the history of the 2nd Amendment.
If you wanted to drop by his 3 a.m. call thread and smack him with some learning, it could prove entertaining.
LikeLike
December 13, 2010 at 06:45
3 a.m. call thread..? I’d most probably fall asleep! LOL!
For the young lady’s schoolmate: Re Post your comment with a name. One thing that I do not allow is anons.
LikeLike
December 13, 2010 at 07:57
Okay BIC, I figured out that it wasn’t some internet radio thing… ME BAD! Looks like you pretty much blew him away so I didn’t bother to add to it. The only thing that I noticed was the age range. For some reason I thought that a militia call up started at the age of fifteen.
In any case Justice Breyer is clearly in the camp where the ends justify the means. Which, in fact leads to not being a nation of laws, but of men. It is the foundation of Utilitarianism, and has, in every case, lead to oppression.
LikeLike
December 13, 2010 at 08:38
When dealing with any branch of government it is wise to ignore the concept of “honesty is the best policy”. I would still maintain that approach with the majority of my fellow man, but my level of faith in government is far less than my intent to survive.
LikeLike
December 14, 2010 at 08:12
I have to agree with caveats Maine. The Bill of Rights is there precisely to prevent mob rule. A.K.A. pure democracy. Without those rights set as infallible then we would be subject to chaos that changed as regularly as the winds of populism.
I think that is a main theme as I read through the Federalist and Anti Federalist papers.
LikeLike
December 14, 2010 at 09:32
WE WON!
LikeLike
May 11, 2011 at 22:43
I have heard of these things happening all too often… Sad, but you know, after Columbine, after Jonesboro, I can almost understand the schools and their paranoia…
LikeLike
May 18, 2011 at 10:54
More like knee jerk reactions IMO.
LikeLike