HS Teacher Surrenders Military-Style Rifle, Is Placed On Mental Hold After Disturbing Behavior

[kpete]

WNYT reports that Steven Davis, a popular math and science teacher at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, is being held for psychiatric observation after increasingly concerned family and neighbors called police. Neighbors saw Davis putting the Bushmaster into his car, which led them to call police.

Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette told the Bennington Banner newspaper that the rifle was in a case and police also seized two high-capacity clips loaded with ammunition for the rifle. Davis told police he bought the gun -- the same one used in the Newtown, Conn., massacre in which 20 children and seven adults were killed -- in 2009 and had never fired it. He said he put it into the car because he was going to take it to a storage unit.

After police conducted the welfare check Sunday night, his wife took their two children to stay with a relative and got a restraining order the next day. She told police she had no idea he owned a weapon and was concerned because his behavior had changed in the last month, the Bennington Banner reported.

After submitting voluntarily for a mental health evaluation, he now is being held on an involuntary basis.

MORE:
http://www.cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_4167.shtml

[Frustratedlady]

1. So, the NRA wants us to arm teachers?

[lindysalsagal]

2. I could only watch a minute or 2 of his videos. He's obviously very angry

and is missing some important inhibitors that would prevent him from making these videos at all.

I wonder if the town has the right to pull these videos offline, now that they're dealing with him security-wise.

I think he's angry enough to use that rifle, but he's also smart enough to know that he should get it out of his house.

The moving of the rifle could have been for the best of reasons.

I also wonder if his civil rights have been violated, but that's presumably what the local psych people are there to determine.

All in all, he's probably lucky he was stopped before anyone was hurt: It doesn't look like he's broken any laws yet.

Maybe this is now in the realm of "better mental health programs" that are mentioned during gun control discussions.

Either way, the fact that he kept making and posting these weird videos indicates that he's lost some significant judgement capacity, and shouldn't own guns, or teach school. But I don't think he's broken laws.

At any given time there are 3 million+ teachers in the U.S. Statistically, it's no surprise that a few will have a medical event
that causes mental impairment. I hope the docs can figure it out for him. I'll bet he was a really effective teacher. He's obviously quite passionate, but he's got a few things to sort out.

[loli phabay]

3. looks like he voluntarily went into mental health custody then they got an emergency custody order

So they must of ascertained a danger to himself or others. Hopefully he gets the help he needs.

[ecstatic]

4. Wow. I'm glad everyone did their part in stopping

what could have been another tragedy. And kudos to the wife for reacting swiftly, appropriately, and not keeping her kids in a dangerous situation.

[lindysalsagal]

5. Yeah. That wasn't easy. So far, she's not talking to the press, either.

If she's smart, she'll shield her kids from the press. This will be hard enough on them.

[Paladin]

8. Amen. (nt)

[lpbk2713]

6. Sounds like he OD'd on RW AM Hatemonger Radio

Too much Beck, Hannity and OxyRush will do that.

[TheBlackAdder]

7. As a science teacher, perhaps he needs full blood chem test for enviromental exposure. eom

[gulliver]

9. Wave of the future. Own an AR-15, become unemployable.

If I ever see anyone with one of these assault rifles, I will definitely let his boss know he has it. If he is a cop or soldier, fine. But otherwise I don't want him working in a high school or anywhere else.

Normal hunting, target shooting, and basic self-defense guns are all right with me. Assault rifle nuts (and worse) spoil it for everyone.