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A Texas man is facing third-degree felony charges of making a terroristic threat after he allegedly told elementary school staffers he brought a gun to the building, NBCDFW.com reported.
Officials say Ronald Miller was unarmed Wednesday when he told a school greeter outside Celina Elementary School that he had a gun, according to NBCDFW.com. The town of Celina is just north of Dallas.
The greeter froze in panic when Miller said he was a gunman and his target was inside, Celina Independent School District Superintendent Donny O'Dell told NBCDFW.com. Miller was then able to walk into the school and entered the office.
"He told them that he is a shooter and 'you're dead, and you're dead,'" O'Dell told NBCDFW.com. Never showing a weapon, Miller then reportedly revealed his stunt was a test of school safety and he wanted to talk to the principal.
School staffers knew Miller, who was a father of a student, and police were not called until he left the school, The Dallas Morning News reported. He was arrested Wednesday evening and is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail, the newspaper added.
School security and gun control have been hotly debated since the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., claimed the lives of 20 children and six adult staffers.
In a letter to parents dated Thursday, O'Dell said Wednesday's test was done "in a rogue manner."
"We have always had a security plan in place that involved our police officials," O'Dell wrote. "However, because of recent events we have ramped-up our security efforts on all campuses."
O'Dell did not respond to NBC News' phone and email requests for comment Friday. Representatives of the Celina PTA board did not respond to email requests for comment Friday.
David Siano, a parent at the school, told NBCDFW.com that the incident shows that "we are not prepared."
"His intent was just simply to say, 'you've done nothing' and that's what it showed," Siano said. "So (if) that’s what it takes, it’s a shame."
Another parent Misti Schramme told The Dallas Morning News she trusts security measures in Celina and thinks her child's school is safe: "You can’t live in fear all the time."
School safety expert Ken Trump told NBC News on Friday that he encourages parents to "ask probing questions" about their child's school security and emergency prep.
But he advises: "Don’t go off the deep end to be overly dramatic." Instead, Trump recommended that parents choose avenues like scheduling an appointment with the principal, attending safety or crisis team meetings at the school, or going to the school's PTA.
In the last few decades, Americans have witnessed a number of high-profile school shootings, including the 2007 attack at Virginia Tech and the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.
On Thursday, an armed student entered a Taft, Calif. high school and wounded a 16-year-old teen. A teacher and campus supervisor persuaded the shooter to drop the gun.
NBCDFW.com's Catherine Ross contributed to this story.
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Another nut running around lose. It's a good think there weren't armed guards there, they'd have probably shot his ass.
This idiot might have intended to prove how unprepared the school was, but in the process, he also proved that not all cases merited the use of firearms. If there were armed guards/teachers around, this idiot could have been dead before he knew what happened.
If you want your kids to be safe, teach them at home and guard your home 24/7. Even then, a fire or some other home accident could happen and they could still be harmed. Everything is relative, including your kids' safety.
Candy S. ?
Kudos to Ms. Schramme. Fear is what is fueling gun sales. The media fans the flames and everybody's got to get their weapons. Not that there's anything wrong with arming one's self. It's just that fear makes people do irrational sh!t, such as the a$$clown in this story. Fear sales.
"...The media fans the flames..." -- In this case, I believe it's unfair to lay the blame on the media. If you watch some of the TV interviews by LaPierre and Alex Jones, you'll know it's the NRA and other gun enthusiasts who are to blame. These individuals are really shameless in stoking fear, hiding behind the 2nd Amendment and using bullying tactics (like petitioning to deport Piers Morgan).
Yea, let's go start a conversation with school officials. Then they can start the meetings and debate, see if the PTO can raise enough money for a security plan. After a year or two we may get some kind of security in place if it doesn't cost too much. Football field first. Then when you test the system you have to get permission from the school board. When the state police do an unannounced locker inspection for drugs at my kids' school, the QUALITY kids(teachers' words, not mine) get a two day notice. Can't have the pillars of the community getting in trouble.
Schools already have fences, gates, locked doors, alarms, some have cameras, security personnel, and metal detectors. The only sure way to keep children safe is at home or in a penitentiary complex. WOW! Living in fear is not the answer and those two shouldn't be either.
Do you call it "living in fear" when you lock your house door or car door? Probably you just call it being cautious. MOST concerned parents are just asking that the schools be cautious while their children are in their care. Some schools do a good job at it and others don't. If a parent feels their school is not being cautious then they should complain, maybe not in the manner this guy did, but concerned parents should not be discouraged from speaking up.
There are houses near the local elementary school here. Any nut with a rifle would have no trouble target shooting the kids on the playground. However, the play ground gates are locked, as are the school doors, as non-custodial relatives have tried to kidnap kids from the school.
I think he should not spend a single minute in jail. He did the school a valuable public service.
He should be thanked
Let's see what the law says.
So, do you think a bank robber that states he has a gun(yet is unarmed) and threatens a bank teller, and then states that he was just testing the bank's security should be thanked for doing the public a service, and not get jail time. Explain the difference...both made threats and stated they were armed, yet they were not.
Here look this up people,
1927: Terror in a school
One of the nation's first major terrorist attacks occurred in Michigan on May 18, 1927, when a bomb was set off in a schoolhouse in Bath, killing 38 children and three teachers. Fifty-eight others were injured.
Andrew KEHOE, a disgruntled taxpayer and Bath farmer, detonated 1,000 pounds of explosives under the newly constructed Bath Consolidated School. After the massacre, KEHOE blew up himself and the school superintendent.
Along with this!
US town evacuated after 2,700 tons of explosives found
Read more: #ixzz2HjZ5QBuD
I don't believe we are in clear focus here, WHAT IF?
Holy crap look at the 1927 mass killing and whats stored outside around the corner for some goofball to use.
Illuminati along with the devil has the public in a full panic..
John,
There have always been angry isolates who very occasionally harmed others. Now, with the NRA cheerleading and the internet, these isolates have been given a voice. True, the gun dependent are being used for the financial interests of gun manufacturers and the power interests of the NRA leadership and others, but most gun dependent have no clue. This is their moment.
It won't last.
Whether it be Tuesday or two decades from Tuesday, the US will join al other advanced countries that have tightly controlled, if not outlawed, guns. Regrettably, it may take many more massacres where the presence of a gunguard was useless and gun owner deaths by suicide and family member deaths through family homicide and gun accidents.
if this knucklehead did that in the school in my town he would been shot we have armed policemen in all of our schools and two by the front door. our childern are safe thanks to the police and deputies in our comunity
Very clever aproach ,sure did show the weakness of the education system,They got egg on their face he's got a 75 k bond , Hmmmmm, I'll be more then happy to help finance his legal defense,
I applaud this guy. Without common sense, he showed us how even being stupid, one can get a point across. He was right: The school clearly had NO security plan in place, and they did NOTHING when this guy walked into the school and [mock] killed them. What is their defense? "We have ramped up security" -- a lot of good it did stopping this guy. Good luck if someone with a real gun and a real trigger finger comes in there. You guys have NO chance of doing diddly!
...
STUCK ON STUPID And FAT . Get back to FRIDGE FATTY . It looks thats all he is GOOD AT !!!!! Stupidity comes in all shapes sizes and colors.
"We have always had a security plan in place that involved our police officials," O'Dell wrote. "However, because of recent events we have ramped-up our security efforts on all campuses."
Apparently not!
I agree with 2 peoples comments. 1.Anna, 2, SCparentjim. Stupid, yes, but he did make a point!! Did they subdue him, people froze, no alert?? So he made a mistake and is going to pay for it. He proved the School wasn NOT prepared for any type of threats.
joe you are so right.after all the things that happened it showed that all the talk about securing schools is b.s.the only thing they politicians have been talking about is gun control.not the real issue security.we have armed guards and security in banks,airports,govt buildings.all these places like schools are gun free zones BUT they have armed security.now politicians(who also have armed security) use tragety to push thier agenda without doing anything to solve the problem.they think it is better to to push for gun control than to just secure our children like they do thier money or themselves.gun free zones only work when proper security is there.also this man who did this ,as my old gunny used to say 'good initiative ,poor judgement.
How is it that nearly 70% of American adults own a gun legally, and I would guess about 10 to 15% own one illegally, and about 15 to 20% don't own a gun. But of those adults, about half of them live in a home where one is in the household. Yet the remaining 7 to 10 percent that don't own one, or have one in their home calls the nearly 90% "gun nuts".
Frankly, I've seen nearly as many illegal guns and gun ownership as I have legal. This entire discussion is bunk, because a lot of people out there are lying.
Show me a neighborhood where strict gun laws are in effect, and I'll show you a neighborhood with a gun in 97% of the households.
Rocky Rhode: I'm sure a lot of people are lying, and others,like you, are making stuff up. Just last night, I conceded a point to someone who made stuff up, like that the New York Mayor and Governor are calling for bans and confiscations of all firearms. Not true, as it turns out. But I will challenge one of your assertions. See, I never have owned a gun, and I don't call anyone a "gun nut", though there are those out there, like the school shooter(s), who seem to deserve that label. I know many exemplary people who are gun owners,and I don't see them as any type of problem. The problem is that the problem people also have them. We should be smart enough to find a way to keep that from happening. By the way, modifying your post is cheating.
This guy has now got to walk everywhere children gather and do the same thing. Let us go over the list; movie theaters, sports events, educational outings, public places, malls, beaches, parties, concerts. Shall I go on or has the logic of being safe all the time a fallacy? Israel and other countries, Mexico have armed troops in societies that are supposedly gun free. Works great doesn't it?
alright so the guy is stupid, does that mean he should suffer for the rest of his life for doing what he though was his last chance, we don't know the guys whole story is at this point, maybe he did try the "right" way, but ran into the same ole bull@!$%# when yo try to get the law to do the right thing. I hate to think that a man could spend time in jail for doing what he thought was right, and no one was hurt. If we let this guy go down for this then we're going down the same @!$%# hole he is.
Look this whole situation is out of control. People are going @!$%#ing crazy.
The simplest way to protect our schools is have a resource officer or police officer on every campus. The bigger the school then the more security needed. That way the guns are in the hands of qualified professionals. If that doesn't work just have the cops already out there patrol the schools more often.
Simple as that!
The guy proved his point to the nation. He was frustrated like we are; now he will pay for our 'enlightenment'. There are a lot of 'doomsday preppers' out there preparing for the worst. This brings to mind a fellow named 'NOAH' who had this idea to build a boat...
Clarify last statement; they have military patrolling because criminals and terrorists don't obey strict weapon laws.
I knew something like this was going to happen. Next is the armed parent who goes in guns ablaze after sonny-boy's little playground enemies. Stupid gun-nuts.
you are the only one who is stupid!this man ,even though it was not a well thought out thing to do,showed that after the grand standing and posing nothing has been done to secure our schools.you making a comparison like you just did shows you have little or no concept on the issue and like our esteemed politicians you have your own agenda.so ,STFU !
Learn To write before you call people stupid.
Schools, faculty and staff will tell parents what they want to hear. I have seen this a million times before and have heard it straight from people who work in school systems. Its like one person said here the best test is the one thats not expected cause I doubt that a gunman will pick up the telephone and say hey just letting you know that I will be killing kids at your school today so you may wanna call the cops now! My husband is the head custodian at an elementary school here where we live. He and I cannot understand why the school here and others always tell the teachers, call the cops to let them know, when what day and what time they will be running a crisis drill, fire drill, etc that is so stupid!!! They need to have unexpected tests of the security and plans plain and simple.
My daughter's school had an incident on Dec. 21. It was the day many were expecting some nutjob to act up so I kept my children home...luckily. That day an ex-student drove 400 miles from Utah to Nevada to supposedly visit his favorite teachers. He just happened to bring an assault rifle, magazine clip with 40 rounds, and survival gear in his car. He was linked to another ex-student at that school who had already been arrested for manufacturing bombs, terrorist threats, and having multiply illegal weapons. The latter student was reportedly the head of a militia and rumors were spreading that something was going to happen that day in retaliation for his arrest. The F.B.I. warned our authorities ahead of time so he did not make it in the school. This is magnet school with highly goal oriented and honors students in an upper-middle class area . When I went to the school to inquire about security measures, they were polite enough but, clearly had the attitude that nothing is going to happen and I was over-reacting. Maybe they feel violence only happens in poor urban areas or that the kids who attend their school don't fit the stereotype of violent offenders, or maybe they have just given up like the rest of America. I will continue to be a pain in their A-- until they get a school officer assigned there...right now they only have a temporary officer although other schools in the district have one or more. I appear to be the only parent pushing the issue and it saddens me how easily Americans "lay down". I remember when we have some fight in us...where has it gone:(. We won't fight for our pensions, for our teacher's salaries, for the bank's to stop raping us, for our constitutional rights, and now we won't fight for our children's safety in school!?!? WAKE UP NOW before you wake up a slave tomorrow.
Just so you know...he did save lives.....no one is saying that an armed guard could save all lives...but the fact that columbine had an armed security guard did in fact "limit"/ "reduce" the number of casualties
Exactly how did the armed guard limit/reduce the number of casualties????? My recollection is that the 2 teens sprayed the cafeteria and the library, and then they killed themselves after the police and SWAT team had surrounded the school. Just where do the armed guards fit in, and how did they save anyone?
check this out.... he engaged them which kept them firing on other unarmed victims
I find that hard to believe....and a lot of good it did having security guard there and firing at them, engaging as you put it, and not taking them out so they could move to the library and continue killing in there....if having security guards/police in the schools is to take out the killers...why did they end up killing themselves in the library. By your post, why did the security guard/police not shoot and kill the 2 gunman and only engage them.
1. For the record I don't condone his actions but, I question why the system especially in today's climate hasn't prepared for this.
2. For those of you who think his actions weren't justified but simply stupid I suggest you ask your local school(s) and not the school board, what measures if any are in place to stop such a "prank" or "real world" stituation from happening...again.
3. For those of you who have children and or family working in the educational system or any public place for that matter and think this parent's false flag op wasn't needed I challenge you, the next time your at the next PTA, PTO, office meeting etc. to see the crisis management book, politely of course. Find out if it has been updated and find out when the last drill was performed. It should be readily available and posted in plain view.
Food for thought. I've said my peace.